Thirty years after being left as a baby at Gatwick Airport, Steve Hydes is appealing for his birth parents to come forward.
He was abandoned in the ladies' toilets dressed in two babygrows and wrapped in a blanket.
The person who found him, who worked in duty free, said he was clean and appeared content and well looked after.
As a newborn without an identity he was nicknamed "Gary Gatwick" after the airport's teddy bear mascot.
As a newborn without an identity he was nicknamed "Gary Gatwick" after the airport's teddy bear mascot.
Despite mass media coverage his birth parents still have not been found.
He said: "It's the not knowing… why it happened and things like that I really want to know.
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Call For Breast Ironing To Be Criminal Offence
There are concerns more than a thousand women have been subjected to a practice known as "breast ironing" in Britain.
The ritual, which was originally carried out in parts of Africa, involves young girls having their breasts beaten, burnt and massaged in order to stop them developing.
The aim is to make women less attractive to the opposite sex so that they focus on school work.
It is almost always carried out by a girl's mother, in the privacy of their own home.
One woman, who we have called Lara, told Sky News she was subjected to mutilation when she reached adolescence.
She said: "They put the spatula on the fire and then they press it on the breast and yes, it hurts.
"Then it goes weak, it's like melting, fat melting and you can feel the breast going back… one of my breasts is bigger than the other one."
It is thought as many as a thousand girls may have suffered this violent mutilation while living in Britain.
A Freedom of Information request by the Conservative MP Jake Berry found almost a quarter of children's services are not trained to deal with the practice, whilst 15% of police forces were unaware it even existed.
Breast ironing is a secretive and brutal form of mutilation.
Heated objects are used to burn children's breasts. Many then have bands tied tightly around their chests.
Experts believe the ritual can cause cysts, abscesses, even breast cancer.
Geraldine Yenwo, the founder of Came Women and Girls Development Organisation, told Sky News: "A lot of them have inverted nipples, they're not able to breast feed their children.
"Emotionally and psychologically, your self-esteem is very badly affected. Physically, some of them have one large and one flattened breast."
Mr Berry is calling on the Government to make breast ironing a criminal offence.
As yet, not a single person in the UK has been convicted of the crime.
In recent years there has been a lot of awareness raised about female genital mutilation.
However, campaigners insist there also needs to be focus on breast ironing, before it becomes a more widespread problem.
Who Are Mohamed Abrini And Osama Kraiem?
Mohamed Abrini and Osama Kraiem have been held in connection with the Brussels terror attacks which killed 32 people - but what do we know about them?
Abrini
:: A 31-year-old Belgian of Moroccan origin, he is wanted over November's attacks in Paris.
:: Seen driving towards the city with Salah Abdeslam just days before the massacre that killed 130 people.
The two were also seen on CCTV at a petrol station in a car that was used in the killings. Abdeslam, a prime suspect in the attacks, was arrested on 18 March.
:: According to Belgian media, Abrini is "more than likely" to have also been involved in the Brussels bombings.
There is speculation he is the "man in the hat" pictured at the airport with suicide bombers Ibrahim El Bakraoui and Najim Laachraoui - but authorities are still try to confirm this.
:: Visited Birmingham several times last year and met with men suspected of terrorist activity, according to a European security official.
:: Grew up with the Abdeslam brothers in the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek.
:: Believed to have fought in Syria
Kraiem
:: Born in Sweden in 1992, he fought in Syria and returned to Europe in 2015 on a false Syrian passport and using the false name Naim El Hamed.
:: Prosecutors say he was filmed on CCTV at a shopping centre buying the bags that were used in the Brussels airport blasts.
:: Authorities are checking if he had a role in the attack on Maalbeek metro station and whether he was the man captured on CCTV with bomber Khalid El Bakraoui before he blew himself up.
:: Arrested in Laken in northwest Brussels.
Saturday, April 9, 2016
British Guns Are 'Sold On Facebook' In Libya
British guns are being advertised for sale on Facebook in Libya, where thousands of Islamic State fighters are believed to be active.
Rifles, light machine guns and revolvers are among the firearms listed in secret trading groups on the social network, even though Facebook has a strict policy against such transactions.
Once a buyer finds a weapon, deals are negotiated through private messages and phone calls - with some sub-machine guns being sold for as little as £400.
The Times said photographs and detailed descriptions of the guns were discovered by Armanent Research Services (ARES), which provides intelligence to governments on the use of arms and munitions.
Among the guns it reported being for sale were a Bren light machine gun, which was standard issue for British forces in World War Two, and a Sterling sub-machine gun which was used by the British Army from the 1950s to the 1990s.
Nic Jenzen-Jones, a director of ARES, told the newspaper that the British weapons being sold could have been exported directly to the Libyan government before the rise of Muammar Gaddafi.
British handguns are also among those being sold on Facebook, it is claimed - and David Dyson, an independent firearms expert, believes some of those weapons may have been left behind in North Africa by British troops after the conflict ended.
Facebook has said sales pages which violate its rules have been removed in light of the group's findings.
A report released by the Small Arms Survey suggested that sales of weapons on the black market in Libya are a new development - as the internet only became widely available in the country following the fall of the Gaddafi regime in 2011.
The Geneva-based research organisation said arms traders had "quickly realised the viability of social media for expanding their access to potential customers".
Facebook said: "It's against Facebook's community standards to co-ordinate private sales of firearms, and we remove any such content as soon as we become aware of it.
"We encourage people to use the reporting links found across our site so that our team can review content swiftly."
Three Missing As Fishing Boat Sinks Off Scotland
A fishing vessel has sunk off the Western Isles in Scotland and three of the four crew members are missing.
The coastguard received a distress alert at about 3.45am on Saturday morning, and the boat's emergency positioning beacon was activated near the island of Mingulay.
One person has been rescued and taken to hospital by helicopter.
A search operation is continuing to find the three sailors who remain unaccounted for.
It is believed that weather conditions were relatively calm when the vessel went down.
A Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokeswoman added: "The coastguard search and rescue helicopter based at Stornoway has been searching the area along with the Barra RNLI lifeboat.
"The lifeboat remains in the area and the coastguard search and rescue helicopter from Prestwick has taken over so the search can continue."
Met's 'Regret' Over Lord Bramall Abuse Claims
Britain's most senior police officer has met with Lord Bramall and expressed his "regret" about the distress the D-Day veteran felt after he was embroiled in Scotland Yard's inquiry into VIP paedophile allegations.
Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe has previously refused to apologise to the 92-year-old, whose home was raided while he ate breakfast with his terminally ill wife.
He and Assistant Commissioner Patricia Gallan met privately with Lord Bramall on Thursday and listened to his concerns about the investigation.
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement Sir Bernard also expressed regret about the "impact of having his innocence publicly called into question after a long career of public service".
"The Commissioner listened to Lord Bramall's concerns about the investigation, which will be considered as part of the independent review announced by the Metropolitan Police Service on Wednesday, February 10," the statement added.
Controversy erupted in January when Lord Bramall was told he would not face any action over historical abuse claims almost nine months after he was interviewed under caution as part of Operation Midland.
After he was cleared, Sir Bernard and the Met came under pressure to say sorry to the former head of the Army.
The Metropolitan Police Commissioner expressed "regret" but refused to apologise during an appearance in front of the Home Affairs Select Committee in February.
A statement issued on behalf of Lord Bramall after the meeting described it as "useful" and "constructive".
The Commissioner expressed deep regret at the great distress that had been caused to Lord Bramall and his family by the circumstances of Operation Midland which as an innocent man Lord Bramall had to endure for 10 months," it said.
"The Commissioner further assured Lord Bramall that the Metropolitan Police Service would be taking the urgent steps to implement the recommendations of the independent review led by Sir Richard Henriques.
"Lord Bramall looks forward to contributing to this review with the aim of establishing whether the investigation could or should have been handled differently.
"Lord Bramall accepts these assurances and appreciates the great pressure the Metropolitan Police have been under."
Sir Bernard has asked Sir Richard to examine the way historical sexual allegations against public figures are investigated.
The key findings of the review and the recommendations will be published later this year.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt agree to build bridge over Red Sea
Saudi King Salman has said an agreement has been reached with Egypt to build a bridge over the Red Sea connecting the two countries.
The monarch made the announcement in televised comments on Friday - the second day of his visit to Cairo - after meeting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and before representatives of the two countries began signing investment deals.
"I agreed with my brother, his Excellency President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, to build a bridge connecting the two countries," Salman said.
"This historic step to connect the two continents, Africa and Asia, is a qualitative transformation that will increase trade between the two continents to unprecedented levels."
"This historic step to connect the two continents, Africa and Asia, is a qualitative transformation that will increase trade between the two continents to unprecedented levels."
It was not mentioned where the bridge would be built, but at the closest point - Nabq, just north of Sharm el-Sheikh, in Egypt and Ras Alsheikh Hamid in Saudi Arabia - the two countries are 16km apart.
The plan to build a joint bridge over the Red Sea at the entrance of the Gulf of Aqaba has been in the pipeline for several years.
Earlier proposals suggested this causeway would feature a railway line in parallel with the lanes, integrating both country's proposed high speed railway systems. In that plan, the causeway would pass through Saudi's Tiran Island, which would serve as a connection between the two countries.
Sisi, who minutes before had presented the king with the ceremonial Nile Collar, suggested the name "King Salman bin Abdel Aziz Bridge".
"The unique quality of the relations between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, the extent to which they are strong and deep-rooted, will allow us to face mutual challenges," Sisi said.
Besides the announcement, Saudi and Egyptian representatives signed 17 investment deals and memorandums of understanding.
A government official said the deals with Saudi Arabia during Salman's visit would amount to about $1.7bn.
Saudi Arabia is one of the top foreign investors in Egypt, with more than $8bn pledged late last year in sectors such as tourism, agriculture and information technology.
It has also promised to help the country meet its energy needs.
Riyadh has helped finance Sisi's government since the Egyptian leader - then army chief - overthrew President Mohamed Morsi in 2013, giving billions of dollars in aid, grants and cash deposits to help buoy the country's economy.
Egypt has faced years of political upheaval after the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime leader Hosni Mubarak, prompted a foreign-reserves crisis and slowed economic growth.
The country has since grown dependent on aid from abroad, although it says it seeks to wean itself off as soon as possible.
The monarch made the announcement in televised comments on Friday - the second day of his visit to Cairo - after meeting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and before representatives of the two countries began signing investment deals.
"I agreed with my brother, his Excellency President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, to build a bridge connecting the two countries," Salman said.
"This historic step to connect the two continents, Africa and Asia, is a qualitative transformation that will increase trade between the two continents to unprecedented levels."
"This historic step to connect the two continents, Africa and Asia, is a qualitative transformation that will increase trade between the two continents to unprecedented levels."
It was not mentioned where the bridge would be built, but at the closest point - Nabq, just north of Sharm el-Sheikh, in Egypt and Ras Alsheikh Hamid in Saudi Arabia - the two countries are 16km apart.
The plan to build a joint bridge over the Red Sea at the entrance of the Gulf of Aqaba has been in the pipeline for several years.
Earlier proposals suggested this causeway would feature a railway line in parallel with the lanes, integrating both country's proposed high speed railway systems. In that plan, the causeway would pass through Saudi's Tiran Island, which would serve as a connection between the two countries.
Sisi, who minutes before had presented the king with the ceremonial Nile Collar, suggested the name "King Salman bin Abdel Aziz Bridge".
"The unique quality of the relations between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, the extent to which they are strong and deep-rooted, will allow us to face mutual challenges," Sisi said.
Besides the announcement, Saudi and Egyptian representatives signed 17 investment deals and memorandums of understanding.
A government official said the deals with Saudi Arabia during Salman's visit would amount to about $1.7bn.
Saudi Arabia is one of the top foreign investors in Egypt, with more than $8bn pledged late last year in sectors such as tourism, agriculture and information technology.
It has also promised to help the country meet its energy needs.
Riyadh has helped finance Sisi's government since the Egyptian leader - then army chief - overthrew President Mohamed Morsi in 2013, giving billions of dollars in aid, grants and cash deposits to help buoy the country's economy.
Egypt has faced years of political upheaval after the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime leader Hosni Mubarak, prompted a foreign-reserves crisis and slowed economic growth.
The country has since grown dependent on aid from abroad, although it says it seeks to wean itself off as soon as possible.
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