Blackpool Murder: Burning Body Found In Alley

Two people have been arrested after the body of a 16-year-old girl was found burning in an alley in Blackpool.

Police have cordoned off the alley off Kirby Road, South Shore where the body was found and specialist forensic officers are searching a nearby hotel.

A 22-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman were arrested nearby and are now being questioned by police.

Lancashire Police said the victim was believed to be Sasha Marsden, a student at Blackpool and Fylde College who lived in the Staining area with her parents.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Superintendent Andy Murphy from the Force Major Investigation Team said: "This is an incredibly difficult and complex enquiry and we are working to try and build up a picture of what happened.

"From examining the body, it appears to us that someone has attempted to set fire to Sasha and this is a line of enquiry that we are looking into.

Student Sasha Marsden was reportedly set alight (Pic: Facebook)

"This is an incredibly difficult time for the family and we are keeping them informed of our investigation. Our officers will be supporting them as they attempt to come to terms with what has happened."

A port mortem is planned for Friday evening.

Carl Evans, owner of the Kimber Guest House told Sky News he spotted the fire when he walked out into his back garden on Thursday evening.

"I heard the alarms going and saw the smoke, but I thought it was just someone burning rubbish," he said.

He added that some residents had attempted to put out the flames before realising it was a body on fire.

"The lass two doors up said someone seemed to have put something out - like a mannequin - but it turned out to be the body of a 16-year-old girl."

Friends paid tribute to the victim on a Facebook page called RIP Sasha Marsden.

Jordan Silkstone wrote: "Way too young, what this town coming too.. R.I.p huni x."

Emma James wrote: "R.I.P Sasha. I didn't know you very long but you was such a good mate.

"I will miss our little facebook chats. You always knew how to cheer me up when I was down. I hope the people who did this to you get what they deserve. Miss you always beautiful. Xxx."

Anyone with information is asked to call the Major Incident Room at Blackpool on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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Halal Prison Food Found To Contain Pork DNA

A company which supplies Halal meat to prisons has had its contract suspended, after traces of pork DNA were found in pies and pasties.

The Ministry of Justice said it had withdrawn the products immediately, while justice minister Jeremy Wright said the Prison Service was investigating "as a matter of urgency".

It comes after traces of horsemeat were found in burgers sold by some UK supermarkets, including Tesco.

"All prisons have been informed about this very regrettable incident and we reported this issue to the Food Standards Agency immediately," a spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said.

"We are taking immediate steps to suspend the contract with the relevant sub-contractor."

Justice minister Jeremy Wright said: "This is an absolutely unacceptable situation and one which we regret greatly.

"This must be distressing for those affected and they can be reassured we are doing everything we can to resolve the situation. The Prison Service is investigating this as a matter of urgency."

The company involved has not been named and it is not known where the firm is based.

Islamic law forbids the consumption of pork and prison rules dictate that Halal meat must be offered to inmates.

Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: "This lapse will have offended and distressed high numbers of Muslim prisoners and their families so apologising, suspending the supplier and investigating the incident are the right steps for the Ministry of Justice to take."

A spokesman for the Food Standards Agency said a local authority investigation would look into the cause of the contamination and determine where the products had been sent.

It is due to meet with retailers and suppliers to remind them of their responsibilities surrounding food labelling after the recent horsemeat scandal.

Burger King has dropped the Irish food processing plant which supplied the contaminated burgers.

The Silvercrest plant in Co Monaghan, which is part of the ABP Food Group, has also lost contracts with Tesco, Aldi and the Co-operative Group.

A sample of Tesco's Everyday Value Beef Burgers was found to contain 29% horsemeat.

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Speedboat Propeller Death: Father Speaks Out

A man has described how his 14-year-old son died in his arms after he became entangled in a propeller having been thrown by a huge wave from their speedboat during a day trip.

Charlie Hutton was travelling on the rigid hull inflatable boat (Rhib) driven by his father Simon and two friends when the accident happened off The Needles landmark off the Isle of Wight on July 20 last year.

Charlie, a keen hockey player whose ambition was to compete in the Olympics, fell into the water along with one of his friends, also aged 14, during the trip.

The group had started at Mudeford in Dorset where the family, from South Croydon, Surrey, have a second home and had been staying for a short holiday.

The friend suffered a serious ankle injury but was able to get back on the boat.

A third boy, also aged 14, and Mr Hutton, 52, managed to stay on board.

Mr Hutton, a graphic designer, described how he had gone for several trips on the boat with Charlie and his two friends in the days before the accident, including water-skiing on the previous day.

Mr Hutton, who had gained Royal Yachting Association training and had been using boats since the age of 12, said he bought the Cobra 6.5-metre Rhib new in June 2010 for £50,000.

He described heading to Alum Bay that afternoon, travelling at about 25-30 knots, when the boat began to be hit by large waves.

He said that the boys, who wore life jackets or buoyancy aids, enjoyed lying towards the front of the boat, hanging on to safety ropes.

Mr Hutton said that the boat was hit by two waves at the side causing him to slow down before it was hit by a large wave at the front.

"The two came from the side and then the water almost dropped away, it was like there was a big drop and then the wave came over us, it was like a big wall of water.

"I have never come across a wave like it, it engulfed the boat and kept going for a long time."

Mr Hutton said he believed his son and one of his friends, who had both been at the front of the boat, were washed off the back of the boat.

He described how he found Charlie on top of the propeller.

He said: "I remember looking back and screaming 'Where's Charlie?'. My mind was buzzing, I suddenly realised that what I thought was oil was actually blood. There was quite a lot, about 3ft by 3ft.

"Charlie was to the right of the engine, conscious and looking at me, I tried to pull Charlie on to the boat but couldn't."

He added: "I saw his head bobbing, he was saying 'Dad, help me'."

He said that he then cut Charlie's clothing from the propeller and pulled him on to the boat where he performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on him.

Mr Hutton said that he could see two wounds at the top of both of his son's legs, one more serious than the other.

He said: "His eyes were open and he was looking at me. I tried to protect his face and told him I loved him, we all loved him.

"I could see Charlie's eyes begin to roll, his breathing became shallow. I think he died at this point."

He described how a Coastguard helicopter had responded quickly to his emergency calls and had advised him to carry out the resuscitation but he believed Charlie had died by the time he was airlifted off the boat.

Mr Hutton added: "I then phoned my wife Gill and said 'I think I have killed Charlie'."

The inquest heard that Charlie was airlifted to Southampton General Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 5.35pm.

A post-mortem examination showed he died of multiple injuries to his pelvis and left leg.

Mr Hutton and the other two boys, both from Reigate, Surrey, were taken ashore by lifeboat.

Mr Hutton said that he did not feel he had been driving the Rhib, which had a 200 horsepower engine, at excessive speed.

Caroline Sumeray, Isle of Wight coroner, recorded a verdict of accidental death.

She called on the leisure boating industry to promote the use of propeller guards to prevent further similar accidents.

Mr Hutton said: "If I had been aware of them I would probably have had one fitted."

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Mexico: Pemex Oil Company HQ Blast Kills 14

Fourteen people are dead and 80 injured after an explosion at the headquarters of Mexican oil company Pemex.

Injured workers were seen being evacuated after the blast at the state-owned firm blew out windows and damaged three floors of the tower in Mexico City's commercial centre.

There are reports that as many as 30 people could be trapped in the debris from the explosion, which occurred in the basement of an administrative building next to the iconic, 52-storey skyscraper.

Television images showed people being carried out of the building on office chairs and gurneys. Most of them showed injuries likely to have been caused by falling debris.

"We have 13 dead at the scene and one more at the hospital. there are more than 80 wounded and we continue to look for survivors in the debris," Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong told reporters.

Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, said in a Tweet that several workers were injured in the blast but no one answered at its offices.

There was no immediate cause given for the blast, but in an earlier Tweet, the company said it had evacuated the building because of problems with the electricity.

"It was an explosion, a shock, the lights went out and suddenly there was a lot of debris," employee Cristian Obele told Milenio television, adding that he had been injured in the leg. "Co-workers helped us get out of the building."

The blast happened in a busy central district of Mexico City

The tower, where several thousand people work, was evacuated. The main floor and the mezzanine of the auxiliary building, where the explosion occurred, were heavily damaged, along with windows as far as three floors up.

"Right now they're conducting a tour of the building and the area adjacent to the blast site to verify if there are any still trapped so they can be rescued immediately," Interior Ministry spokesman Eduardo Sanchez told Milenio.

"We were talking and all of sudden we heard an explosion with white smoke and glass falling from the windows," said Maria Concepcion Andrade, 42, who lives on the block of Pemex building.

"People started running from the building covered in dust. A lot of pieces were flying."

Police landed four rescue helicopters to remove the dead or injured. About a dozen tow trucks were furiously moving cars to make more landing room for the helicopters.

Streets surrounding the building were closed as evacuees wandered around, and rescue crews loaded the injured into ambulances.

"I profoundly lament the death of our fellow workers at Pemex. My condolences to their families," President Enrique Pena Nieto said via his Twitter account.

Shortly before the explosion, Operations Director Carlos Murrieta reported via Twitter that the company had reduced its accident rate in recent years. Most Pemex accidents have occurred at pipeline and refinery installations.

A fire at a pipeline metering center in northeast Mexico near the Texas border killed 30 workers in September, the largest-single toll in at least a decade for the company.

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EastEnders Murder: Tony McCluskie Jailed For Life

The brother of former EastEnders actress Gemma McCluskie has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 20 years for her murder.

Tony McCluskie had previously admitted manslaughter but was found guilty of murder by an 11 to 1 majority.

The 36-year-old window cleaner had claimed he killed his sister after a tirade of abuse from her. He said the last thing he remembered was her coming at him with a knife.

Miss McCluskie's torso was found floating in the Regent's Canal in east London a week after the killing after the suitcase her brother had used to dump the body broke open.

Her limbs were found wrapped in black bags a week later, but her head was not discovered for six months.

She had been hit over the head at least twice before her body had been hacked into six pieces.

Tony McCluskie was caught on CCTV dragging the suitcase containing her body

Alison Saunders, London's Chief Crown Prosecutor, said: "The strong case against McCluskie led to him admitting unlawfully killing his sister and he pleaded guilty to manslaughter, saying it was not intentional and that he had lost control.

"But the prosecution did not accept his plea to manslaughter. We felt that the evidence of brutality showed a deliberate intent to cause death or serious bodily harm to Gemma, which amounts to murder."

The prosecution said Miss McCluskie had been killed after telling her brother to move out of the flat they shared in Shoreditch, east London last year.

Crispin Aylett QC, prosecuting, said there had been tensions between the pair for some time.

"Gemma told a friend 'He's permanently stoned. He puts a spliff in his mouth first thing in the morning and doesn't know what he's doing'," he told the court.

"On Thursday March 1 last year, McCluskie had got up, gone to the bathroom and forgotten the taps were on in the sink.

"Unsurprisingly, Miss McCluskie was exasperated by this. She had had enough.

Gemma McCluskie's blood was found on a knife in the kitchen of her flat

"Later, while she was out, her friends heard her arguing on the telephone with her brother about what had happened.

"It is clear that Gemma regarded this incident as the last straw and that she wanted the defendant to move out."

After the verdict, Tony McCluskie Senior said he would not desert his son.

"I know that my son, Tony Junior, is suffering too. I will not desert him even though he has committed this terrible crime and taken Gemma's life.

"I hope and pray that one day Tony will be released from prison with a better understanding of his actions."

After the murder, McCluskie sent his sister a text pretending she was still alive and ending "Love ya xx". He later told police that his sister was seen in a local kebab shop after she went missing and that she had visited their mother in hospital.

The court heard that McCluskie received a series of hoax telephone calls following his sister's disappearance.

In the first call, the defendant was told that if he wanted to see his sister again he needed to take £2m to Benfleet International station. A second call requested that he also bring $500 worth of Iraqi currency, before a third repeated the demand for £2m.

"The truth is that the defendant could not have believed his luck," Mr Aylett said.

"The calls can only have added to the state of confusion as to Gemma's whereabouts."

Police later traced the telephone calls to an address in Kent and arrested a man.

Miss McCluskie played Kerry Skinner, the niece of Ethel Skinner, in the BBC soap in 2001.

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One Dead In Arizona Office Complex Shooting

Police are still searching for a gunman they are describing as "armed and dangerous" after three people were shot - one fatally - during a dispute at an office complex in Phoenix, Arizona.

The suspect has been named as 70-year-old Arthur D Harmon.

Police reportedly served a search warrant on Harmon's house seven miles from the office park, but found nobody inside.

The shooting victims were taken to hospital after the incident on Wednesday morning where one man, 48-year-old Steve Singer, later died.

The other two victims, a 43-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman, remain in critical condition.

Emergency crews were at the scene

Fire Captain Scott McDonald said all the victims had sustained life-threatening wounds.

Officer James Holmes said police believe there is only one suspect, but witnesses gave conflicting information about how he left the scene.

The shooting did not appear to be a random act, said Sergeant Tommy Thompson.

Sgt Thompson said a dispute with someone at the building became heated, and the suspect pulled out a gun and started shooting. He said he did not know what type of gun had been used.

The shooting happened as the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on gun control issues, and former astronaut Mark Kelly broke news of the shooting during his testimony.

Mr Kelly is the husband of former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head two years ago. Ms Giffords also testified on Wednesday, appealing to her former colleagues for stricter gun laws.

The central Phoenix building has been evacuated and police are still looking for a suspect and any additional victims.

Vanessa Brogan, who works in an insurance business in the three-storey complex, said she heard a loud bang that she first thought had been made by someone working in or near the building.

She said other people thought they heard multiple loud noises. She said people locked themselves in offices until police evacuated the business park.

The complex houses insurance, medical and law offices.

Becky Neher, who also works in the building, said she heard two gunshots and saw two victims lying on the ground outside the back of the building.

"Someone yelled 'We have a shooter', " she said.

Ms Neher said medical workers who have offices in the complex came out to help the victims.

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Mali: Angry Looters Hit Timbuktu's Streets

Crowds of looters have taken to the streets of Timbuktu in Mali after it was liberated of Islamists, raiding the homes and businesses of suspected jihadist supporters.

The angry crowd plundered shops they said belonged to Arabs, Mauritanians and Algerians who they accuse of supporting the Al Qaeda-linked radicals during their 10-month rule over the ancient city.

Speaking from Timbuktu, which was taken by French forces on Monday, Sky News Special Correspondent Alex Crawford said: "This is months and months of frustration and repression finally erupting and there's no one here to police these people."

Crawford has spoken to residents who suffered beatings under Islamic police when the militants ruled, including one woman who was flogged for talking to a man unrelated to her.

Her brother was shot and killed by the militants days before the French troops arrived.

Others had their hands amputated in public for supporting the government of Mali, Crawford reports.

It comes amid concern in the UK about plans to send hundreds of British troops to aid the French-led mission in Mali.

Up to 200 British military personnel could be deployed to West Africa to help train a regional intervention force, the Government has said, in a further deepening of the UK's involvement in the conflict to drive out radical militants.

Downing Street said the troops would be in addition to up to 40 personnel that Britain is offering to contribute to an EU training mission to build up the Malian army.

In addition, the UK has offered to supply a roll-on, roll-off ferry to help transport heavy equipment to the French intervention force currently spearheading the fight against militants.

It will also allow allies such as the United States to fly air-to-air refuelling missions from British airbases in support of the French operation.

With around 90 UK personnel already committed in the region with the RAF Sentinel surveillance aircraft and two C-17 transport aircraft already operating in support of the French mission, it could take the numbers involved to more than 300.

A spokesman for David Cameron said the Prime Minister remained adamant that British troops would not be involved in combat operations against the militants.

Answering an urgent question from Labour in the Commons, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said the 200 British troops would assist Anglophone West Africa countries.

He said the role of UK soldiers "is clearly not a combat role and will not extend to a force protection role".

When pressed by the opposition party about exit strategies, Mr Hammond said he shared plans outlined by France that it should be a "short intervention to stabilise the situation on the ground".

For Labour, shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy expressed concern at the way the mission had expanded so rapidly.

"The UK commitment to Mali has grown from lending the French two transport aircraft to the deployment of perhaps hundreds of troops to the region," he said. "UK trainers may be non-combat but that does not mean they are without risk."

Mr Murphy told Sky News that Labour supported the Government's decision to send troops to Mali for training purposes.

But he said the public were "wary" about military commitments after the UK's involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Veteran Tory backbencher Sir Peter Tapsell said in the Commons: "The more frequently Western forces intervene in Muslim countries, the greater will be the spread of jihadism throughout the whole Islamic world and the higher the threat of terrorism in this country."

The mission to train a West African force known as Afisma - which has been under consideration since late last year - was being discussed at a donor conference for Mali being organised by the African Union in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

British personnel will be involved in training troops from countries, such as Nigeria, which is expected to be one of the largest contributors to Afisma which is slated to take over from the French once their mission is over.

Local troops had been unable to fight off militants entering Timbuktu last year and simply put down their weapons and fled - leaving the already armed radical jihadists with further weaponry.

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Bristol Tandem Cyclists' Deaths: Man Charged

A man has been charged with two counts of causing death by dangerous driving after a husband and wife were knocked off their tandem bike in Hanham, near Bristol, on Sunday.

Nicky Lovell will appear before North Avon Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.

The 38-year-old, of Oldland Common, south Gloucestershire, has also been charged with driving while disqualified, driving without third party insurance and driving a vehicle and failing to stop after a road accident.

Tributes left at the scene in Hanham

Allie Longhorn, senior crown prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "I have today authorised Avon and Somerset Police to charge Nicky Lovell with two counts of causing death by dangerous driving.

"I have also authorised charges of driving while disqualified; driving without third party insurance and driving a vehicle and failing to stop after a road accident.

"Our thoughts are today with the victims' families."

Lovell was arrested hours after the collision.

Ross, 34, and Clare Simons, 30, died in the crash just hours after they celebrated the news that they could undergo fertility treatment to start a family.

In a statement, their families said: "Both of our families are completely devastated by the tragic events that took Ross and Clare from us.

"A very special couple have been taken from us and we have no words to describe our loss."

Around 100 people attended a vigil for the pair at the scene on Monday night.

The car involved was being followed by Avon and Somerset Police officers before the accident. The case has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

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Mali: French Troops Advance In Timbuktu

French troops are inside the historic city of Timbuktu in Mali after advancing north into an area held by Islamist militants.

As they fled, the insurgents apparently set fire to a library that is home to thousands of ancient manuscripts, an act described by the city's mayor as a "devastating blow" to world heritage.

Sky's Special Correspondent Alex Crawford was the first journalist to enter Timbuktu as the French were heading into the city.

Empty boxes which once contained valuable manuscripts

She said: "In the centre of the town they are celebrating, they're going absolutely bonkers with flags, cheering and waving and saying thank you to the French."

But amid the apparent relief among local people, she reported the anger of those who said they were helpless to stop the Islamists burning ancient documents at the city's main library, the Ahmed Baba Institute of Higher Islamic Studies and Research.

Inside the building, which had reportedly been used as a sleeping quarters by the Islamists, Crawford said the empty boxes strewn around her had contained thousands of historic manuscripts.

The tombs of three Sufi saints have been destroyed

"Some of the documents date back to the 13th century," she said. "This was all the documentation they'd built up over centuries of life in Timbuktu - all either burned by the Jihadists or they have disappeared."

The city's mayor, Ousmane Halle, said: "They torched all the important ancient manuscripts. The ancient books of geography and science. It is the history of Timbuktu, of its people. It's truly alarming that this has happened."

During their rule, the militants systematically destroyed UNESCO World Heritage sites in Timbuktu, long a hub of Islamic learning.

Crawford, who is embedded with the French forces, visited the tombs of three local Sufi saints, which were centuries old. Her report showed they had been reduced to piles of rubble.

French troops received an enthusiastic show of support from locals

UNESCO says that one of those destroyed was the tomb of Sidi Mahmoudou, a saint who died in 955.

A spokesman for the al Qaeda-linked militants has said the tombs were destroyed because they contravened Islam, encouraging Muslims to venerate saints instead of God.

Ground forces backed by French paratroopers and helicopters had taken control of Timbuktu's airport and the roads leading to the town in an overnight operation.

Sky's Special Correspondent Alex Crawford is embedded with French troops

It is part of the French-led mission to oust the radical Islamists from the northern half of Mali, which they seized more than nine months ago in the wake of a military coup in the distant capital of Bamako.

The French and Malian forces so far have met little resistance.

Timbuktu lies on an ancient caravan route and has entranced travellers for centuries. It is situated some 1,000km (620 miles) northeast of Bamako.

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Brazil Nightclub Fire: Survivors Recall Horror

As the first funerals are held for the victims of a nightclub fire in Brazil, some of those who survived the inferno have been recalling a night of mayhem.

Survivor Kelly Rebello de Silva said a black toxic smoke filled the Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria and panicked partgoers began trampling each other.

The 21-year-old said the scene was reminiscent of a "horror movie".

"Everyone was pushing and shoving," another survivor, Taynne Vendruscolo, told reporters.

"The fire started out small, but within seconds it exploded. Those who were close to the stage could not get out."

Thick black smoke filled the club as people tried to escape

Many of the dead were found in the club's two bathrooms, where they fled apparently because the blinding smoke caused them to believe the doors were exits.

Bodies blocked the club's only exit. Other victims were strewn in the street and panicked screams filled the air as medics tried to help.

There was little to be done; officials said most of those who died suffocated within minutes.

The fire broke out around 2am on Sunday when the nightclub was hosting a university party. Most of the 231 people who died were under 20.

"It's very sad, I lost 13, 14 classmates," a 22-year-old called Felipe said.

On their Facebook page, Gurizada Fandangueira said they formed 10 years ago

Police said the "most plausible cause" of the inferno was that pyrotechnics being used by a band on stage set fire to sound insulation on the ceiling.

The band, Gurizada Fandangueira, is now fearing retaliation, but it has emerged one of their members was killed in the blaze.

Danilo Jacques, 28, originally escaped but died when he went back into the burning building to get his accordion.

The five other band members made it out alive, and two of them have since been arrested by police investigating the blaze.

A friend of 19-year-old engineering student Ana Paula Miller also escaped but later died.

"A friend of mine managed to get out but then had a heart attack and died," Ms Miller said.

Mourners ride horses to the funeral of victim Silvio Beuren

Police inspector Sandro Meinerz recalled the devastating scene inside the club.

"It was terrible inside - it was like one of those films of the Holocaust, bodies piled atop one another," he said.

Body after body was taken to a nearby community gym and lined up on the floor, partially covered with black plastic.

Family members identified their kin at the gym, and as dawn broke on Monday, collective wakes were held there.

In one of dozens of urns lined up next to each other, were the ashes of Joao Carlos Barellos da Silva who ran a website covering the parties in the club. His body was found in a bathroom.

Collective wakes were held at the gym

"He was a wonderful son. I have never felt such pain," said his mother, Gelsa Ina Barcelos.

Elaine Marques Goncalves lost her son Deivis in the fire. Another son who was at the nightclub, Gustavo, was barely alive after suffering two cardiac arrests caused by smoke inhalation.

She learned of the blaze after the mother of her sons' friends called her.

"My boys were not home and I had no news. I turned on the TV - the tragedy was all over the television," she said at the makeshift morgue.

"All I knew was they had gone to a club, I didn't know which one. I kept saying: 'Where do I start? Where do I go?'"

Heitor Oliveira's mother Livia at her son's funeral

At a cemetery in Santa Maria, Juliana was in a state of disbelief at the burial of her brother, Heitor Oliveira.

"Why? Why?" she asked during the funeral.

"Quiet Juliana, he has to go," said her mother, Livia.

Brazil is observing three days of national mourning in the wake of the tragedy.

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HS2 Route: Coalition Braced For Backlash

HS2: Cases For And Against High-Speed Rail

Updated: 10:41am UK, Wednesday 11 January 2012

Those in favour of high-speed rail say it will create jobs and boost the economy, while critics say the cost - financially and for the environment - is too high.

Here is what two campaigners from opposing sides had to say:

THE CASE FOR

Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council (Manchester is included in a later HS2 phase)

High-speed rail is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the rail network in this country. A new, separate, high speed network is the only cost-effective way of extending an existing railway network that is becoming increasingly congested.

It will free up capacity on the existing network for commuter services and inter-city services for smaller towns and give the country a railway fit for the 21st century.

More than that, it will unlock much-needed jobs and investment and help rebalance the UK's economy to ensure that opportunity is open to all.

The Government is to be commended for having the political courage to stick with the plans, in the face of a short-sighted opposition that is as predictable as it is parochial.

The UK's future economic success will depend upon its capacity to compete on a global stage.

For Manchester that means we're up against cities like Munich, Milan and Copenhagen. International-class connectivity already is an essential factor in Britain's future success.

The rest of Europe is already well ahead in the high speed stakes and acting now to catch up is not an optional extra.

HS2 might seem expensive but it is an investment that will ultimately be self-financing. Paris-Lyon opened in 1981 and has paid for itself, and the new high-speed lines in Spain are the only profitable part of the Spanish rail network.

Railways began in Britain. The world's first passenger rail station is right here in my city. But we've fallen behind.

Yes, we need investment in the here and now of transport infrastructure, but just for once, let's also plan and act for our long-term future.

THE CASE AGAINST

Joe Rukin, campaign co-ordinator of Stop HS2, the national campaigning body against HS2

HS2 is completely the wrong priority for Great Britain and any decision to go ahead will not be a rational one, it will be a political one, brought about mainly by strong lobbying by advocates with vested interests.

Building HS2 is like building the Titanic, but without the Steerage section - that will be made up of the rest of the rail network which will be starved of funds if HS2 goes ahead.

But of course commuters will have to help pay the £17.8bn just to get it to run between London and Birmingham.

The supposed benefits are made up by calculating the cash value of time and the jobs figures touted, which are plainly a lie. These would not arrive for decades, at a total cost of £32bn.

And what about the extra costs of environmental protection, inflation, interest, compensation, farm bridges, foot bridges and of course trains?

Having been the treasurer of a national union, I know that union leaders are not always interested in the actual figures.

But the jobs figures on this, based on the amount of money going in, are ridiculously low.

Last week they had the cheek to tout this being environmentally sound. If that is the case, why is HS2 opposed by Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and the Green Party, to start off a very long list of environmental organisations?

HS2 is going through for the same old reasons - because politically it is wanted. It is that simple. You are about to put what money we have left into a fast train for fat cats.

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Nightclub Blaze: Brazil Mourns The Dead

Brazil is in mourning after more than 230 people died when a fire broke out in a packed nightclub, leading to a stampede.

Witnesses said a flare or firework lit by members of a band onstage started the blaze in Santa Maria, a university city of about 260,000 people.

Officials say 233 people died, and around 117 others were injured.

The blaze broke out while the band, called Gurizada Fandangueira, was performing at the Kiss club in Santa Maria.

Some of those who escaped the building tried to smash a hole in the wall to allow other trapped people out.

Relatives at a wake in Santa Maria

Fire chief Guido de Melo said there was panic after the fire started and many revellers were trampled. He said the main cause of death was asphyxiation.

Mr Melo said that firefighters had a hard time getting inside the club because "there was a barrier of bodies blocking the entrance".

Officials at a news conference said the cause was still under investigation.

However, police inspector Sandro Meinerz told the Agencia Estado news agency the band was to blame for a pyrotechnics show and that manslaughter charges could be filed.

Television images showed black smoke billowing out of the Kiss nightclub as shirtless young men who had attended a university party joined firefighters using axes and sledgehammers to pound at windows and hot-pink exterior walls to free those trapped inside.

Men try to break through a wall to help the victims

Bodies of the dead and injured were strewn in the street and panicked screams filled the air as medics tried to help.

There was little to be done; officials said most of those who died were suffocated by smoke within minutes.

Within hours a community gym was a horror scene, with body after body lined up on the floor, partially covered with black plastic as family members identified kin.

Many of the victims were under 20 years old, including some minors.

"There was so much smoke and fire, it was complete panic, and it took a long time for people to get out, there were so many dead," survivor Luana Santos Silva told the Globo TV network.

Another survivor, Michele Pereira, told the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper that she was near the stage when members of the band lit flares that started the fire.

The packed club had only one exit

"The band that was onstage began to use flares and, suddenly, they stopped the show and pointed them upward," she said. "At that point, the ceiling caught fire. It was really weak, but in a matter of seconds it spread."

Guitarist Rodrigo Martins told Radio Gaucha that the band started playing at 2:15am.

"We had played around five songs when I looked up and noticed the roof was burning," he said.

"It might have happened because of the Sputnik, the machine we use to create a luminous effect with sparks. It's harmless, we never had any trouble with it.

"When the fire started, a guard passed us a fire extinguisher, the singer tried to use it but it wasn't working"

He confirmed that accordion player Danilo Jacques, 28, died, while the five other members made it out safely.

The fire took place in Santa Maria

Brazil President Dilma Rousseff arrived to visit the injured after cutting short her trip to a Latin American-European summit in Chile.

"It is a tragedy for all of us," Ms Rousseff said.

Britain's Foreign Office Minister Hugo Swire said: "I am deeply saddened by the news of the tragic accident in Santa Maria.

"My thoughts and sincere condolences are with the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives, and I wish a swift recovery to the hundreds who are now being treated in hospital."

The blaze was the deadliest in Brazil since at least 1961, when a fire that swept through a circus killed 503 people in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro.

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Flood Fears As Snow Melts And Rain Moves In

Heavy rains combined with rising temperatures, which will thaw the snow that has blanketed much of Britain, have sparked fears of flooding across the country.

Rain is forecast for the whole of the UK during the night, with some heavy downpours. The South West is likely to be hardest hit.

The Environment Agency (EA) has issued 11 warnings, the second highest alert which means flooding is expected.

More than 175 alerts, meaning flooding is possible, were also in place across the country after the agency warned of an increased risk of surface water and river flooding.

The Met Office has also issued a severe weather warning for localised flooding in many parts of the country on Sunday.

The rain combined with rapidly melting snow could cause further disruption on the roads, after heavy snow storms on Friday night left hundreds of people stranded as drivers on motorways in the north of England were forced to abandon their cars.

And temperatures will steadily rise above freezing before reaching more than 10C (50F) in the south on Sunday.

Sky News weather producer Chris England said there will be "sometimes heavy rain for all of us".

"The rain will gradually clear from the west, becoming largely confined to northeast Scotland and southeast England by morning," he said.

"Blustery showers following across Ireland will spread to Britain's west coast later, but most inland areas will be dry. A continuing thaw combined with the overnight rain will bring a risk of local flooding."

Forecasters are predicting a very wet spell through the latter part of Monday and through Tuesday.

Around 18 buildings were flooded in various locations across Wales on Friday night, including two houses in Solva, Pembrokeshire, and two in Dolgellau, North Wales.

An EA spokesman said: "Emergency teams from the Environment Agency will be out in force throughout the weekend, shoring up defences, monitoring river levels and clearing blockages from watercourses."

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Tories Handed EU Referendum Polls Boost

David Cameron's pledge to hold a referendum on EU membership if the Conservatives win the next General Election appears to have given the party a boost in the polls.

A survey conducted in the wake of the Prime Minister's speech on Wednesday showed the Tories had enjoyed a five-point jump from last month, mostly at the expense of the eurosceptics of UKIP.

The poll, by ComRes for the Sunday Mirror and the Independent on Sunday, put the Tories on 33%, with Labour stood still at 39% and the Liberal Democrats up two at 11%.

UKIP, which has registered significant advances in recent months, fell back four points to 10%.

Mr Cameron has insisted he wants to stay in the EU but said he would aim to renegotiate the relationship before offering voters the choose whether the UK should stay in under the new terms or leave.

However, despite the resurgence in the latest polls, many voters backed Labour and Lib Dem warnings that Mr Cameron's position would cause "years of uncertainty which will be bad for the British economy" by 43% t0 30%.

The majority also now believe that leaving the EU would in itself be bad for the economy in terms of lost jobs and trade - by 38% to 36%, a turnaround from November when 40% disagreed and 36% agreed.

Windsor MP Adam Afriyie

There was also a significant shift in the numbers saying the UK should quit Brussels regardless of whether powers could be returned, voters disagreeing by 43% to 33% - the exact opposite of the previous poll.

Other polls also showed a post-speech Tory bounce.

One by Survation for the Mail on Sunday put the Tories up two at 31%, Labour stable at 38%, Ukip down two to 14% and the Lib Dems down one at 10%.

Exactly half of those polled said they favoured a UK exit, but of those more (43%) said they would consider switching to the "yes" camp if significant powers were returned than wouldn't (36%).

An Angus Reid Public Opinion for the Sunday Express showed a three-point rise for the Conservatives to 30% with Labour dipping three to 39%.

The success of Mr Cameron's EU speech , however, has not stopped speculation within the party about his possible successor should he fail to secure a majority at the next election.

Several Sunday newspapers reported that MPs had been approached about whether they would consider supporting Adam Afriyie, an IT millionaire who became the Tories first black MP in 2005.

The latest polls were released as Labour leader Ed Miliband - who has said the party is not in favour of the referendum promised by the Prime Minister - faced renewed calls from within his own party for an immediate in/out referendum.

Former Europe minister Keith Vaz, a supporter of EU membership, said it was "time to settle the question of Britain's membership in the EU once and for all".

"I support a referendum because, like David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg, I believe the future of our country is in Europe. I am supportive, but pragmatic about the European project," he wrote in the Sunday Mirror.

"I accept British people rightly feel the EU is not delivering on its promises. Reform is necessary. We need better, stronger and earlier scrutiny by Parliament of EU measures."

UKIP leader Nigel Farage told the Sunday Express his party would now be "going for the Labour Party's jugular" over its failure to back the referendum.

"Here was an open goal for the Labour Party to demand that referendum now. They could have called his bluff. Ed Miliband could have pressed the Prime Minister to give voters a say on Europe without ifs and buts. Yet they didn't," he wrote.

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