MPs debating Finn's Law punishments for attacks on police dogs after petition

MPs will today debate whether attacks on police dogs and horses should be punished as severely as assaults on officers.

It follows an attack on a German Shepherd police dog called Finn who almost died after he was stabbed in the head and chest while trying to catch a suspected robber.

Finn's handler, PC Dave Wardell, was stabbed in the hand during the attack in Stevenage in October.

PC Wardell's injuries amount to actual bodily harm in law, but Finn's wounds, which required a four-hour operation, are classed as criminal damage, a less serious offence.

More than 120,000 people have signed an online 'Finn's Law' petition, meaning it must be debated in parliament.

Another police dog was also badly injured after an incident in Swindon.

A man who had been holed up in a flat came out and attacked PC Neil Sampson but his German Shepherd police dog Anya managed to fight him off.

Mr Sampson, now retired, said the man came at him with the knife. He said: "I shouted at him to drop the knife and that I was a police dog handler. He kept coming so I set the dog.

"Some time during that she got stabbed in the chest. I was stabbed seven times, it was quite horrendous really. I am lucky to be alive.

"I've no doubt that she saved my life, and if it wasn't for her other police officers would have been injured."

The man was jailed for nine years after pleading guilty to two counts of grievous bodily harm with intent, but prosecutors were not originally going to bring any charges for the attack on Anya.

Mr Sampson insisted that they did and said: "This is happening to dogs or horses all over the country and there is no recognition.

"It was only when I said they have got to put the charge on there that they did."

Anya recovered and picked up a PDSA gold medal for her bravery

Hertfordshire police and crime commissioner David Lloyd told Sky News that the punishment for attacks on police dogs needed to reflect the seriousness of the crime.

"While I'm not calling for parity with the punishment given for killing a person, I think we have to show that attacks on police dogs will be punished."

Responding to the petition, the Government said attacks on police animals could already be punished with 10 years' imprisonment and that a change in the law was "unnecessary".

Alton Towers axes up to 70 jobs following Smiler rollercoaster crash

Alton Towers is making up to 70 staff redundant amid cuts following The Smiler rollercoaster crash.

The company confirmed at-risk notices had been sent to affected workers at the theme park, which employs 800 full-time staff and an additional 1,500 seasonal workers.

A spokesman for the park in Staffordshire said the move was "part of Alton Towers' continued recovery", and the cuts would fall across all the park's departments.

The job cuts comes after park operator Merlin Attractions was fined £5m at Stafford Crown Court in September for a "catastrophic failure" of health and safety rules over The Smiler crash in June last year.

Two teenagers - Vicky Balch, then 19, and Leah Washington, then 17 - needed leg amputations when the ride collided at 90mph with an empty carriage, 20ft (6m) above ground.

In court, a judge heard that ride engineers overrode the computer system which had correctly stopped the ride because they believed it was in error, leading to the crash.

Alton Towers said a consultation was underway and the jobs would go before the 2017 season.

The park is currently closed for this season and will reopen in March next year.

Merlin saw a £14m drop in revenue this year as a result of the crash, in which 16 people were injured.

An Alton Towers spokeswoman said: "As part of Alton Towers' continued recovery we have been looking at ways to improve our operating model.

"A detailed review of operations has been undertaken across the business to seek further efficiencies and increase flexibility.

"As a result of this review, Alton Towers Resort can confirm that it expects to make between 60-70 redundancies ahead of the 2017 season.

"Alton Towers will work closely with all those affected in order to support them through the consultation process and any subsequent requirement for alternative employment and job search activities." 

Donald Trump makes 'extreme right' Stephen Bannon his chief strategist

Donald Trump has dismayed opponents by appointing the head of Breitbart News as chief strategist of his administration.

Stephen Bannon, who quit as executive chairman of the American news network to help Mr Trump's campaign, will also act as his senior counsel.

Launched in 2007 with the aim of being "unapologetically pro-freedom and pro-Israel", Breitbart News has evolved into a platform for the burgeoning 'alt-right' movement that is vociferously opposed to multiculturalism and political correctness.

Image Caption:Reince Priebus will be White House chief of staff

Former Goldman Sachs banker Mr Bannon holds a Masters in National Security Studies and an MBA from Harvard Business School, and he was an officer in the US Navy before joining Breitbart, where he hosted a radio show on its SiriusXM Patriot channel.

Mr Trump has also recruited the chairman of the Republican National Committee, Reince Priebus, to be his White House chief of staff, signalling a willingness to work with Congress to advance his agenda when he takes office in January.

Mr Priebus is a Republican Party operative with deep expertise of the Washington establishment that Mr Trump has vowed to shake up, and has close links with House Speaker Paul Ryan.

:: Trump firm on agenda but says there's nothing to fear

Mr Priebus will play a significant role in policy making and deciding what information makes it to Mr Trump's desk.

His appointment is seen as an olive branch to the Republicans who control both houses of Congress, to help Mr Trump pass the legislative agenda upon which he campaigned.

"I am very grateful to the president-elect for this opportunity to serve him and this nation as we work to create an economy that works for everyone, secure our borders, repeal and replace Obamacare and destroy radical Islamic terrorism," Mr Priebus said.

Commentators expect Mr Trump to consider Republican loyalist Newt Gingrich and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani for the posts of secretary of state and attorney general, while Sarah Palin is also being touted as a candidate for a role in his government.

America's Anti-Defamation League, which campaigns to fight "anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry", condemned Mr Bannon's appointment, describing the alt-right movement supported by Breitbart News as "a loose-knit group of white nationalists, unabashed anti-Semites and racists".

John Weaver, a Republican political consultant who was John Kasich's chief strategist, tweeted: "The racist, fascist extreme right is represented footsteps from the Oval Office. Be very vigilant America."

Former Barack Obama adviser Dan Pfeiffer noted: "Nation exhales because white nationalist only gets second most influential job in White House."

Mr Trump said: "Steve and Reince are highly qualified leaders who worked well together on our campaign and led us to an historic victory.

"Now I will have them both with me in the White House as we work to make America great again."

:: You can see more of Donald Trump's first interview as President-elect later today with special reports on Sky News at 4.30pm and 9.30pm.

Trump firm on agenda but says there's nothing to fear

Donald Trump has vowed to crack down on illegal immigrants and cut taxes, but also insisted Americans have nothing to fear from his presidency.

In an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes, the President-elect made it clear he intends to aggressively pursue a conservative agenda.

On immigration, Mr Trump reaffirmed his campaign pledge to build a wall between the US and Mexico, although he conceded parts of it may be just a fence.

And he said as many as three million undocumented immigrants with criminal records would be deported or jailed.

Video:Farage Pledges To Help Foster UK Links With Trump 

"What we are going to do is get the people that are criminals and have criminal records, gang members, drug dealers," he said.

"We have a lot of these people, probably two million, it could be even three million, we are getting them out of our country or we are going to incarcerate."

He left the door open, however, on the fate of the millions of other hard-working immigrants in the country illegally.

"After the border is secured and after everything gets normalised, we're going to make a determination on the people that you're talking about who are terrific people," he said.

Video:American politics dividing families

Immigration was one of three top legislative priorities, he said, the others being action to undo Barack Obama's signature healthcare reform but to keep some aspects of it, and a bill to cut taxes and simplify the tax code.

Mr Trump also pledged to name justices to the Supreme Court who are anti-abortion and pro-gun rights.

"The judges will be pro-life," he told CBS. "In terms of the whole gun situation," he added, "they're going to be very pro-Second Amendment."

Responding to the thousands of protesters who have massed in streets below Trump Tower headquarters, the billionaire said "I just don't think they know me".

He went on to tell those Americans who are scared of his presidency: "Don't be afraid. We are going to bring our country back."

Image Caption:Reince Priebus will be White House chief of staff

He also confirmed he would forgo the $400,000 salary that comes with the office of president.

"I'm not going to take the salary. I'm not taking it," he said. "I think I have to by law take $1, so I'll take $1 a year," he added.

Meanwhile, the President-elect has chosen the chairman of the Republican National Committee, Reince Priebus, to be his White House chief of staff.   

Mr Trump's campaign chairman, Stephen Bannon, will be his chief strategist.

Image Caption:Stephen Bannon will be chief strategist

In another development, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani has suggested Mr Trump put his businesses in a blind trust.  

"He should basically take himself out of it, and just be a passive participant in the sense that he has no decision-making, no involvement," Mr Giuliani said, adding that it would be "for the good of the country". 

:: You can see more of Donald Trump's first interview as President-elect later today with special reports on Sky News at 4.30pm and 9.30pm.

Trump firm on agenda but says there's nothing to fear

Donald Trump has vowed to crack down on illegal immigrants and cut taxes, but also insisted Americans have nothing to fear from his presidency.

In an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes, the President-elect made it clear he intends to aggressively pursue a conservative agenda.

On immigration, Mr Trump reaffirmed his campaign pledge to build a wall between the US and Mexico, although he conceded parts of it may be just a fence.

And he said as many as three million undocumented immigrants with criminal records would be deported or jailed.

Video:Farage Pledges To Help Foster UK Links With Trump 

"What we are going to do is get the people that are criminals and have criminal records, gang members, drug dealers," he said.

"We have a lot of these people, probably two million, it could be even three million, we are getting them out of our country or we are going to incarcerate."

He left the door open, however, on the fate of the millions of other hard-working immigrants in the country illegally.

"After the border is secured and after everything gets normalised, we're going to make a determination on the people that you're talking about who are terrific people," he said.

Video:American politics dividing families

Immigration was one of three top legislative priorities, he said, the others being action to undo Barack Obama's signature healthcare reform but to keep some aspects of it, and a bill to cut taxes and simplify the tax code.

Mr Trump also pledged to name justices to the Supreme Court who are anti-abortion and pro-gun rights.

"The judges will be pro-life," he told CBS. "In terms of the whole gun situation," he added, "they're going to be very pro-Second Amendment."

Responding to the thousands of protesters who have massed in streets below Trump Tower headquarters, the billionaire said "I just don't think they know me".

He went on to tell those Americans who are scared of his presidency: "Don't be afraid. We are going to bring our country back."

Image Caption:Reince Priebus will be White House chief of staff

He also confirmed he would forgo the $400,000 salary that comes with the office of president.

"I'm not going to take the salary. I'm not taking it," he said. "I think I have to by law take $1, so I'll take $1 a year," he added.

Meanwhile, the President-elect has chosen the chairman of the Republican National Committee, Reince Priebus, to be his White House chief of staff.   

Mr Trump's campaign chairman, Stephen Bannon, will be his chief strategist.

Image Caption:Stephen Bannon will be chief strategist

In another development, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani has suggested Mr Trump put his businesses in a blind trust.  

"He should basically take himself out of it, and just be a passive participant in the sense that he has no decision-making, no involvement," Mr Giuliani said, adding that it would be "for the good of the country". 

:: You can see more of Donald Trump's first interview as President-elect later today with special reports on Sky News at 4.30pm and 9.30pm.

Paris attacks: France state of emergency to be extended - PM Valls

France's state of emergency imposed after last year's terror attacks in Paris is likely to be extended, Prime Minister Manuel Valls has told the BBC. 

He said the measures were needed to "protect our democracy". 

Mr Valls was speaking on the first anniversary of the attacks by Islamist militants, in which 130 people died.

President Francois Hollande is marking the first anniversary of the Paris attacks by unveiling plaques commemorating the victims.

Starting with the Stade de France and ending with the Bataclan concert hall, Mr Hollande and the Mayor of Paris will visit the six sites targeted in the attacks, paying tribute to the victims.

Mr Hollande is not expected to speak at the sites, saying he wanted the day to focus on remembering the victims rather than on politics. 

Names of the victims have been read out at each site. 

At the Stade de France, the son of victim Manuel Dias, the single person killed there, spoke on behalf of his Portuguese-born father, saying his father was "proof that integration is possible ''. 

"Long live tolerance, long live intelligence, long live France," he said.

• Bataclan survivor is a 'changed man'
• What happened at the Bataclan?
• Paris attacks: What happened on the night?
• Who were the Paris attackers?

On Saturday - the eve of the anniversary of the massacre - the Bataclan reopened with a performance by British artist Sting.

The singer told the audience, including survivors of the attack, that they had to honour the dead and celebrate life.

A minute's silence was held at the renovated venue for those killed in the attacks on the French capital by jihadists from so-called Islamic State.

On 13 November 2015, a group of jihadists launched co-ordinated attacks on the Stade de France and restaurants filled with people on a Friday evening.

The Bataclan concert hall was the scene of the deadliest attack. Three gunmen entered the venue and fired on the crowd, killing 90 people.

On Saturday, in an interview with the BBC's Hardtalk programme, Mr Valls said the state of emergency would be extended because there was a risk of "attacks of the kind we saw in Nice".

France's state of emergency was extended for six months in July after a lorry driver ploughed through a crowd, killing 84 people in Nice on Bastille Day.

The measures give the police extra powers to carry out searches and to place people under house arrest.

However an official inquiry found that the state of emergency was only having a "limited impact" on improving security.

2017 elections

Mr Valls said the country must remain safe during the presidential and parliamentary election campaigns which are scheduled to take place in France between April and June next year. 

Ms Le Pen had told BBC's Hardtalk last month that France's current government is weak, saying Mr Valls and Mr Hollande had failed to address the issue of immigration which in her view was directly tied to national security.

Mr Valls dismissed Ms Le Pen's rhetoric, calling her discourse "traditional of the far right."

"When a country is attacked it is understandable that people ask questions. But my responsibility is not to follow option polls. We passed two anti-terrorism laws. The far-right voted against them," Mr Valls said.

Although Ms Le Pen is thought to have little chance of winning the election, she has told the BBC in an interview being aired on Sunday that Donald Trump's victory in the US has boosted her own chances of winning.

French far-right leader hails Trump win

French pollsters have warned next year's elections could shake-up the currently fragmented political system. 

Mr Hollande, who has yet to announce if he is standing, is the most unpopular president in French history. Polls show a leftist candidate has little chance of winning next year.

Pollsters also predict far-right leader Marine Le Pen will emerge as one of the top two candidates in the first of a two round election process.

Edward Snowden Says Don't Fear Donald Trump -- Save Yourselves From Surveillance

Edward Snowden doesn’t appear as worried about the election of Donald Trump as half of America is. Speaking from Moscow today, in a live stream hosted by private search engine maker StartPage, Snowden said that for those concerned about privacy, they should not worry too much about Trump, they are the ones who can make a change. In a remarkably optimistic speech, he said the focus of the global populace should be on providing worldwide protections from spies and that this was entirely possible.

“While I care what happens to me… this is not about me, it’s about us,” Snowden said. Noting that President Barack Obama said he would end mass surveillance, torture, extrajudicial killings, he failed to deliver. “We all put a lot of hope on him because of this,” Snowden said. “But unfortunately once he took that office he didn’t actually fulfil those promises.” Mass surveillance perpetuates, as does Guantanamo Bay.

And so it is unwise to put too much faith or fear into the incoming leader of the free world. “This is just one president,” added Snowden. “Politicians do what they think will gain them support… ultimately if we want to see a change we must force it through.

“We should not fear a Donald Trump, rather we should build it ourselves.”

Think not of Trump, but of everyone

Asked by cryptography luminary Phil Zimmerman about the potential for Trump to abuse the power of the National Security Agency, Snowden said the focus should be on protecting people across the world, not just Americans. “I try not to look at this as a question of a single election or single president or even a single government,” Snowden said. He pointed to recent legislative changes in Russia and China, where regulations allowing mass surveillance were passed this year.