The Government has named and shamed 360 businesses for underpaying thousands of workers a total of £995,000.
It was the biggest ever such list of offenders and included employers in hairdressing, retail, hospitality and the care home sector.
Excuses for underpaying included using tips to top up pay, docking wages to pay for Christmas parties and making staff pay for their own uniforms.
The companies named by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) included department store chain Debenhams.
It was accused of failing to pay almost £135,000 to just under 12,000 workers.
The company said it made a technical error in its payroll calculations, which resulted in an average underpayment of around £10 per person to affected workers in 2015.
BEIS said its investigations into the named companies had seen more than 15,000 workers receive back pay, as well as penalties totalling £800,000 being issued to the firms by HM Revenue and Customs.
The latest announcement means that more than 1,000 employers have been identified since the policy started in 2013.
The new list included 84 employers in the hospitality industry, 51 in retail, 39 hairdressers and 24 in social care.
Business minister Margot James said: "Every worker in the UK is entitled to at least the national minimum or living wage and this government will ensure they get it."
TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said: "This should be a wake-up call for employers who value their reputation.
"If you cheat your staff out of the minimum wage you will be named and shamed.
"But we also need to see prosecutions and higher fines for the most serious offenders, especially those who deliberately flout the law."
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
Tree surgeon dies after 'chainsaw' neck injury in southeast London
A tree surgeon has died after he apparently injured himself with a chainsaw.
The man, believed to be in his 30s, suffered a neck wound in the incident in Bermondsey, southeast London, with one witness saying he saw "a lot of blood".
The tragedy happened in Banyard Road near a school, shortly after 11am on Wednesday.
Another man, Charlie Brenland, said he saw police cordon off the road, adding: "Witnesses and the police said there had been an accident with a worker on one of the trees.
"Someone there said one of the tree surgeons had an accident with a chainsaw."
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: "This is believed to be a workplace accident and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will be informed in due course."
The man, believed to be in his 30s, suffered a neck wound in the incident in Bermondsey, southeast London, with one witness saying he saw "a lot of blood".
The tragedy happened in Banyard Road near a school, shortly after 11am on Wednesday.
Another man, Charlie Brenland, said he saw police cordon off the road, adding: "Witnesses and the police said there had been an accident with a worker on one of the trees.
"Someone there said one of the tree surgeons had an accident with a chainsaw."
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: "This is believed to be a workplace accident and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will be informed in due course."
India puts record 104 satellites into orbit, in one go
India has successfully put a record 104 satellites from a single rocket into orbit on Wednesday, in the latest triumph for its famously frugal space agency, officials announced.
Scientists gathered for the launch in the southern spaceport of Sriharikota burst into applause as the head of India's Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced all the satellites had been ejected.
"My hearty congratulations to the ISRO team for this success," ISRO director Kiran Kumar told scientists who had gathered at the observatory to watch the progress of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi immediately congratulated the scientists for the successful launch which smashes a record previously held by Russia.
The rocket took off at 9:28am (03:58 GMT) and cruised at a speed of 27,000km per hour, ejecting all the 104 satellites into orbit in around 30 minutes, according to ISRO.
The rocket's main cargo was a 714kg satellite for earth observation, but it was also loaded with 103 smaller "nano satellites", weighing a combined 664kg.
Nearly all of the nano satellites are from other countries, including Israel, Kazakhstan, The Netherlands, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates and 96 from the United States.
The launch means India now holds the record for launching the most satellites in one go, surpassing Russia which launched 39 satellites in a single mission in June 2014.
The business of putting commercial satellites into space for a fee is growing as phone, Internet and other companies, as well as countries, seek greater and more high-tech communications.
India is competing with other international players for a greater share of that launch market and is known for its low-cost space programme.
Last June, India set a national record after it successfully launched a rocket carrying 20 satellites, including 13 from the US.
It sent an unmanned rocket to orbit Mars in 2013 at a cost of just $73m, compared with NASA's Maven Mars mission which had a $671m price tag.
ISRO is also mulling the idea of missions to Jupiter and Venus.
Modi has often hailed India's budget space technology, quipping in 2014 that a rocket that launched four foreign satellites into orbit had cost less to make than Hollywood film "Gravity".
Scientists gathered for the launch in the southern spaceport of Sriharikota burst into applause as the head of India's Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced all the satellites had been ejected.
"My hearty congratulations to the ISRO team for this success," ISRO director Kiran Kumar told scientists who had gathered at the observatory to watch the progress of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi immediately congratulated the scientists for the successful launch which smashes a record previously held by Russia.
The rocket took off at 9:28am (03:58 GMT) and cruised at a speed of 27,000km per hour, ejecting all the 104 satellites into orbit in around 30 minutes, according to ISRO.
The rocket's main cargo was a 714kg satellite for earth observation, but it was also loaded with 103 smaller "nano satellites", weighing a combined 664kg.
Nearly all of the nano satellites are from other countries, including Israel, Kazakhstan, The Netherlands, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates and 96 from the United States.
The launch means India now holds the record for launching the most satellites in one go, surpassing Russia which launched 39 satellites in a single mission in June 2014.
The business of putting commercial satellites into space for a fee is growing as phone, Internet and other companies, as well as countries, seek greater and more high-tech communications.
India is competing with other international players for a greater share of that launch market and is known for its low-cost space programme.
Last June, India set a national record after it successfully launched a rocket carrying 20 satellites, including 13 from the US.
It sent an unmanned rocket to orbit Mars in 2013 at a cost of just $73m, compared with NASA's Maven Mars mission which had a $671m price tag.
ISRO is also mulling the idea of missions to Jupiter and Venus.
Modi has often hailed India's budget space technology, quipping in 2014 that a rocket that launched four foreign satellites into orbit had cost less to make than Hollywood film "Gravity".
Hate crime surges to record levels after Brexit vote
Hate crime has surged to record levels in the months after the EU referendum, according to figures.
Three quarters of police forces in England and Wales recorded their highest levels of hate crime in the three months after June's vote since records began in April 2012.
And three forces - the Metropolitan Police, Greater Manchester Police and West Yorkshire Police - saw more than 1,000 hate crimes each. The Met recorded 3,356 hate crimes, Greater Manchester 1,033 and West Yorkshire 1,013.
The figures, compiled by the Press Association, showed that only four forces reported a decrease in hate crimes during the same three-month period.
Provisional figures published by the Home Office in October said hate crime offences in July 2016 were 41% higher than in July the previous year.
Equality and Human Rights Commission chairman David Isaac said it "must be sensible to prepare for any possible spikes" in hate crime once Brexit talks begin.
"The vast majority of people who voted to leave the European Union did so because they believed it was best for Britain and not because they are intolerant of others," he said.
"It is clear, however, that a small minority of people used the Brexit vote to legitimise inexcusable racism and prejudice. We cannot allow such intolerable acts of hate to be condoned or repeated.
"The triggering of Article 50 is the next major milestone and we must do all we can to discourage hate attacks and to support people who feel at risk."
:: August - Race hate crimes soar on UK railways after Brexit vote
Lucy Hastings, director at Victim Support, said the charity supported 16,000 victims of hate crime in England and Wales last year.
She also said that there had been more referrals in the aftermath of the EU referendum.
"Hate crime has no place in our society and every victim of this crime is one too many," she said.
The Home Office said Britain's hate crime legislation was among the strongest in the world.
A spokesman said: "The Home Secretary has been crystal clear that crime motivated by hostility and prejudice towards any group in society has no place whatsoever in a Britain that works for everyone."
Three quarters of police forces in England and Wales recorded their highest levels of hate crime in the three months after June's vote since records began in April 2012.
And three forces - the Metropolitan Police, Greater Manchester Police and West Yorkshire Police - saw more than 1,000 hate crimes each. The Met recorded 3,356 hate crimes, Greater Manchester 1,033 and West Yorkshire 1,013.
The figures, compiled by the Press Association, showed that only four forces reported a decrease in hate crimes during the same three-month period.
Provisional figures published by the Home Office in October said hate crime offences in July 2016 were 41% higher than in July the previous year.
Equality and Human Rights Commission chairman David Isaac said it "must be sensible to prepare for any possible spikes" in hate crime once Brexit talks begin.
"The vast majority of people who voted to leave the European Union did so because they believed it was best for Britain and not because they are intolerant of others," he said.
"It is clear, however, that a small minority of people used the Brexit vote to legitimise inexcusable racism and prejudice. We cannot allow such intolerable acts of hate to be condoned or repeated.
"The triggering of Article 50 is the next major milestone and we must do all we can to discourage hate attacks and to support people who feel at risk."
:: August - Race hate crimes soar on UK railways after Brexit vote
Lucy Hastings, director at Victim Support, said the charity supported 16,000 victims of hate crime in England and Wales last year.
She also said that there had been more referrals in the aftermath of the EU referendum.
"Hate crime has no place in our society and every victim of this crime is one too many," she said.
The Home Office said Britain's hate crime legislation was among the strongest in the world.
A spokesman said: "The Home Secretary has been crystal clear that crime motivated by hostility and prejudice towards any group in society has no place whatsoever in a Britain that works for everyone."
Government rejects claim it failed to reach NATO spending target
The Government has rejected a think tank’s calculation that the UK’s spending on defence has dipped below the NATO target of 2% of GDP.
The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) had calculated that the UK had spent 1.98% of its GDP on defence in 2016.
It attributed the shortfall to the economy growing faster than defence spending.
But the Ministry of Defence said the figures were "wrong" and insisted that the UK spent 2.21% of GDP in 2016.
"NATO's own figures clearly show that the UK spends over 2% of its GDP on defence," a spokesman said.
"Our defence budget is the biggest in Europe, the second largest in NATO, and it is growing each year as we invest £178bn in new equipment and the UK steps up globally, with new ships, submarines and aircraft over the next decade."
The Ministry pointed out fluctuations in exchange rates, saying "the IISS presents its defence spending in US dollars".
"Gains by the US dollar against sterling in 2016 have skewed the true picture of UK defence expenditure," it said.
Missing the target would be embarrassing for a Government that has repeatedly boasted of its achievement and told other NATO countries they must follow the UK's example.
Theresa May trumpeted the UK's record of hitting the 2% figure during a meeting last month in Washington with Donald Trump, and said after the talks that the US President was "100% behind NATO".
Securing Mr Trump's backing was seen as significant because he had called NATO "obsolete" during the presidential campaign, and has also complained about countries not meeting the spending target.
:: Analysis: NATO 'spending miss' could be embarrassing for the UK
The high profile report by IISS was launched a day before a meeting of NATO defence ministers - including the UK's Sir Michael Fallon - in Brussels.
The group said only the United States and two European countries, Estonia and Greece, had achieved the 2% target.
"The UK dipped slightly below this at 1.98%, as its economy grew faster in 2016 than its defence spending," said director general John Chipman.
"Nonetheless, the UK remained the only European state in the world's top five defence spenders in 2016."
But the MoD said that it was for NATO to judge whether member states had met their defence investment pledge.
It pointed to an official assessment released by the military alliance in July last year, in which the UK was one of five countries to meet the 2% target in 2016, along with the US, Greece, Estonia and Poland.
Britain was a driving force behind turning what had previously been a recommended defence expenditure level of 2% into an obligation. The agreement was reached at a NATO summit in 2014.
The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) had calculated that the UK had spent 1.98% of its GDP on defence in 2016.
It attributed the shortfall to the economy growing faster than defence spending.
But the Ministry of Defence said the figures were "wrong" and insisted that the UK spent 2.21% of GDP in 2016.
"NATO's own figures clearly show that the UK spends over 2% of its GDP on defence," a spokesman said.
"Our defence budget is the biggest in Europe, the second largest in NATO, and it is growing each year as we invest £178bn in new equipment and the UK steps up globally, with new ships, submarines and aircraft over the next decade."
The Ministry pointed out fluctuations in exchange rates, saying "the IISS presents its defence spending in US dollars".
"Gains by the US dollar against sterling in 2016 have skewed the true picture of UK defence expenditure," it said.
Missing the target would be embarrassing for a Government that has repeatedly boasted of its achievement and told other NATO countries they must follow the UK's example.
Theresa May trumpeted the UK's record of hitting the 2% figure during a meeting last month in Washington with Donald Trump, and said after the talks that the US President was "100% behind NATO".
Securing Mr Trump's backing was seen as significant because he had called NATO "obsolete" during the presidential campaign, and has also complained about countries not meeting the spending target.
:: Analysis: NATO 'spending miss' could be embarrassing for the UK
The high profile report by IISS was launched a day before a meeting of NATO defence ministers - including the UK's Sir Michael Fallon - in Brussels.
The group said only the United States and two European countries, Estonia and Greece, had achieved the 2% target.
"The UK dipped slightly below this at 1.98%, as its economy grew faster in 2016 than its defence spending," said director general John Chipman.
"Nonetheless, the UK remained the only European state in the world's top five defence spenders in 2016."
But the MoD said that it was for NATO to judge whether member states had met their defence investment pledge.
It pointed to an official assessment released by the military alliance in July last year, in which the UK was one of five countries to meet the 2% target in 2016, along with the US, Greece, Estonia and Poland.
Britain was a driving force behind turning what had previously been a recommended defence expenditure level of 2% into an obligation. The agreement was reached at a NATO summit in 2014.
CCTV of 'female assassins' wanted over Kim Jong-Nam murder
CCTV images show the suspected female assassins who are believed to have murdered North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's half-brother in Malaysia.
Kim Jong-Nam, 45, was reportedly assassinated by two Pyongyang agents at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Monday as he waited to catch a flight to Macau.
The women are believed to have used poisoned needles, a poisoned spray or a poison-laced cloth.
Malaysian and South Korean media broadcast footage of the suspects wanted in connection with the killing.
The CCTV images from outside the capital's international airport show one of the suspects in a sweatshirt with 'LOL' emblazoned across the front.
The assailants are believed to have fled in a taxi after the attack.
Malaysian police revealed on Wednesday that a woman had been arrested in connection with the murder.
They said she was alone at the time and holding a Vietnamese travel document in which she was identified as 28-year-old Doan Thi Huong .
The suspect taken into custody was "positively identified from the CCTV footage at the airport", a statement said.
"Police are looking for a few others, all foreigners," it added.
Detectives are still investigating the cause of death and a post-mortem is due to take place later.
South Korea's Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, now also the country's acting president, said if it was confirmed the North Korean leadership was behind the murder, "that would clearly depict the brutality and inhumanity of the Kim Jong-Un regime".
Kim Jong-Nam is the son of Song Hye-Rim, a South Korean-born actress who is believed to have been a mistress of former North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il.
He was a known advocate of reform in North Korea and was vocal about his opposition to the nation's dynastic succession policy.
Understood to be Kim Jong-Il's heir apparent as his eldest son, he was thought to have been overlooked for the succession after a botched attempt to enter Japan in May 2001 on a false Dominican Republic passport.
He claimed he wanted to visit Disney's Tokyo resort, but the incident embarrassed his father, and the then North Korean leader was succeeded by Kim Jong-Un in December 2011.
Following the Japan scandal, Kim Jong-Nam and his family virtually lived in exile in Macau, Singapore and China.
According to South Korean prosecutors, a North Korean detained as a spy in October 2012 admitted being involved in a 2010 plot to stage a hit-and-run car accident targeting Kim Jong-Nam in China.
Sky's Asia Correspondent, Katie Stallard, said: "In terms of motive, perhaps he (Kim Jong-Nam) could have been seen as a threat to Kim Jong-Un's leadership - certainly that is being suggested as one theory behind his killing.
"At this stage there is no shortage of intrigue, but very few actual facts on the ground."
Kim Jong-Nam, 45, was reportedly assassinated by two Pyongyang agents at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Monday as he waited to catch a flight to Macau.
The women are believed to have used poisoned needles, a poisoned spray or a poison-laced cloth.
Malaysian and South Korean media broadcast footage of the suspects wanted in connection with the killing.
The CCTV images from outside the capital's international airport show one of the suspects in a sweatshirt with 'LOL' emblazoned across the front.
The assailants are believed to have fled in a taxi after the attack.
Malaysian police revealed on Wednesday that a woman had been arrested in connection with the murder.
They said she was alone at the time and holding a Vietnamese travel document in which she was identified as 28-year-old Doan Thi Huong .
The suspect taken into custody was "positively identified from the CCTV footage at the airport", a statement said.
"Police are looking for a few others, all foreigners," it added.
Detectives are still investigating the cause of death and a post-mortem is due to take place later.
South Korea's Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, now also the country's acting president, said if it was confirmed the North Korean leadership was behind the murder, "that would clearly depict the brutality and inhumanity of the Kim Jong-Un regime".
Kim Jong-Nam is the son of Song Hye-Rim, a South Korean-born actress who is believed to have been a mistress of former North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il.
He was a known advocate of reform in North Korea and was vocal about his opposition to the nation's dynastic succession policy.
Understood to be Kim Jong-Il's heir apparent as his eldest son, he was thought to have been overlooked for the succession after a botched attempt to enter Japan in May 2001 on a false Dominican Republic passport.
He claimed he wanted to visit Disney's Tokyo resort, but the incident embarrassed his father, and the then North Korean leader was succeeded by Kim Jong-Un in December 2011.
Following the Japan scandal, Kim Jong-Nam and his family virtually lived in exile in Macau, Singapore and China.
According to South Korean prosecutors, a North Korean detained as a spy in October 2012 admitted being involved in a 2010 plot to stage a hit-and-run car accident targeting Kim Jong-Nam in China.
Sky's Asia Correspondent, Katie Stallard, said: "In terms of motive, perhaps he (Kim Jong-Nam) could have been seen as a threat to Kim Jong-Un's leadership - certainly that is being suggested as one theory behind his killing.
"At this stage there is no shortage of intrigue, but very few actual facts on the ground."
Monday, February 13, 2017
Gambia to rejoin The Commonwealth after four years
The Gambia is to rejoin The Commonwealth within months - after four years outside the group of 52 states.
The Gambian government withdrew in 2013 under its then leader Yahya Jammeh, who called it a "neo-colonial institution".
But Adama Barrow, who was sworn in as president in January, lived in Britain for three years when he was younger and has said he wants to rekindle ties.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is to visit the West African nation on Tuesday, where he will meet Mr Barrow and visit the British-funded Medical Research Council.
Mr Johnson said he was "delighted" to be the first British foreign secretary to visit The Gambia since the country won its independence from Britain in 1965.
"I am also very pleased that Gambia wants to rejoin the Commonwealth and we will ensure this happens in the coming months," he added.
Mr Barrow's path to the presidency was not smooth.
He had been a political unknown but was thrust into the limelight when eight opposition parties put him forward as a unifying figure.
The former Argos security guard defeated hardline ruler Yahya Jammeh in December, but Mr Jammeh clung to power, saying there had been irregularities in the election.
Troops from other West African countries prepared to cross the border to force him to cede power and Britons in the country were warned to get outamid safety concerns.
After a lengthy stalemate, Mr Jammeh finally went into exile and Mr Barrow returned from Senegal, where he had taken refuge.
Mr Jammeh, who had been in power for 22 years, has been accused of emptying the country's banks of 500m Gambian dalasis (£9.2m) in the last two weeks of his reign.
The Gambian government withdrew in 2013 under its then leader Yahya Jammeh, who called it a "neo-colonial institution".
But Adama Barrow, who was sworn in as president in January, lived in Britain for three years when he was younger and has said he wants to rekindle ties.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is to visit the West African nation on Tuesday, where he will meet Mr Barrow and visit the British-funded Medical Research Council.
Mr Johnson said he was "delighted" to be the first British foreign secretary to visit The Gambia since the country won its independence from Britain in 1965.
"I am also very pleased that Gambia wants to rejoin the Commonwealth and we will ensure this happens in the coming months," he added.
Mr Barrow's path to the presidency was not smooth.
He had been a political unknown but was thrust into the limelight when eight opposition parties put him forward as a unifying figure.
The former Argos security guard defeated hardline ruler Yahya Jammeh in December, but Mr Jammeh clung to power, saying there had been irregularities in the election.
Troops from other West African countries prepared to cross the border to force him to cede power and Britons in the country were warned to get outamid safety concerns.
After a lengthy stalemate, Mr Jammeh finally went into exile and Mr Barrow returned from Senegal, where he had taken refuge.
Mr Jammeh, who had been in power for 22 years, has been accused of emptying the country's banks of 500m Gambian dalasis (£9.2m) in the last two weeks of his reign.
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