Bereaved families and those who have three or more children will have their benefits limited after changes to tax credits come into effect today.
Chancellor Philip Hammond told Sky News that the Government has had to make "tough decisions" to help reduce the deficit and honour manifesto commitments.
The Treasury claims tax cuts, which also kick in today, will put more money in people's pockets and help rebalance the economy in favour of working families.
Working age benefits will be frozen from today, a measure which was announced by former Chancellor George Osborne in 2015.
Inflation stands at 2.3%, so the move will amount to a real terms cut for many households.
Added to that, a new two-child limit will apply to the tax credit system, so any third babies born from today won't be entitled to support.
That benefit was worth up to £2,780 a year until the child reached adulthood.
:: UK prices rising faster after Brexit vote
There are also changes to the "family element" of universal credit which will not be paid for any new claims or new babies, although it won't affect families already in the system.
Bereavement payments are changing too with the lump sum paid to families after a parent dies rising to £3,500.
They'll also receive greater monthly payments of £350, but the time limit will be reduced to 18 months.
Previously it was guaranteed until the youngest child left full time education.
:: Households pay £21.31 more for food so far in 2017
The Government's tax cuts also come into effect today with the personal tax allowance - the amount you can earn before you start paying tax - rising to £11,500.
And the threshold for higher rate taxpayers is also going up by £2,000 to £45,000.
Charities, welfare groups and opposition parties say the changes will benefit the wealthy, while struggling working families will feel the pinch.
The Resolution Foundation claims that 80% of the tax gains will go to the richest half of households, while two thirds of the benefit cuts will fall on the poorest third of households.
It suggests that changes to the child tax credit could affect 160,000 families in 2017-18, rising to 640,000 by 2020-21.
A Government spokesman said: "Our reforms are incentivising work and restoring fairness to the system for those who need it as well as the taxpayers who fund it".
"This policy helps ensure that parents on benefits have to make the same choices as those supporting themselves solely through work," he told Sky News.
"Current claimants won't see any reduction in their benefits as a result of this policy, and we will continue to pay child benefit for all children in a household."
Thursday, April 6, 2017
Donald Trump: Russia's role in Syria atrocities 'disappointing'
Donald Trump has criticised Russia and suggested the US may take on a more forceful role in Syria after a devastating chemical attack killed dozens of civilians.
During a news conference he told reporters that the poison gas attack, which killed at least 72 people, was an "affront to humanity," which had changed his attitude on dealing with the conflict.
:: Latest: Syria post-mortems 'show chemical weapons used'
Mr Trump said the atrocity - which he blamed on Syrian President Bashar al Assad - "crossed many, many lines," but he stopped short of saying how he would tackle the crisis.
In an interview with The New York Times, the President also said Moscow's role in the long-running civil war was "disappointing" - adding it was a "very sad day for Russia because they're aligned".
His remarks came after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Russia needed to "think carefully about their continued support for the Assad regime", as he warned America was in "no doubt" that the embattled Syrian government was responsible for the attack.
Vice President Mike Pence, who was asked on Fox News whether it was time to renew calls for Mr Assad to be ousted from power, said: "Let me be clear, all options are on the table."
Their comments come a matter of days after several senior Trump administration officials said they were no longer focused on removing Mr Assad from power.
Even though many western countries have blamed the Assad regime for the worst chemical attack seen in Syria for four years, Moscow has insisted that Syrian rebels were behind the attack in Idlib province.
Russian officials said they believed the poison gas contamination was the result of a leak from a rebel chemical weapons depot hit by government airstrikes - a theory described by a senior White House official as not credible.
Britain's ambassador to the United Nations, Matthew Rycroft, has also challenged Moscow to stop supporting the regime, and said: "What is your plan? What is your plan to stop these horrific senseless attacks? We had a plan and we had the support and you rejected it to protect Assad."
During a news conference he told reporters that the poison gas attack, which killed at least 72 people, was an "affront to humanity," which had changed his attitude on dealing with the conflict.
:: Latest: Syria post-mortems 'show chemical weapons used'
Mr Trump said the atrocity - which he blamed on Syrian President Bashar al Assad - "crossed many, many lines," but he stopped short of saying how he would tackle the crisis.
In an interview with The New York Times, the President also said Moscow's role in the long-running civil war was "disappointing" - adding it was a "very sad day for Russia because they're aligned".
His remarks came after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Russia needed to "think carefully about their continued support for the Assad regime", as he warned America was in "no doubt" that the embattled Syrian government was responsible for the attack.
Vice President Mike Pence, who was asked on Fox News whether it was time to renew calls for Mr Assad to be ousted from power, said: "Let me be clear, all options are on the table."
Their comments come a matter of days after several senior Trump administration officials said they were no longer focused on removing Mr Assad from power.
Even though many western countries have blamed the Assad regime for the worst chemical attack seen in Syria for four years, Moscow has insisted that Syrian rebels were behind the attack in Idlib province.
Russian officials said they believed the poison gas contamination was the result of a leak from a rebel chemical weapons depot hit by government airstrikes - a theory described by a senior White House official as not credible.
Britain's ambassador to the United Nations, Matthew Rycroft, has also challenged Moscow to stop supporting the regime, and said: "What is your plan? What is your plan to stop these horrific senseless attacks? We had a plan and we had the support and you rejected it to protect Assad."
Hero dog dies saving wedding guests from suicide bomber in Nigeria
A dog is being hailed as a hero after stopping a suicide bomber from killing wedding guests.
The guests were in the Nigerian village of Belbelo, near the north-eastern city of Maiduguri, when the teenage bomber tried to detonate her explosives.
Police spokesman Victor Isuku said the bomber, believed to be from Boko Haram, had been making her way into the wedding party on Sunday morning when the dog attacked her.
"This forced the suspect to detonate her explosive, while battling to wriggle herself from the claws and jaws of the dog," he said in a statement reported by Nigerian media.
"The dog stopped the teenage suicide bomber from detonating her strapped improvised explosive devices on the wedding crowd of people."
No guests were injured but the dog was killed by the explosion, alongside the bomber.
No further details were given about the dog, which is understood to have belonged to one of the wedding party guests.
:: Boko Haram teen bride paid 40p for suicide bombing in northern Nigeria
Mr Isuku said the attempted bombing happened just a few hours after three other suicide bombers blew themselves up at two other locations not far from the wedding ceremony.
Islamist group Boko Haram has a history of using women or children for such assaults, especially in Borno state, of which Maiduguri is the capital.
The females can be used as sex slaves or human bombs, while boys are also abducted and forced to fight.
Back in December, two girls, thought to be aged seven or eight, were blamed for a double suicide bombing in Maiduguri that killed one person and injured 17.
Boko Haram has been fighting Nigeria's government since 2009 to impose hardline Islamic rule over the country's mainly Muslim north.
Since then, at least 20,000 people have been killed, more than 2.5 million have had to flee their homes and thousands of women and girls have been abducted by the group.
Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari has said the Islamic uprising had been "technically defeated".
However, the Nigerian army is still struggling against the suicide attacks, looting and indiscriminate killing.
The guests were in the Nigerian village of Belbelo, near the north-eastern city of Maiduguri, when the teenage bomber tried to detonate her explosives.
Police spokesman Victor Isuku said the bomber, believed to be from Boko Haram, had been making her way into the wedding party on Sunday morning when the dog attacked her.
"This forced the suspect to detonate her explosive, while battling to wriggle herself from the claws and jaws of the dog," he said in a statement reported by Nigerian media.
"The dog stopped the teenage suicide bomber from detonating her strapped improvised explosive devices on the wedding crowd of people."
No guests were injured but the dog was killed by the explosion, alongside the bomber.
No further details were given about the dog, which is understood to have belonged to one of the wedding party guests.
:: Boko Haram teen bride paid 40p for suicide bombing in northern Nigeria
Mr Isuku said the attempted bombing happened just a few hours after three other suicide bombers blew themselves up at two other locations not far from the wedding ceremony.
Islamist group Boko Haram has a history of using women or children for such assaults, especially in Borno state, of which Maiduguri is the capital.
The females can be used as sex slaves or human bombs, while boys are also abducted and forced to fight.
Back in December, two girls, thought to be aged seven or eight, were blamed for a double suicide bombing in Maiduguri that killed one person and injured 17.
Boko Haram has been fighting Nigeria's government since 2009 to impose hardline Islamic rule over the country's mainly Muslim north.
Since then, at least 20,000 people have been killed, more than 2.5 million have had to flee their homes and thousands of women and girls have been abducted by the group.
Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari has said the Islamic uprising had been "technically defeated".
However, the Nigerian army is still struggling against the suicide attacks, looting and indiscriminate killing.
Theresa May warns internet giants over extremist material
Theresa May has warned internet giants they are failing to deal with the scourge of online extremist material.
Speaking to reporters on her trip to the Middle East, Mrs May was asked specifically about Google and its YouTube video sharing service.
The Prime Minister said some progress had been made in tackling terror and hate being spread in cyberspace, but more must be done.
Mrs May said: "We continue to talk to the companies. The Home Secretary met them last week.
"We think that there is more that they could and should be doing and we will be continuing to encourage them to do more."
She said approximately 250,000 pieces of material have been taken down from the internet through the counterterrorism internet referral unit since 2010.
Mrs May added: "The Government has already spent quite a lot of time talking with the companies about what they can do and what we think they should be doing. They have made some progress.
"I think it's very important that we do see action from the companies.
"We will continue to press them to make sure, because as we know, material on the internet can have an impact when it is seen by other people."
In the wake of the Westminster terror attack last month, Home Secretary Amber Rudd met with Google, Twitter, and Facebook to discuss the amount of extremist material on the sites.
Speaking to Sky's Sophy Ridge On Sunday, Ms Rudd warned the firms would "get a lot more than a ticking off" and insisted social media companies must do more as part of the drive to combat terrorism.
Ms Rudd also called for encrypted networks to build "back doors" into their system so terrorists' messages can be accessed during investigations.
Her comments came after it emerged that Westminster attacker Khalid Masood sent an encrypted message via WhatsApp just minutes before his murderous assault.
While in Riyadh, Mrs May has also held talks with Saudi security officials and ministers about the shared problem of so-called "foreign fighters" returning from fighting for Islamic State in Syria.
Speaking to reporters on her trip to the Middle East, Mrs May was asked specifically about Google and its YouTube video sharing service.
The Prime Minister said some progress had been made in tackling terror and hate being spread in cyberspace, but more must be done.
Mrs May said: "We continue to talk to the companies. The Home Secretary met them last week.
"We think that there is more that they could and should be doing and we will be continuing to encourage them to do more."
She said approximately 250,000 pieces of material have been taken down from the internet through the counterterrorism internet referral unit since 2010.
Mrs May added: "The Government has already spent quite a lot of time talking with the companies about what they can do and what we think they should be doing. They have made some progress.
"I think it's very important that we do see action from the companies.
"We will continue to press them to make sure, because as we know, material on the internet can have an impact when it is seen by other people."
In the wake of the Westminster terror attack last month, Home Secretary Amber Rudd met with Google, Twitter, and Facebook to discuss the amount of extremist material on the sites.
Speaking to Sky's Sophy Ridge On Sunday, Ms Rudd warned the firms would "get a lot more than a ticking off" and insisted social media companies must do more as part of the drive to combat terrorism.
Ms Rudd also called for encrypted networks to build "back doors" into their system so terrorists' messages can be accessed during investigations.
Her comments came after it emerged that Westminster attacker Khalid Masood sent an encrypted message via WhatsApp just minutes before his murderous assault.
While in Riyadh, Mrs May has also held talks with Saudi security officials and ministers about the shared problem of so-called "foreign fighters" returning from fighting for Islamic State in Syria.
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Facebook launches new tools to crack down on revenge porn
Facebook has introduced new measures to tackle the spread of revenge porn.
The social media platform has introduced photo-matching technology to prevent attempts to share non-consensual intimate photos on the site, as well as on its Messenger service and Instagram.
It has also added further tools to enable users to report suspect images.
Private sexual photos will be removed by a specially trained team if they are found to violate the site's community standards.
In most cases, accounts found to be sharing an inappropriate image will also be disabled.
There will be an appeals process if someone believes an image has been taken down in error.
In a recent 6,500-word manifesto, posted on his own Facebook page, Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg also addressed the social network's plan to "build a global community".
He wrote: "Our success isn't just based on whether we can capture videos and share them with friends.
"It's about whether we're building a community that helps keep us safe - that prevents harm, helps during crises, and rebuilds afterwards."
It has been an offence to share private sexual photographs or films without the subject's consent in England and Wales for the last two years, with a maximum sentence of two years imprisonment.
Online safety charities say victims are left "hugely damaged" after a partner or ex-partner purposefully distributes images or videos of a sexual nature without their consent.
A US study of revenge porn victims found that 93% of people affected by the sharing of intimate images report significant emotional distress.
Revenge Porn Helpline founder Laura Higgins said Facebook's new process "will provide reassurance for many victims of image-based sexual abuse".
She also said she hoped the move would "inspire other social media companies to take similar action".
New UK revenge porn sentencing proposals drafted in March have suggested tougher penalties for behaviour calculated to cause maximum distress to victims, and "sophisticated" cases involving significant planning.
Last month, British-born actress Mischa Barton spoke out about the "pain and humiliation" of a sex tape recorded last year without her consent and offered to the highest bidder.
The social media platform has introduced photo-matching technology to prevent attempts to share non-consensual intimate photos on the site, as well as on its Messenger service and Instagram.
It has also added further tools to enable users to report suspect images.
Private sexual photos will be removed by a specially trained team if they are found to violate the site's community standards.
In most cases, accounts found to be sharing an inappropriate image will also be disabled.
There will be an appeals process if someone believes an image has been taken down in error.
In a recent 6,500-word manifesto, posted on his own Facebook page, Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg also addressed the social network's plan to "build a global community".
He wrote: "Our success isn't just based on whether we can capture videos and share them with friends.
"It's about whether we're building a community that helps keep us safe - that prevents harm, helps during crises, and rebuilds afterwards."
It has been an offence to share private sexual photographs or films without the subject's consent in England and Wales for the last two years, with a maximum sentence of two years imprisonment.
Online safety charities say victims are left "hugely damaged" after a partner or ex-partner purposefully distributes images or videos of a sexual nature without their consent.
A US study of revenge porn victims found that 93% of people affected by the sharing of intimate images report significant emotional distress.
Revenge Porn Helpline founder Laura Higgins said Facebook's new process "will provide reassurance for many victims of image-based sexual abuse".
She also said she hoped the move would "inspire other social media companies to take similar action".
New UK revenge porn sentencing proposals drafted in March have suggested tougher penalties for behaviour calculated to cause maximum distress to victims, and "sophisticated" cases involving significant planning.
Last month, British-born actress Mischa Barton spoke out about the "pain and humiliation" of a sex tape recorded last year without her consent and offered to the highest bidder.
Six held in St Petersburg over 'Islamic State recruitment'
Russia says it has detained six terrorist recruiters in St Petersburg after an attack on the city's metro system that killed 14 people.
The suspects, from former Soviet Central Asia, have been held on suspicion of recruiting for Islamic State and aiding terrorist activity.
Authorities say there is no evidence yet they are connected to Monday's bomb attack on the city.
But Russia's state investigative committee said those held are suspected of actively recruiting other Central Asian migrants to join Islamic State and another militant group, the Nusra Front, since November 2015.
It came as Russian investigators prepared to question the parents of the man from Central Asia alleged to be behind the bombing of the underground network.
He has been named as Akbarzhon Jalilov, a 22-year-old Kyrgyzstan-born Russian citizen who lived in St Petersburg for several years working as a car repairman and later at a sushi bar.
State-owned Rossiya 24 television showed footage of a middle-aged woman in a red coat and a white headscarf and a man in a black jacket, chased by journalists.
The woman, who AP identified as Jalilov's mother, said she did not believe her son was responsible for the bombing.
Authorities searched Jalilov's home overnight and have been hunting for his possible accomplices while trying to establish a motive for his attack.
Jalilov's social media pages appear to show an interest in radical Islam and boxing.
Parts of the bomber's body were found in the wreckage of the metro carriage after the attack, which occurred between Sennaya Square and Technology Institute stations, the Russian authorities said.
They say he also planted another bomb disguised as a fire extinguisher in Vosstaniya Square station that was defused before it could explode.
No organisations have yet come forward and said they were responsible for the blast, which also injured 50 people.
Islamic State - which has fighters from ex-Soviet Central Asia among its ranks - has repeatedly threatened to attack Russia in revenge for Moscow's backing of Syrian leader Bashar al Assad.
Before Jalilov travelled to St Petersburg where he eventually got Russian citizenship, his ethnic Uzbek family lived in Osh, a city in southern Kyrgyzstan with a mainly Muslim population.
The suspects, from former Soviet Central Asia, have been held on suspicion of recruiting for Islamic State and aiding terrorist activity.
Authorities say there is no evidence yet they are connected to Monday's bomb attack on the city.
But Russia's state investigative committee said those held are suspected of actively recruiting other Central Asian migrants to join Islamic State and another militant group, the Nusra Front, since November 2015.
It came as Russian investigators prepared to question the parents of the man from Central Asia alleged to be behind the bombing of the underground network.
He has been named as Akbarzhon Jalilov, a 22-year-old Kyrgyzstan-born Russian citizen who lived in St Petersburg for several years working as a car repairman and later at a sushi bar.
State-owned Rossiya 24 television showed footage of a middle-aged woman in a red coat and a white headscarf and a man in a black jacket, chased by journalists.
The woman, who AP identified as Jalilov's mother, said she did not believe her son was responsible for the bombing.
Authorities searched Jalilov's home overnight and have been hunting for his possible accomplices while trying to establish a motive for his attack.
Jalilov's social media pages appear to show an interest in radical Islam and boxing.
Parts of the bomber's body were found in the wreckage of the metro carriage after the attack, which occurred between Sennaya Square and Technology Institute stations, the Russian authorities said.
They say he also planted another bomb disguised as a fire extinguisher in Vosstaniya Square station that was defused before it could explode.
No organisations have yet come forward and said they were responsible for the blast, which also injured 50 people.
Islamic State - which has fighters from ex-Soviet Central Asia among its ranks - has repeatedly threatened to attack Russia in revenge for Moscow's backing of Syrian leader Bashar al Assad.
Before Jalilov travelled to St Petersburg where he eventually got Russian citizenship, his ethnic Uzbek family lived in Osh, a city in southern Kyrgyzstan with a mainly Muslim population.
Bumper performance: Record UK car sales ahead of tax change
A record number of new cars were registered in March as drivers rushed to beat a new tax that came into force on 1 April.
There was an 8.4% rise in sales of new cars from the same time last year - with more than 560,000 new cars registered.
The new vehicle excise duty (VED) rates mean all new cars, except those with zero emissions, will be subject to a substantial annual flat rate charge.
Just days after the new tax was introduced, London Mayor Sadiq Khan also revealed plans to introduce fees of up to £24 a day for all but the newest diesel cars driving in the capital.
The Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will see cars, vans and motorcycles which do not meet emission standards paying £12.50 per day on top of the existing £11.50 congestion charge.
But Prime Minister Theresa May has said that diesel drivers will not be punished by the so-called toxin tax.
Demand for petrol cars increased by 13.2% according to the latest figures, while diesel registrations rose just 1.6%.
The year-to-date market share for diesel cars has fallen by just over 3% compared with this time last year.
However, the alternatively fuelled vehicle market grew by 31% in March to take a 4.1% market share.
Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) chief executive Mike Hawes said: "These record figures are undoubtedly boosted by consumers reacting to new VED changes, pulling forward purchases into March, especially those ultra-low emission vehicles that will no longer benefit from a zero-rate fee."
Motorists were previously encouraged to buy diesel cars under Tony Blair's Labour government as they were considered better for the environment.
However, Tony Blair's former chief scientist David King has recently admitted "we were wrong".
While diesel engines emit less carbon dioxide than petrol cars, they produce more toxic nitrogen oxide.
A Government report published in April 2016 showed diesel cars being sold in the UK emit an average of six times more nitrogen oxide in real-world driving than the legal limit used in official tests.
There was an 8.4% rise in sales of new cars from the same time last year - with more than 560,000 new cars registered.
The new vehicle excise duty (VED) rates mean all new cars, except those with zero emissions, will be subject to a substantial annual flat rate charge.
Just days after the new tax was introduced, London Mayor Sadiq Khan also revealed plans to introduce fees of up to £24 a day for all but the newest diesel cars driving in the capital.
The Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will see cars, vans and motorcycles which do not meet emission standards paying £12.50 per day on top of the existing £11.50 congestion charge.
But Prime Minister Theresa May has said that diesel drivers will not be punished by the so-called toxin tax.
Demand for petrol cars increased by 13.2% according to the latest figures, while diesel registrations rose just 1.6%.
The year-to-date market share for diesel cars has fallen by just over 3% compared with this time last year.
However, the alternatively fuelled vehicle market grew by 31% in March to take a 4.1% market share.
Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) chief executive Mike Hawes said: "These record figures are undoubtedly boosted by consumers reacting to new VED changes, pulling forward purchases into March, especially those ultra-low emission vehicles that will no longer benefit from a zero-rate fee."
Motorists were previously encouraged to buy diesel cars under Tony Blair's Labour government as they were considered better for the environment.
However, Tony Blair's former chief scientist David King has recently admitted "we were wrong".
While diesel engines emit less carbon dioxide than petrol cars, they produce more toxic nitrogen oxide.
A Government report published in April 2016 showed diesel cars being sold in the UK emit an average of six times more nitrogen oxide in real-world driving than the legal limit used in official tests.
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