Southern rail: Transport Secretary tells striking workers to 'get back to work'

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has told striking Southern rail staff to "get back to work" and end a "completely unnecessary" dispute.

Hundreds of thousands of commuters faced the worst rail disruption in decades this morning as three days of strikes began on Southern, which runs trains linking parts of Kent, Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire with London.

Members joined picket lines outside deserted stations at the start of the 48-hour walkout, with another strike planned for Friday, as commuters took the day off, worked from home or attempted to drive, cycle or get the bus to work.

Single mother Jennifer Lehane, from Croydon, emailed Sky News a copy of a letter she had written to her MP on a bus "with tears streaming down my face".

She attached a photo of her six-year-old son "in his pyjamas with his blanket walking down the road" to school at 5.30am - two hours earlier than usual "so I don't lose my job".

She said all those involved in the dispute should "hang your heads in shame!"

Job optimism at three-year high despite Brexit - Manpower survey

Skills shortages and the UK's looming divorce from the EU mean hiring optimism among private sector firms is at its strongest for three years, according to a report on the UK's employment outlook.

The survey of 2,100 firms - by employment firm Manpower - found construction and utilities firms were most bullish on employment prospects for the first quarter of 2017, despite general uncertainty over the country's future relationship with the bloc.

It suggested a rush for talent was under way ahead of potential Brexit barriers.

The study said the skills shortage was particularly acute in the building trade, with scaffolders and bricklayers being paid up to £24 an hour.

Housebuilders shed or lost many key personnel abroad when work dried up in the UK after the financial crisis.

The shortage of skilled tradespeople has been cited by the industry as a factor behind the slow recovery in building to help ease the country's housing crisis.

The report said the biggest headache for employers was a shortage of suitably skilled workers, especially if Brexit makes it harder to recruit staff from other countries.

The report found hiring in the public sector was expected to fall during the first three months of the new year as budgets remained constrained.

Mark Cahill, Manpower's UK managing director, said: "UK companies are going into 2017 hungry for top talent.

"Employers are still unsure about what exactly Brexit will mean, but are not letting that uncertainty deter them from hiring.

"Some employers may be looking to bring in talent while they can before any curbs to freedom of movement across the European Union come into effect, as more than half of all the jobs created by UK employers this year went to EU
workers."

Aleppo residents in desperate appeals as Assad troops close in

Residents and aid workers trapped in Aleppo are describing desperate conditions with streets "full of dead bodies" as the Syrian army comes close to regaining full control of the city.

President Bashar al Assad's forces, backed by Russia, have recaptured large swathes of the city in recent days and, according to state TV, it now holds 98% of neighbourhoods previously occupied by rebels.

A Syrian military source said government forces and their allies are in the "last moments before declaring victory", while the head of the government's Aleppo security committee warned rebels they "either have to surrender or die".

Lieutenant General Zaid al-Saleh added: "The battle in eastern Aleppo should end quickly. They (rebels) don't have much time."

Residents sent texts, tweets and videos to make dramatic appeals for help or say goodbye, as they said they feared they would die or be arrested by government troops.

Abdulkafi Alhamdo, a teacher turned activist, posted a "last call" video on Monday, calling the crisis in the city "the most horrible massacre … in our history."

With rain in the background, Mr Alhamdo struggled to fight back tears as he described the devastation.

"Just yesterday, next door all the building collapsed and many people were killed," he said.

"You might not understand what we are suffering here."

"We wanted freedom, we didn't want anything else but freedom.

"I hope that something can be done and that we can leave and that we can speak together once more … I hope you can remember us."

Another resident, Monther Etaky, told Sky News that life in the city "is like hell".

Forest Hill station stabbing: Knifeman shouted 'I want to kill a Muslim'

A knifeman who reportedly stabbed a rail passenger at a train station in southeast London shouted, "I want to kill a Muslim", according to a witness.

One man was injured in the attack at Forest Hill station at around lunchtime on Monday.

Eyewitnesses described the "horrific" attack and its aftermath on Twitter.

One person wrote: "The perpetrator is currently ranting on the streets. Beware."

Another tweeted: "#foresthill The attacker shouted " Who is Muslim, I want to kill a Muslim approached the guy sitting with his wife on the 1st carriage."

Shellby Curry, 24, was with her one-year old child when she saw a man "waving what looked to be a knife in his hand" near the station and screaming words like "Muslims f****** hate them, kill them all".

"I was walking along and someone stopped and said 'be careful, he's got a knife'.

"As I looked around there he was. I just grabbed my baby and ran across the road. Looking back (I saw) him marching up and down waving his arm about."

Miguel Oliveira, 36, said he came "face-to-face" with the attacker, who he described as "shouting uncontrollably".

"He was walking towards me and he was shouting stuff like 'Death to Muslims' and 'Go back to Syria'," he said.

British Transport Police said the incident was not being treated as "terrorism-related".

A spokeswoman said officers were sent to the station after reports of a serious assault at 1.18pm.

"One person has been arrested following the incident and is currently in police custody," she said.

"One man was treated by ambulance staff at the scene and is currently en route to hospital."

Donald Trump questions 'one China' policy

US President-elect Donald Trump has said the United States does not necessarily have to stick to its long-standing position that Taiwan is part of "one China," questioning nearly four decades of policy in a move angering Beijing.

Trump's comments on "Fox News Sunday" came after he prompted a diplomatic protest from China over his decision to accept a telephone call from Taiwan's president on December 2.


"I fully understand the 'one China' policy, but I don't know why we have to be bound by a 'one China' policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade," Trump told Fox.

Trump's call with President Tsai Ing-wen was the first such contact with Taiwan by a US president-elect or president since President Jimmy Carter switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979, acknowledging Taiwan as part of "one China".

Beijing considers Taiwan a renegade province and the subject is a sensitive one for China.

On Monday China said that it had "serious concern" about Trump's comments concerning Taiwan, and warned that any changes to how America deals with the self-governing island could damage diplomatic ties between Washington and Beijing.

Geng Shuang, a spokesman for China's foreign ministry, said that established policy is the "political foundation" of any diplomatic relationship between China and the US, and that any damage to it could render cooperation between both sides to be "out of the question.

"We urge the new US leader and government to fully understand the seriousness of the Taiwan issue, and to continue to stick to the one-China policy," Geng said.

Neo-Nazi group National Action facing UK ban as Home Secretary lashes out

A neo-Nazi group set to be banned in the UK has been described by the Home Secretary as "racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic".

National Action will this week become the first group engaged in extreme right-wing activities to be proscribed under British terrorism laws.

It means anyone who is a member or seeks support for the group faces arrest.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said: "I am clear that the safety and security of our families, communities and country comes first.

"So today I am taking action to proscribe the neo-Nazi group National Action.

"This will mean that being a member of, or inviting support for, this organisation will be a criminal offence.

"National Action is a racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic organisation which stirs up hatred, glorifies violence and promotes a vile ideology, and I will not stand for it.

"It has absolutely no place in a Britain that works for everyone."

The ban comes into effect on Friday after an order was laid in Parliament on Monday, which will see the group outlawed under the Terrorism Act 2000.

Six arrests over terror offences as London and Midlands properties searched

Six people have been arrested on suspicion of terror offences and police are searching six properties in London and the Midlands.

Four men from Derby, aged between 22 and 36, were held along with a 27-year-old man from Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, and a 32-year-old woman from London.

Police said they were arrested "on suspicion of engaging in the preparation of an act of terrorism" during morning raids across the country.

Properties in Burton, Derby and London were being searched as part of the investigation and the six suspects remain in police custody.

A statement from the North East Counter Terrorism Unit said: "We recognise that local people may have concerns as a result of these arrests and local officers will be out in the area as usual to speak to anyone who may have concerns.

"We would ask people to remain alert and vigilant but not to be alarmed and we are grateful for the assistance, support and understanding of people locally."

The unit was supported by officers from Derbyshire, Staffordshire and the Metropolitan Police.