JT McNamara Paralysed After Cheltenham Fall

Irish jockey JT McNamara has been paralysed after suffering a neck injury in a fall at the Cheltenham Festival, doctors have confirmed.

The 37-year-old rider is said to be in a "very positive frame of mind" after having surgery at a Bristol hospital where he has been treated since the fall on March 15.

According to a McNamara family statement, he was also "greatly appreciative" of the "many messages" of support.

He fractured two vertebrae when his mount, Galaxy Rock, fell at the first fence in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup. The horse was unhurt.

McNamara, one of the leading amateurs on the circuit for a number of years, was airlifted to hospital after being treated by the on-course medics.

McNamara was airlifted to hospital after the fall

Apparently conscious after the fall, he was put in an induced coma before being transferred to Frenchay Hospital in Bristol.

A statement issued jointly by Adrian McGoldrick, the Irish Turf Club's senior medical officer, and Lisa Hancock, head of the Injured Jockeys Fund, on behalf of the McNamara family read: "JT McNamara remains in the Frenchay Hospital, Bristol.

"Whilst he suffered a serious neck injury resulting in paralysis, he has made progress in the last week and is in a very positive frame of mind."

The statement continued: "He is greatly appreciative of the many messages, cards and letters received and also wishes to thank the Frenchay Hospital who are looking after him so well."

He is expected to be transferred to the National Spinal Unit at Dublin's Mater Hospital to continue his rehabilitation.

McNamara has over 600 wins to his name including four victories at Cheltenham.

Galaxy Rock's owner JP McManus, with whom McNamara has a long association, was said to be in tears when he heard about the neck injury.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Lord Carey Attacks David Cameron On Religion

Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey has launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister David Cameron.

In an article for the Daily Mail, Lord Carey says many Christians doubt the PM's "sincerity" when he pledges to protect their religious freedoms and accuses ministers of "aiding and abetting" discrimination against believers.

He points to Government plans to legalise gay marriage as evidence of an "aggressive secularist and relativist approach" and argues that Mr Cameron has fed Christian "anxieties" more than "any other recent political leader".

Lord Carey also says a new poll suggesting that more than two-thirds of Christians feel they are now part of a "persecuted minority" shows the Government must do more to demonstrate its commitment to stand up for faith.

The ComRes poll commissioned by the Coalition for Marriage also found more than half of Christians who backed the Conservatives in 2010 say they will "definitely not" vote for the party in 2015.

Lord Carey expresses alarm about Labour MP Chris Bryant's campaign to turn the 700-year-old Parliamentary chapel of St Mary Undercroft into a multi-faith prayer room so that gay couples can get married there.

Lord Carey slammed Chris Bryant's campaign for gay marriages in Parliament

But he also directly calls into question the Prime Minister's actions, saying: "I like David Cameron and believe he is genuinely sincere in his desire to make Britain a generous nation where we care for one another and where people of faith may exercise their beliefs fully.

"But it was a bit rich to hear that the Prime Minister has told religious leaders that they should 'stand up and oppose aggressive secularisation' when it seems that his Government is aiding and abetting this aggression every step of the way.

"At his pre-Easter Downing Street reception for faith leaders, he said that he supported Christians' right to practise their faith. Yet many Christians doubt his sincerity.

"According to a new ComRes poll more than two thirds of Christians feel that they are part of a 'persecuted minority'. Their fears may be exaggerated because few in the UK are actually persecuted, but the Prime Minister has done more than any other recent political leader to feed these anxieties.

"He seems to have forgotten in spite of his oft-repeated support for the right of Christians to wear the cross, that lawyers acting for the coalition argued only months ago in the Strasbourg court that those sacked for wearing a cross against their employer's wishes should simply get another job."

The new poll suggests continuing resentment over legalising same-sex unions, even though there is special protection for the Church of England in the law, and Lord Carey's successor Justin Welby has softened the Church's stance on the issue.

Two thirds of those polled said they believed allowing same sex unions was an attempt to make the Conservative Party look trendy.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has vowed to protect religion

The poll comes after a series of controversial cases between Christians and employers over their rights to express their faith in the workplace.

Recent cases include Adrian Smith, a Trafford housing manager who says he was demoted and had his pay docked 40% after questioning the Government's plans for same sex marriage and Reverend Brian Ross who was sacked as the Chaplain of Strathclyde Police, apparently because his support for traditional marriage did not fit with the force's equality and diversity policies.

In another case, graphic designer Jamie Haxby is suing a hotel after claiming he was turned down for a job because he is a Christian.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles insists that unlike New Labour 'we do do God' and has agreed freedom of religion has been undermined.

He has vowed to change the law if necessary to stop people being taken to task for wearing a cross or a rosary, and says council should not try to ban prayers before meetings.

But the march of secularism means Britain will no longer be a Christian country within just 20 years, according to official research by the House of Commons library.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

NHS Drug Plea For Child With Blood Disorder

By Frazer Maude, Sky News Correspondent

The parents of a two-year-old girl with a rare blood disorder fear she faces a "lifetime of hospital visits and dialysis" unless the NHS funds an expensive new drug.

One day in every fortnight, Indie Smith is treated at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital for atypical Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome (aHUS), a condition shared by only 140 others in the UK.

It causes abnormalities in the immune system that can lead to the development of blood clots in the filters of the kidney. It is incurable and can lead to fatal kidney failure.

She is treated with a drug called eculizumab, which has been given the brand name Soliris by its developers, US based Alexion Pharmaceuticals, and this allows her to live a relatively normal life.

Indie currently has her treatment provided by Alexion as part of a trial that ends in October.

Her problem is that the NHS will not continue to fund her treatment, at a cost of £250,000 a year, despite a Government advisory body recommending the drug be commissioned nationally.

The study by the Advisory Group for National Specialised Services (AGNSS), took two years, and concluded that: "Eculizumab would help save lives and improve the quality of life for children and adults with aHUS."

But the Department of Health has now referred consideration of the use of eculizumab to the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).

Indie would need plasma therapy without the drug

Those with the condition, and their families, now fear another long wait for NICE to complete their research, with no guarantee that they will agree with AGNSS about the drugs benefits.

Without the drug, Indie, who has three older brothers, would need plasma therapy for four or five hours a day, five or six days a week.

"It's not right," said Indie's father Gavin. "It shouldn't be about the money. This Government can find money. It can't be about the money, you've got to give her a future."

Indie's mother Clare said: "It's horrible. We shouldn't have to be doing this. We shouldn't be worrying that my daughter is going to be confined to a hospital bed because we can't afford to give her the drug that allows her to be a normal little girl.

"Without it, it'll mean a lifetime of hospital visits and dialysis."

The Department of Health told Sky News: "We understand this news will be disappointing for patients who suffer from atypical Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome, but we need to make sure NHS resources are being used wisely.

"We have asked NICE to further explore eculizumab's suitability for national commissioning and provide guidance to the NHS."

The Smiths are already planning for the worst - and end of the trial treatment, with no NHS funding to continue it - by fundraising and campaigning.

They have a website and have already visited Downing Street to ask for the Prime Minister to intervene and overturn the Department of Health's decision.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Post Office Staff On Strike Over Closures

Thousands of staff in the country's biggest post offices are striking in a row over jobs, pay and closures.

Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) in around 370 so-called Crown offices were mounting picket lines in protest at plans to close or franchise 70 branches.

The union said the walkout was "solidly" supported by thousands of its members, with picket lines set up outside post offices across the country.

The Post Office said scores of branches were open despite the strike.

The union organised the strike because it believes 800 jobs are at risk and also staff had not received a pay rise for two years.

The Post Office put forward the restructuring plan because Crown branches were losing £40m a year and accused the union of ignoring the "harsh realities" the company faces.

Dave Ward, the CWU's deputy general secretary, said: "Our post office members are standing up against destructive plans which would slash 20% of the Crown network and are simply asking for fair treatment and job security.

"The Post Office's plans are short-sighted and would rob the network of the most productive offices while simultaneously putting hundreds of jobs at risk and potentially damaging local economies.

"We'd like to see a better vision for a successful network which maintains services in the heart of communities alongside quality jobs."

The strike follows a ballot of workers in which 88% of those who voted demanded action.

Kevin Gilliland, network and sales director at the Post Office, said: "We regret any disruption to services the CWU's call for strike action may cause to customers. Crown branches are currently losing £40m per year and this is being subsidised by public money. This cannot continue.

"The Post Office is transforming its network to improve customer experience and in turn bring in new business. We are committed to the Post Office remaining a key part of UK high streets and our plans ensure this will happen."

He said the closures - which do not apply to smaller sub-Post Offices - affect less than 1% of the total network. At the same time as closing some branches, the Post Office was planning to improve the 300 other Crown offices.

The union said it was receiving strong public support for its campaign, with petitions circulating in areas affected by the proposals.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Woman Charged With Neglect Of Two-Year-Old

A 41-year-old woman has been charged with neglect after a two-year-old girl was found on a stranger's doorstep.

The woman, from Carlisle, will appear at Carlisle Magistrates Court on Saturday morning.

The little girl has been placed under the care of Social Services.

Police thanked the public for their assistance and said they would also like to thank the occupants of the property who alerted officers to the initial disturbance which led to the baby being discovered.

It emerged on Friday that police were contacted after the occupants of a house in Warwick Road, Carlisle, said a woman had rang their doorbell and then disappeared.

When officers arrived they found a pram with the girl inside.

More follows...

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Weather: Economy Hit By Spring Snowstorm

By Nick Martin, Sky News Correspondent

Britain's fragile economy has been hit hard as a result of the spring snowstorm with some businesses reporting a slump in trade.

Some high street retailers say the cold snap kept customers away during what should have been the run-up to a busy Easter weekend.

Kingfisher, the owner of B&Q, reported a 13% drop in trade, while Next said it had seen a fall in sales during the bad weather.

Experts say the costs to the economy of the unseasonable weather could run into billions of pounds and threaten to impact on economic growth figures.

Some towns were cut off by the snow for up to a week making trading difficult on the high street.

In the Derbyshire town of Bakewell, which was badly affected by the snow, businesses were hoping the cleared roads would encourage locals and tourists back into the town.

Zoe McBurnie, owner of the Bakewell Tart and Coffee Shop, told Sky News that takings had dropped by £10,000 in just one week.

"The recession hasn't been too bad to us but the snow has been completely devastating.

"One minute you're busy and the next there's no-one coming in because the town is cut off by snow."

Some of the biggest losses were on farms where hundreds of livestock, including sheep, lambs and cattle, were claimed by the snow drifts.

On Nigel Birch's farm near Monyash in the Peak District, three calves lay dead on the yard, victims of the worse snowstorms there for 50 years.

Hundreds of sheep had to be taken inside and fed on expensive corn feed whilst stocks of silage were running low.

As lambing season enters full swing, newborns were left shivering in freezing conditions and had to be kept under heat lamps.

"This has been a very difficult week - one I want to forget," Mr Birch said.

"We've lost cattle, we're paying for new hay, feed and silage and in the end I think this spell will cost us between £5,000 and £10,000."

Tourism was also badly affected as roads became impassable and families chose to cancel holidays.

Nikki Dick, a B&B owner, said her diary was empty as guests were reluctant to book or could not get to her because of blocked roads.

"If I look at last year's diary for the same time it is full. This year we have a few bookings, but after that there's nothing.

"People have panicked and thought they're best to stay away.

"But the snow has been cleared, and we're all here open for business," she said.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Teachers Receiving Millions In Injury Payouts

Teachers have been awarded record compensation payouts totalling tens of millions of pounds over workplace injuries, new figures show.

One secondary school teacher was awarded more than £382,000 after his arm was slammed in a filing cabinet, while another won £240,000 after working in a poorly ventilated workshop for a decade, according to information published by teaching unions.

The payouts last year included settlements paid to teachers who tripped or slipped at school.

The NASUWT teaching union said it secured a record £15.6m for its members last year, almost 24% more than in 2011.

Its largest work-related criminal assault payout was for a 45-year-old school worker in the North East who intervened to help a colleague who was being attacked by a pupil.

He was kicked by the youngster and attacked by another student from behind. He was later awarded £268,787 including damages.

A 39-year-old technology teacher from the east of England received a settlement worth £240,000 after working in a poorly ventilated workshop left him with allergies and sinus problems.

A third teacher, from Northern Ireland, slipped on a patch of moss, breaking her leg in two places and dislocating her ankle. She was awarded £66,291.

NASUWT general secretary Chris Keates said: "Behind every one of these cases is a person who has been damaged physically or mentally, either because of injury or unfair dismissal."

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) does not release an overall figure for the amount of compensation won on behalf of its members.

One of its members, a secondary school teacher in the South West, was awarded £382,930 in a Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) case after a pupil slammed his arm in a filing cabinet while trying to grab a confiscated football.

The teacher was unable to carry on working.

In another CICA case, a teacher from the same region had their arms and legs pinned together by a pupil in a minibus. The minibus door opened and the teacher fell out, leaving them with a back injury and psychological trauma.

The teacher was awarded £279,381.

There were also settlements for teachers who suffered personal injuries.

One teacher from the London area was given a payout worth £13,500 after tripping on loose carpet and fracturing her elbow, while another from the Yorkshire area got £9,000 for fracturing her elbow when she slipped on an "unusually shiny" classroom floor, the NUT said.

The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) said it had secured more than £4.3m for members last year in work settlements plus around £1.2m for injured members and their families.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Measles: Warning As South Wales Cases Spread

Measles cases in Wales are spreading with "alarming" speed despite urgent calls to ensure children have vital MMR protection.

Health chiefs have again warned that the epidemic could leave unprotected children brain-damaged or dead.

Public Health Wales (PHW) says 432 cases have been reported so far, mainly in the Swansea area, with 51 people - many of them babies - in hospital.

In the last week alone, 116 people have been diagnosed and the numbers infected have doubled in less than four weeks.

The disease has now spread to children in 111 secondary and primary schools, nurseries and play groups.

Experts fear the epidemic could rival an outbreak which ravaged Dublin more than a decade ago, when three people died.

PHW is urging parents of all children aged between one and 18 in Wales who have not been fully vaccinated to contact their GP for advice and to arrange vaccination as soon as possible.

Dr Marion Lyons, PHW director of health protection, warned: "Measles is now spreading at an alarming rate across areas of Wales.

"Worryingly, there are still tens of thousands of susceptible children across Wales, yet our weekly monitoring of vaccination rates shows only a slight increase in numbers receiving MMR jabs."

Charlotte Jones, a family doctor in Sketty, near Swansea, told Sky News: "We're extremely concerned because we're seeing more and more cases increasing week by week."

"One would think that as schools break up for the Easter holidays maybe that would slow the spread.

"But people travel during the holidays, and during the incubation period when they may not be showing any symptoms they could be starting an outbreak in new areas.

"Historically, in Swansea and some of the neighbouring areas there has been a very low uptake of the MMR vaccine.

"By having your child vaccinated, not only are you protecting them but everyone else in the family and anyone who is vulnerable or pregnant they come into contact with, so please get you child vaccinated."

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Northern Ireland: Farm Sheep Buried In Snow

By Vicki Hawthorne, Ireland Correspondent

Farmers in Northern Ireland are still unable to assess their losses a week after the big freeze hit.

Thousands of sheep are thought to have died after being buried in the snow in Counties Antrim and Down.

Snow drifts of up to 12 feet were reported in some areas with roads, hedges and gates completely submerged. 

On Campbell Tweed's family farm in the Glens of Antrim, sheep remain buried in the snow across the 1,600-acre site.

Mr Tweed says he has no idea how many animals he has lost from his 4,000-strong flock. 

He says he won't get a full picture until there is a complete thaw, and that could take until late next week.

Farmer Campbell Tweed does not know how many sheep he has lost

Lambing season has not started on the Tweed farm, so any sheep that were saved are heavily pregnant and the focus is now on keeping them comfortable and well fed.

On Tuesday an RAF Chinook helicopter was deployed from England to drop fodder in Northern Ireland where farmers were not able to get to their animals.

Irish military helicopters joined that rescue mission yesterday. 

Meanwhile, the Northern Ireland Executive has set up a relief package for farmers who have sustained heavy losses due to the adverse weather.

The Agriculture Minister Michelle O'Neill has announced a fund which will help farmers pay for the collection and disposal of animals killed in the snow.

Ms O'Neill said: "There is potential for environmental impact, disease risks and reputational damage associated with dead animals not being collected and disposed of without delay which is why funding for the collection and disposal of fallen animals is an urgent need."

She has also said she plans to bring further proposals to the Northern Ireland Executive on a hardship payment scheme.

The scheme will help with the financial burden on affected farmers. It's thought the entire relief fund amounts to £5m.

The fund has been welcomed by the Ulster Farmers' Union. Its president Harry Sinclair has also praised the community spirit in the worst-affected areas. 

He said: "The farming families directly affected by the crisis are working together to overcome the enormous problems created by the drifting snow. 

"Their resilience is being tested to the limit and with no thaw in sight, the hardship they are facing is set to continue into next week."

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Leeds Heart Surgery: NHS Exec Urged To Quit

A top NHS executive is facing calls for his resignation after the suspension of children's congenital heart surgery at Leeds General Infirmary (LGI).

The hospital, which is at the centre of a row over the future of its children's heart services, said the measure is being taken to allow an internal review to take place following concerns about the number of patient deaths.

It apologised for the disruption and said it would contact the families of all the children affected. Acute cardiac surgery is to continue.

Sir Bruce Keogh, the medical director of NHS England, told the BBC there was a "constellation" of reasons behind the suspension as checks are made to ensure the unit is operating safely.

He added there had been "rumblings" among the cardiac surgical community for some time that "all was not well" in Leeds.

Sir Bruce: 'Right not to take risks'

But campaigners have criticised the move and its timing, just 24 hours after a High Court judge declared the decision-making process to close the children's unit was "legally flawed".

Sir Bruce said: "Some questions have been raised by the trust's own mortality data and by other information.

"It is important to understand that while this information raises questions, it does not give us answers.

"But it is absolutely right not to take any risks while these matters are being looked into."

The decision to halt surgery for three weeks was made on Thursday after discussions between NHS England, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Greg Mulholland, MP for Leeds North West, said he was "stunned and appalled" by the decision and demanded Sir Bruce resign.

The MP said he understood Sir Bruce and senior CQC members arrived at LGI on Thursday morning unannounced to demand that children's heart surgery cease.

In a statement on his website, Mr Mulholland said: "To have arrived in Leeds and done this, without warning, just one day after the decision to close the Leeds unit was proved in a court of law to have been unlawful beggars belief.

"I believe that Sir Bruce Keogh should resign as he has both authorised this wholly unreasonable and deeply questionable action and also presided over the fundamentally flawed Safe and Sustainable review, which has proved an exercise in how not to effect major change to the NHS."

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt will decide LGI's fate

Keith Wakefield, leader of Leeds City Council, said: "Many people will be deeply sceptical about these developments and the question has to be asked why the National Commissioning Board and the Care Quality Commission have raised these issues at this time."

A vigorous campaign has been waged to save children's heart surgery at LGI after the unit was earmarked for closure as part of an NHS plan to reorganise services across England into fewer, more specialised centres.

The campaigners celebrated on Wednesday when the High Court judge quashed part of the NHS consultation process which led to the reorganisation, effectively halting the plan.

Were the children's heart unit at Leeds to be shut down its patients would have to be treated at hospitals in Liverpool and Newcastle instead.

The decision to sacrifice the unit was taken last July by the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts (JCPCT) when it chose seven specialist centres for the future delivery of paediatric cardiac surgery in England.

These were at Great Ormond Street and the Evelina Children's Hospital in London, as well as Newcastle's Freeman Hospital, Birmingham Children's Hospital, Alder Hey in Liverpool, the Royal Children's Hospital in Bristol and Southampton General.

The controversial decision, if upheld by the Health Secretary, will mean the closure of the children's heart units at LGI, Glenfield Hospital in Leicester and London's Royal Brompton.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Parents Murder: 'Monster Son' Jailed For Life

A man who killed his parents to get his hands on a £230,000 inheritance has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 40 years.

Stephen Seddon was told he would never be paroled after being convicted of the murders of his father Robert, 68, and mother Patricia, 65 - and their attempted murders four months earlier.

They had made the 46-year-old the sole beneficiary of their estate in their will - and paid with their lives.

They had already gifted Seddon £40,000 in cash and bought him his home in Benevente Street in Seaham, Co Durham.

During the trial, prosecutor Peter Wright described Seddon as the ultimate "ungrateful son".

The convicted fraudster, who was said to have had an "insatiable thirst for cash", had tried to kill the elderly couple by driving into the Bridgewater Canal in Timperley, south Manchester, with them strapped in the back seats in a faked road accident.

Seddon then "played the hero" and boasted of his rescue attempts after he was forced to abort his murder plan when bystanders went to their aid in the submerged hired BMW.

He had taken his parents - and his disabled nephew Daniel, who also managed to get to safety - out on March 20 last year on the pretext of a surprise belated Mother's Day meal.

Undeterred, on July 4 of that year he shot his parents dead with a sawn-off shotgun at their home in Clough Avenue in Sale, Greater Manchester.

Seddon had taken three shotgun cartridges with him. Police believe he also intended to kill his nephew, who he did not realise was in respite care that day.

Mr Justice Hamblen told him: "In effect you have executed your own parents. You have done so by the barbaric act of shooting them at point- blank range with a sawn-off shotgun."

He added: "One can only imagine the horror of your parents' last moments in this life, when they realised what a monster their son, whom they loved, had become. Mercifully their deaths were swift."

He went on to say that, in Seddon's case, life should mean life and he ordered that he serve a whole-life term - which means the father-of-three will never be released.

Seddon had denied the shooting and said it was "ridiculous" to claim he had tried to kill his own mother and father and "sick" to suggest he had intended to murder his nephew as well.

As he was sentenced, Seddon continued to protest his innocence, shouting from the dock: "No, not at all, they were not murdered by me at all. I'm an innocent man."

A jury had convicted Seddon of all four counts on Wednesday after a five week trial at Manchester Crown Court.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Weather: Easter Will Be Cold And Sunny

The Easter weekend is set to be dry in many areas and there should also be some sunshine following the heavy snowfalls that hit much of the UK recently, forecasters say.

But the cold weather is expected to stay between Good Friday and Easter Monday with temperatures remaining well below the average for late March/early April with sharp frosts during the night.

As the Premier League calendar resumes after the international break and the annual boat race takes place in west London, there will still be a wind chill especially in eastern and also southwestern parts.

Some snow flurries are still possible, with rain in the far southwest on Friday.

However, Sky News weather forecaster Isobel Lang said there would be high pressure moving in and "with the sun gaining strength and warmth at this time of year it should feel much more pleasant despite the below average temperatures."

She said today will be cold again across the UK with some snow showers in Scotland and Ireland, while in England and Wales, temperatures should reach 5C, and may be 7C in the southwest.

The Easter weekend should be mostly dry wilth sunshine

Lang added: "Friday will see some changes in the southwest with cloud, patchy rain and a strong east wind setting in. The rain should peter out and clear later but it will remain windy across the southwest and southern Ireland.

"Elsewhere expect a largely dry and bright but cold Friday.

"Between Saturday and Easter Monday the weather should remain cold, frosty and mostly dry with some cheerier sunnier spells. The wind chill will be most noticeable along eastern and southwestern coastal counties."

Also, the clocks go forward by one hour at 1am on Sunday, so there will be longer, lighter evenings.

A cold Easter is not unusual. Back in 2008, there was snow for many, including in eastern England, and it was the coldest since 1983.

The snow has hit large parts of the UK

However, in 2011 there was plenty of sunshine with a temperature of 27.8C recorded in Surrey and it was the warmest Easter since 1949.

The recent unseasonably cold weather has led to many Britons deciding to head overseas for warmer climates this Easter.

Some 1.7 million UK holidaymakers are expected to go abroad over the weekend, with Spain, Egypt and Tunisia being the most popular destinations.

But some travellers may be swapping the cold UK for somewhere rainy rather than warm.

Lang said: "Areas of low pressure will bring unsettled wet and often rather windy weather to Iberia, France, the central Mediterranean, Italy and across the Adriatic.

"Snow is likely further north across Germany, the Alps, Poland and the Baltic States where it is set to stay very cold throughout.

"The best of the warmth and sunshine? Probably Crete, Cyprus and southern Turkey where temperatures should climb into the low-twenties Celsius, around 70F, and it will become even warmer there after Easter."

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Berezovsky Found With 'Ligature' Around Neck

What We Know About Berezovsky

Updated: 1:09pm UK, Monday 25 March 2013

The suspicious deaths of a number of Russian exiles who had fallen foul of the regime meant that rumours swirled almost instantly that Boris Berezovsky had been killed. But so far the police have been unable to find any evidence of foul play.

Here's what we do know about Boris Berezovsky:

:: Political Exile

Mr Berezovsky was a key figure in former president Boris Yeltsin's inner circle and was also close to current president Vladimir Putin during his early years in power.

He left Russia in 2000 after a falling out with Mr Putin and became a vocal critic of the Kremlin from London, where he sought political asylum.

But in recent weeks, he is said to have written to Mr Putin suggesting that he could return to Russia, which had frequently sought his extradition on a variety of charges.

On the eve of his death, Mr Berezovsky was quoted as teling a journalist from Forbes Russia: "There is nothing I would like more than to return to Russia. I did not realise Russia meant so much to me I could not live as an emigrant."

He apparently added that he now believed he should never have left Russia and said he no longer wanted to be involved in politics.

The oligarch is believed to have survived a number of assassination attempts, including a bomb attack on his car that decapitated a chauffeur.

However, a radiation scare at his home after his body was found turned out to be a false alarm and the bodyguard who discovered him was the only person at home at the time.

:: Financial Problems

It is thought the former billionaire was facing serious financial difficulties.

He had fought a number of expensive legal battles since 2011 and reports suggest that defeat in a High Court battle with Chelsea FC owner and former business associate Roman Abramovich alone cost him tens of millions of pounds.

After losing the case, Mr Berezovsky told the widow of murdered Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko that he could no longer afford to pay her legal fees ahead of an inquest into her husband's death from radiation poisoning.

Mr Berezovsky also paid out Britain's largest divorce settlement, worth more than £100m, to ex-wife Galina Besharova last July.

Then in January, former partner Elena Gorbunova reportedly won a court order freezing £200m of assets following their split.

In recent days, The Daily Telegraph reported he would attempt to sell Red Lenin, an Andy Warhol screen print valued at between £30,000 and £50,000 by Christie's.

The artwork sold on Wednesday for £133,875 including the buyer's premium, according to the auction house's website.

Friends have been quoted as saying the oligarch was depressed by his financial troubles.

Aleksei Venediktov, the editor of Ekho Moskvy and a friend and colleague of Berezovsky, was quoted as saying: "After losing in court to Roman Abramovich he was in a serious depression. He was undergoing treatment."

:: Ill Health

Mr Venediktov is also quoted as saying Mr Berezovsky had been suffering heart problems.

"It was a heart attack," he was reported as saying late on Saturday. "For the last two weeks, he had had several."

Other reports have suggested he had been undergoing treatment in Israel.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

House Explosion Puts Pensioners In Hospital

Two pensioners have been taken to hospital after a suspected gas blast flattened their home and prompted the evacuation of neighbouring houses.

Police said the home had been "totally demolished" by the blast and that 77-year-old Robin Cunningham and his wife Marianne, 74, had been taken to hospital.

He is said to be in a stable condition, while Mrs Cunningham has now been released.

The explosion happened in Callander, central Scotland

Neighbours said they could hear her calling for help from under the rubble, while her husband had become trapped under debris in the kitchen.

Nine houses around the scene of the explosion in Murdiston Avenue, Callander, in central Scotland, had to be evacuated and the council has set up a rest centre in the town for those who have been asked to leave their homes.

Neighbour Alistair Allan, who lives across the road, told STV News: "We were all woken up at 6.30am by this almighty bang. I looked out the window and the house across the road was on fire. I ran across and the elderly gentleman was under rubble, I think in the kitchen, and his wife was in another part of the house.

"I could hear her calling out for help. She was saying 'I can't take it any more'.

The home was "totally demolished" in the explosion

"The firefighters were there very quickly. They got the woman out through a window and I think the man was out after about 15 or 20 minutes.

"My daughter came in last night about 8.30pm and said there was a strong smell of gas in the street but we didn't think anything of it at the time."

Claire Luti, a partner in nearby Dreadnought Garage, said: "I live at the other end of town so I didn't hear the explosion, but I heard the helicopter that was sent to take them (the man) to hospital. They are an elderly couple in their 70s who are quite well known in the town."

Chief Inspector Russell Penman, of Central Scotland Police, said: "The house has been totally demolished as a result of the explosion.

"We are treating this as a suspected gas leak and inquiries are at a very early stage to establish the cause. Scotland Gas Networks are in attendance and working with us."

Emergency services were called at around 6am.

The Mrs Cunningham was taken to Forth Valley Royal Infirmary with minor injuries while her husband was airlifted to Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

Eric Brown, proprietor of the nearby Roman Camp Hotel, said: "I heard a loud bang at around 5.45am this morning.

"The hotel is set quite far back from the road so it wasn't particularly loud from where we are, but it was enough to wake me up.

"I understand that a lot of houses have been evacuated."

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bogus Lawyer Di Stefano Jailed Over Fraud

A self-styled lawyer has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for a series of frauds on "desperate and vulnerable victims" whom he tricked into thinking he was a bona fide legal professional.

Giovanni di Stefano, 57, who became known as the Devil's Advocate for taking on "unwinnable" cases, was convicted on 25 charges including deception, fraud and money laundering between 2001 and 2011 at London's Southwark Crown Court.

The court had earlier learned how he conned clients out of millions of pounds by setting himself up as a lawyer when he had no legal qualifications and was not registered to work as a lawyer in Italy or the UK.

He used the Italian word "avvocato" on business cards, letterheads and identification documents to give clients - and the judiciary - the impression he was an advocate.

Judge Alistair McCreath, the Recorder of Westminster, noted there were many offences over significant periods of time.

The fact that the victims, who included a disabled man seeking damages for the loss of an arm, were all "desperate and vulnerable" and faced losses which were not just financial but also included the "raising and dashing of false hope" were aggravating factors, the judge said.

"I recognise that you did not actively seek out those whom you defrauded," Judge McCreath told di Stefano. "They came to you. You did not approach them but there is more than one kind of predator.

"Some predators hunt down their victims, others lie in wait for them.Your victims in this case were all desperate people and people who, because of their desperation, were vulnerable."

The judge also noted that, while the case was about money, "it is also about something different and great - it is about the real distress you caused to so many people".

"You had no regard for them nor for their anguish. Your only concern was to line your own pockets."

After the sentencing, di Stefano thanked the judge in a loud voice saying: "I am obliged, my Lord" as he stepped out of the dock.

During the trial, the court about his links to former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden and ex-Serb president Slobodan Milosevic.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Care Home Murder Arrest: Employee Held

A man has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of a 73-year-old private care home resident in Manchester.

Ivan Campbell died in hospital

Ivan Emmanuel Campbell was admitted to hospital on April 16 last year from Victoria Nursing Home in Rusholme.

He died from "internal injuries" the following day, according to a Home Office post-mortem examination.

A 34-year-old staff member was arrested in connection with his death and in relation to another assault on a resident at the home, which cares for people with complex mental health needs.

Officers were called by staff to the home on March 19 and found a 72-year-old man with a fractured rib.

The arrested worker has been suspended.

Senior Investigating Officer Andy Tattersall said: "Due to the complex needs of those at the care home this has and continues to be an extremely difficult and protracted investigation.

"From the outset we were determined to establish what happened to Ivan and who was responsible for causing his injuries and that remains as true today as it did then.

"We are continuing to work closely with partner agencies in health as well as the home and I want to reassure the relatives of residents there that their welfare is, collectively between us and our partners, a top priority."

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Abu Qatada Stays As Theresa May Loses Appeal

Timeline: Qatada Legal Battle

Updated: 1:54pm UK, Wednesday 27 March 2013

Abu Qatada has challenged and ultimately thwarted every attempt by the Government to detain and deport him since 2001.

Here is a timeline of the legal battle.

1993: Abu Qatada claims asylum when he arrives in Britain on a forged passport.

1994: Allowed to stay in Britain.

1995: Issues a "fatwa" justifying the killing of converts from Islam, their wives and children in Algeria.

1998: Applies for indefinite leave to remain in Britain.

1999: April - Convicted in his absence on terror charges in Jordan and sentenced to life imprisonment.

October - Speaks in London advocating the killing of Jews and praising attacks on Americans.

2001: February - Arrested by anti-terror police over involvement in a plot to bomb Strasbourg Christmas market. Officers find him with £170,000 in cash, including £805 in an envelope marked "For the mujahedin in Chechnya".

December - Becomes one of Britain's most wanted men after going on the run from his home in west London.

2002: Arrested by police in a council house in south London and detained in Belmarsh high-security jail.

2005: Freed on conditional bail and placed on a control order but arrested again in August under immigration rules as the Government seeks to deport him to Jordan.

2008: April: Court of Appeal rules deportation would breach is human rights because evidence used against him in Jordan might have been obtained through torture.

May - Granted bail by the immigration tribunal but told he must stay inside for 22 hours a day.

June - Released from Long Lartin jail in Worcestershire and moves into a four-bedroom house in west London.

November - He is rearrested after the Home Office tells an immigration hearing of fears he plans to abscond.

December - Qatada's bail is revoked by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Siac) after hearing secret evidence that the risk of him absconding has increased.

2009: Five Law Lords unanimously back the Government's policy of removing terror suspects from Britain on the basis of assurances from foreign governments and it is ruled he can be deported to Jordan to face a retrial on the terror charges.

He is awarded 2,800 euro (£2,500) compensation by the European Court of Human Rights after the judges rule that his detention without trial in the UK under anti-terrorism powers breached his human rights.

2012: January - European judges rule he can be sent to Jordan with diplomatic assurances but not while "there remains a real risk that evidence obtained by torture will be used against him".

February - He is released on strict bail conditions.

April - Rearrested as the Government prepares to deport him after Jordan gives assurances it will "bend over backwards" to ensure he receives a fair trial.

March - Qatada's legal team loses its bid to have the case heard by the Europe's human rights judges, clearing the way for deportation proceedings to continue.

May and August - Siac rejects Qatada's applications for bail.

October - Siac holds appeal hearing.

November - His appeal is granted and he is granted bail.

December - Qatada is moved to a larger residence in the greater London area.

2013:

:: March 9 - It emerges Qatada has been arrested for allegedly breaching his bail conditions. He is ordered to stay in custody and sent to Belmarsh.

:: March 21 - Police reveal the cleric is being investigated over extremist material.

:: March 27 - Home Secretary Theresa May loses her appeal over Siac's decision to allow Qatada to stay in the UK. The Home Office vows to appeal.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Domestic Abuse: Victim Shows Graphic Images

A victim of domestic violence has released images of the horrific injuries she suffered from her abusive former partner.

Derrick Robinson has been jailed for 13 years after he attacked Sinead Noone at their Coventry home last February.

Ms Noone, who suffered a fractured cheek, broken nose and black eyes, has chosen to release the pictures through police to help others leave abusive relationships.

"Don't let this happen to you," was the message from the 26-year-old.

Leicester Crown Court heard that on February 14, 2012, Ms Noone quizzed Robinson after he returned home late and spoiled their romantic dinner plans.

"He came home late and drunk … the next day I asked where he'd been and he exploded, repeatedly hitting and kicking me," she said.

Ms Noone was hospitalised after the attack

"I curled up in a ball on the floor and tried to protect myself."

After the attack, police said Robinson bullied Ms Noone into saying she suffered the injuries after falling on their coffee table.

But with the encouragement and support of officers and her family, she reported the attacks and Robinson was charged.

Robinson, who has a previous conviction for manslaughter, denied grievous bodily harm, but was found guilty.

Speaking after the hearing, Ms Noone, who now works for domestic violence services, said she wished she had left Robinson earlier.

"I'd brushed previous incidents under the carpet: he put emotional pressure on me and each time convinced me it wouldn't happen again or that I was somehow to blame.

"I wish I'd walked out then and moved on but it's easy to say in hindsight.

"I'd urge anyone caught in a violent relationship to look at the photos of my injuries and understand that unless they report abuse there's a chance that could one day be them.

"It's hard to push charges against someone you love and hope will change … but the time comes when you have to move on as life is too short."

Elaine Yates, from the women's support centre Coventry Haven, said: "Many women don't seek help because they feel they're to blame - this is not the case.

"What's happening is not their fault and they can do something to change the situation."

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Dog Attack: 'No Warnings' Before Jade Killed

There were no previous complaints about dangerous dogs at a house where a 14-year-old girl is thought to have been killed by a pack of "aggressive and out-of-control" dogs, police said.

Jade Lomas-Anderson's body was discovered with wounds consistent with a dog attack shortly after 2pm on Tuesday, following reports she was unconscious.

Superintendent Mark Kenny of Greater Manchester Police said: "The most likely scenario is that Jade was attacked by four dogs, that is still part and parcel of the investigation. That clearly is the most likely scenario of what's happened but we're looking obviously at all options."

He said the attack would have happened between 1pm and 2pm.

Jade was described as 'shy' by friends (Pic: Facebook tribute page)

A post-mortem examination is due to take place later.

The teenager was visiting the house in Chaucer Grove, Atherton, near Wigan, and was alone with the dogs, believed to include two bull mastiffs and two Staffordshire bull terriers.

Four animals were shot dead by police marksmen and a fifth was contained.

Supt Kenny said: "We have had no contact or reports, Greater Manchester Police, regarding reports for example of dangerous dogs at this location. We've certainly not had any incidents here.

Two dogs were believed to be Staffordshire bull terriers (file picture)

"This is the first incident of this nature we have attended at this location."

Officers have spoken to the owner of the dogs, the owner's family and neighbours since Jade was found.

Friends have paid tribute to the "quiet" and "timid" teenager, who is thought to have returned to the property from the shops with a meat pie when she was attacked.

Flowers were laid at the backyard where Jade was attacked. A sign on the gate read: "Beware of the Dog."

Locals said Jade was there to see a friend, Kimberley Concannon, 16, who lives there with her twin Catrina and mother Beverley Concannon.

One 15-year-old said of Jade: "She goes to my school in the year below.

"She's shy, quite timid, if you didn't know her you wouldn't recognise her around and about. It's horrible what's happened.

"She picks her little sister up Sienna from school, every day and walks past my house.

"She had a pie in her hand and has gone to bite it, she moved the pie and the dog's gone for her throat and then they have all gone for her."

Another friend said the dogs at the house were large and aggressive animals.

Friends are said to be 'deeply shocked' (Pic: Facebook tribute page)

"Every time you walk past the house they would be barking and barking and going mad," she said. "You would jump out of your skin."

Jade was a pupil at Fred Longworth High School in Tyldesley, which open to help pupils affected by the death.

Headteacher Janet Garretts said: "We are all deeply shocked and saddened by Jade's tragic death. She had only been a pupil at the school since the summer but had made a real impact in that short time.

"Jade was a lively student who always had a smile on her face. She loved music and dance and was a regular at our after school dancing club.

"At what turned out to be her last day at school, Jade was given a progress report by her teachers and told everyone was delighted with the progress she was making."

More than 11,000 people joined a Facebook group created to pay tribute to Jade, including the aunt of a four-year-old boy who was killed by a banned breed of dog.

A policeman stands guard outside the house in Atherton, near Wigan

John-Paul Massey died at his grandmother's house in Liverpool after suffering "massive injuries" inflicted by a pitbull.

Tricia Massey wrote on Jade's page: "Such a tragic thing to happen. I know what your poor family must be going through and how they are feeling, I lost my four-year-old nephew three years ago.

"He was killed by a dangerous dog in Liverpool. Something needs to be done about these aggressive animals.

"Sleep tight Jade, I'm sure my John-Paul will look after you."

Natasha Hunt posted: "RIP my beautiful baby girl! Don't know what I'm going do without you!

"Love you loads, you will never be forgotten, you will always be in my heart."

Norman Bradbury, a local councillor, told Sky News the whole community was in shock.

He said: "We need to establish what occurred with this horrible incident and how it an be avoided in future but we have to wait for the police to investigate what happened, how Jade died and the circumstances."

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Missing April Jones: Police To End Search

By David Crabtree, News Correspondent

Police are preparing to call off their search for the body of missing April Jones by the end of next month.

The five-year-old vanished while playing on her bike near her home in Machynlleth, Wales, on October 1 last year.

Since then a massive search operation has been under way with police scouring some 300 points in a 60sq km area.

Mark Bridger denies murdering the schoolgirl

A Dyfed Powys spokesperson said: "The terrain is extremely challenging. The mountains, gorges, streams and waterfalls in the area mean extra care has to be taken and specialist safety equipment has to be worn.

"The force made a commitment to search until all viable lines of enquiry were complete.

"During April officers will searching specific areas of land with a view to all search areas identified being completed by the end of April."

Police added that a reactive team of specialist officers would be available to respond to any new information.

Mark Bridger, 47, is facing trial charged with abducting and murdering the schoolgirl and of unlawfully disposing of and concealing her body with intent to pervert the course of justice.

He pleaded not guilty on January 14, when his barrister Brendan Kelly QC told Mold Crown Court that Bridger is "probably responsible" for her death.

On the day she went missing, Mr and Mrs Jones had allowed April to play out late as a treat after she received a glowing report from school.

Bridger was arrested the following day.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Snow: RAF Helicopter Sent To Aid Families

Costs Rise As Lambs Brought Indoors

Updated: 11:46pm UK, Monday 25 March 2013

By Frazer Maude, North of England Correspondent

The Dean family have been farming in the Yorkshire Dales village of Threshfield since 1236.

Toft House Farm will have seen some harsh winters through the centuries, but weather like this in late March won't have happened too often.

Angus Dean runs the farm with his brother, and during lambing season his day starts at around 5.30am. It doesn't end until past midnight.

With almost 1,000 sheep to care for, this is one of the toughest, but most rewarding, times of year.

The rewards are plain to see. He's gentle with his animals, and still can't hide the smile on his face as he delivers triplets to one sheep in its straw lined barn.

Ordinarily though, these lambs would enter the world in a field, not a barn. Their mother would be eating fresh grass, not expensive feed (called cake).

Drifting snow, biting winds, and sub-zero temperatures, mean the three new arrivals would struggle to last even a few hours outside.

"Even in the fields which aren't totally covered in snow aren't usable at the moment," explains Mr Dean.

"Because the sheep need the shelter provided by the dry stone walls. Only there isn't any shelter, because the walls are where the drifts have collected."

That means all but 70 of the flock have been brought indoors to lamb. Those that are still outside are ewes that are only going to have a single lamb, and so won't be giving birth for another couple of weeks.

If the weather doesn't break before then, they'll be brought inside too.

"Having the sheep inside might seem easier," said Mr Dean.

"But it can lead to confusion between the sheep over whose lambs are whose. So we have to move them around into different pens to keep them separated. And of course the feed costs are massively increased."

But even though his sheep are costing much more to feed than if they were eating grass (the cake costs around £250 per tonne), at least Toft House Farm is accessible at the moment to have the feed brought in.

Others aren't so lucky. Rachael Gillbanks from the NFU says: "I've spoken to some farmers in the Dales who are worried that their feed stocks are running dangerously low, and they can't get any more delivered because the farm roads aren't accessible for the delivery trucks. Several are almost running out of cake and hay."

The good news for Angus is that this has been a good year for the lambs. The quantity and quality of the offspring from his mixed flock of Texels, Mules, Swaledales and Leicester Blues has been high, and prices at the moment are reasonably good.

But with hundreds of sheep yet to give birth, and with space in the sheep sheds at a premium, for Angus, and his neighbours, the thaw can't come soon enough.

But like all Dalesfolk, Mr Dean and his brother are nothing if not resilient. And tough though it is at the moment, a farm that could bounce back after losing the entire flock to the devastation of foot and mouth, will surely survive this

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hospital Inspector To Name Failing NHS Trusts

A new Chief Inspector of Hospitals will name and shame failing NHS trusts in a shake-up sparked by the Mid Staffordshire scandal.

The new Chief Inspector will give hospitals Ofsted-style rankings for their performance and act as "whistleblower-in-chief".

If trusts fail to deliver, they could be put into a "failure regime" - the equivalent of special measures - and could end up in administration.

Failing NHS bosses will also be put on a blacklist to ensure they cannot just move to a different part of the organisation and keep working.

And NHS providers will have a new "statutory duty of candour" to ensure patients are fully informed if anything goes wrong with their care.

Trusts that fiddle mortality data figures could also face legal sanctions at a corporate level.

In further moves to restore a culture of compassion, student nurses will spend up to a year performing basic frontline work.

Hundreds of people may have died needlessly at Stafford Hospital

Initially under a pilot scheme, they will have to do a placement as a support worker or healthcare assistant in order to receive funding for their studies.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt unveiled the changes as he delivered the Government's initial response to the Francis report into Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.

Robert Francis QC made 290 sweeping recommendations for healthcare regulators, providers and the Government.

As many as 1,200 patients may have died needlessly after they were "routinely neglected" at the hospital.

Many were left lying in their own urine and excrement for days, forced to drink water from vases or given the wrong medication.

The Health Secretary said the scandal was "a betrayal of the worse kind" and admitted it was "the NHS' darkest hour".

But he demanded that it become "not a byword for failure but a catalyst for change" as he set out a string of new measures.

He told MPs they would help embed a "culture of zero harm and compassionate care" with patients at its heart.

It is unclear how many of the 290 recommendations were taken up by the Government but a number of key measures were noticeably absent.

Mr Francis had called for a regulation system for healthcare assistants but Mr Hunt only announced a code of practice and minimum training standards.

He claimed a regulatory system would create a "bureaucratic quagmire".

The QC also wanted staff to be criminally liable as individuals if they harmed or killed patients but the Health Secretary is waiting on a further report before making a decision.

And instead of creating specialist registered nurses to look after elderly patients, Mr Hunt strengthened nurse training in the field.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Choirmaster And Ex-Wife Jailed For Sex Abuse

By Nick Martin, News Correspondent

A choirmaster who sexually assaulted a pupil at a music school more than 30 years ago has been jailed for six years.

Michael Brewer, a former National Youth Choir music director, and his ex-wife were found guilty on five counts of indecently assaulting his student Frances Andrade more than 30 years ago.

During the trial, Ms Andrade, 48, was found dead at her home less than a week after she gave evidence against Brewer at Manchester Crown Court. She had reportedly killed herself.

The 68-year-old was convicted of sexually abusing her in his office at Chetham's School of Music in Manchester when she was aged 14 and 15.

Passing sentence, Judge Martin Rudland said: "You were, and may still be, a predatory sex offender. Of that let no-one be in any doubt.

"The extent of your breach of trust in this case cannot be overstated."

Frances Andrade gave evidence against Michael Brewer at his trial

Brewer's ex-wife, Kay Brewer, 68, was also convicted of indecently assaulting Mrs Andrade, then known as Shorney, when she was an adult at their former family home. She was sentenced to 21 months in prison.

The jury returned not guilty verdicts on charges that Brewer raped Mrs Andrade when she was aged 18 and that Mrs Brewer aided and abetted the attack.

Brewer was also cleared of one charge of indecently assaulting Mrs Andrade when she was a child in his home.

The Crown Prosecution Service decided to continue with the trial and the judge ruled that news of Mrs Andrade's death should be kept from jurors until after they reached their verdicts.

Mrs Andrade was visibly agitated on occasions as she gave her evidence over two days on January 16 and 17.

She chose to take to the witness box in full view of everyone in the courtroom, including the two defendants in the dock.

Michael Brewer was a teacher at Chetham's School of Music in Manchester

The jury heard that the police investigation was sparked by National Youth Choir teacher Jenavora Williams after Mrs Andrade, her friend, told her about her time at Chetham's.

The mother-of-four, from Guildford, Surrey, who was married to acclaimed viola player Levine Andrade, was supported from the public gallery by one of her sons.

At one point she complained about Brewer smiling as she gave her evidence, but she chose to press on without drawing a curtain to block off the dock.

The judge remarked that she was "clearly undergoing a cathartic experience, whatever the source" while giving evidence.

He said she was "combative" during cross-examination by Kate Blackwell QC, representing Brewer, adding that she had taken personal issue with some of the barrister's questions, although the judge indicated that Ms Blackwell had acted professionally.

Jurors were only told of Ms Andrade's death after reaching their verdicts

During the cross-examination, Mrs Andrade told her: "You are hugely insulting, even though it's your job."

Her son, Oliver Andrade, described his mother as "an amazing person", but appeared to criticise authorities for failing to provide more support despite two previous attempts to kill herself.

He said in a statement: "Like all people she was not impervious. Being repeatedly called a 'liar' and a 'fantasist' about a horrific part of her life in front of a court challenged her personal integrity and was more than even she could bear.

"She was forced to relive the many times Michael Brewer had sexually abused her as a child, both to the police on multiple occasions and in court to a hostile party."

Brewer went on to become the artistic director of the National Youth Choirs of Britain and has directed the World Youth Choir.

The judge told him: "The care and attention which you gave her, in so manipulative and depraved a way, were regarded by her as blessings.

"She was prepared to submit to almost anything, which clearly she did, as you pushed the boundaries further and further - treating her as your sexual plaything in the context of a false loving relationship which she readily accepted."

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

UK Border Agency Back In Home Office Control

The UK Border Agency is being split in two and brought back under the control of the Home Office, Theresa May has announced.

The Home Secretary unveiled the shake-up in the Commons 24 hours after MPs published a damning report about the organisation's record.

Mrs May said the current agency was too big, not transparent enough, had failing IT systems and struggled to operate in the existing legal framework.

It will now become two separate operations, with an immigration and visa service assessing applications and an enforcement arm to trace people breaking the law.

Mrs May said: "The agency has been a troubled organisation since it was formed in 2008 and its performance is not good enough.

"In truth, the agency was not set up to absorb the level of mass immigration that we saw under the last Government.

"This meant the agency has never had the space to modernise its structures and systems and get on top of its workload."

It was a mistake to keep it at arms length from ministers because this "created a closed, secretive and defensive culture", she added.

A new board chaired by the Home Office permanent secretary will be formed to oversee every part of the immigration system.

There are also plans to modernise IT across the board to speed up case handling.

And in a move to make it easier to remove illegal immigrants, Mrs May said she intended to bring forward an immigration bill in the next parliament.

It is the second time the Home Secretary has had to shake up the agency in the wake of major criticism about its operations.

Last year, the Border Agency was divided from the Border Force - which handles frontline controls at ports - after it emerged hundreds of thousands of people had entered the UK without being checked against a watch list.

The latest changes follow a scathing report from the Home Affairs select committee which warned on Monday that UKBA's backlog would take 24 years to clear.

The committee also attacked the head of Britain's tax office Lin Homer for her "catastrophic leadership failure" when she ran the agency.

MPs were "astounded" that she was promoted to the £180,000-a-year role of chief executive of HM Revenue & Customs after her performance there.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper admitted the UKBA had suffered with problems for years but also claimed its record had worsened under Mrs May's watch.

"Enforcement has got worse, delays have got worse, 50% fewer people are being refused entry at ports and borders and you said the number of illegal immigrants removed does not keep up with the number here illegally - that's because you're letting rather more of them in," she said.

Ms Cooper highlighted a 34% cut in the UKBA budget and a 20% rise in the backlog of asylum cases in the last three months.

"Your reforms and your cuts is what has gone wrong throughout 2012. Why should we believe the latest round of reforms will do any better?," she asked.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Lib Dem MP Mike Hancock To Be Investigated

Portsmouth City Council have launched an investigation into the conduct of the Liberal Democrat MP for Portsmouth South, Mike Hancock, who is also a local councillor in the area.

The council would not comment on the nature of the allegations against the MP.

They come at the same time as claims that Mr Hancock has allegedly been in an inappropriate relationship with a constituent who is a single mother with mental health problems.

The Lib Dem MP vigorously denies any wrongdoing.

In a statement the council's solicitor Michael Lawther said: "A sub-committee of Portsmouth City Council today decided to refer a complaint against Cllr Mike Hancock for investigation.

"The governance and audit and standards committee (assessment) sub-committee, made up of three councillors, considered evidence of a breach of the council's code of conduct and decided there was a case to answer. They made no judgement as to whether or not there had been a breach.

"I will now appoint an independent lawyer to carry out an investigation. We estimate the investigation will take two or three months. If a breach is proved against a councillor, they can be censured for their conduct."

More follows...

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Qatar Tankers: Ships Dock In UK Amid Fuel Crisis

A gas tanker from Qatar is arriving in Britain as the wintry weather continues to deplete reserves.

The giant tanker, called Zarga, is due to dock in Milford Haven, Wales, carrying 266,000 cubic metres of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The arrival follows the weekend docking of the Mekaines tanker - also from Qatar - at the Isle of Grain in Kent.

Together the vessels carry enough gas to power Britain for 12 hours.

A third Qatari tanker is due to arrive on Friday, while a vessel from Trinidad also set sail for Britain on Saturday.

The unseasonal cold snap has increased demand for heating and electricity and gas stocks are down to 10% of capacity.

Britain continues to shiver in the unseasonal weather

"We get our supplies from a diverse range of sources and the market is proving to be highly responsive to the UK's needs," Energy Minister John Hayes said.

He reassured Britons there would be no danger of shortages, and that the energy regulator and the National Grid were closely monitoring the situation.

"The UK's gas needs continue to be met," he said.

Concerns were raised on Thursday when it emerged that Britain had only enough stored gas to meet two days' demand.

Things got worse on Friday when one of the key European supply pipelines - from Belgium - was suddenly shut down after a component failed.

The pipeline was back in operation later on Friday afternoon, but gas doubled in price on the UK's energy markets.

The price fell back again but the incident highlighted Britain's dependence on imported gas.

National Grid has not been forced to use any of its emergency powers to cut gas to industry and redirect it to domestic consumers.

The energy consumer Ofgem said: "While gas supplies are tight at the moment and there is no room for complacency, Britain does benefit from a diverse range of gas supplies and National Grid has many tools to manage the system and to prevent householders' supplies from being disrupted."

The fuel crisis comes as it emerged that gas imported from the US will heat as many as 1.8 million UK homes from 2018.

British Gas owner Centrica said the 20-year contract, worth £10bn, would play an important role in ensuring the UK's energy security.

The first shipments, from the Sabine Pass liquefaction plant in Louisiana, are not due until September 2018.

The deal with Cheniere Energy Partners for 89 billion cubic feet of annual liquefied natural gas (LNG) volumes is the first time that the UK has entered into a formal gas import agreement with the US.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Prince Harry Returning To US After Vegas Scandal

Prince Harry will be returning to the US in May, but is not due to visit Las Vegas where he admits he "let himself down" when he was photographed frolicking naked with a woman.

St James's Palace said he would be representing a number of charities and the Government, with the central theme of the trip being supporting injured servicemen and women from both Britain and the US.

The photographs of the naked prince partying in 'Sin City' - which were published around the world - overshadowed the last visit.

And in January, the third-in-line to the throne admitted he was probably being "too much 'Army' and not enough 'prince'".

"At the end of the day I probably let myself down, I let my family down and let other people down, but I was in a private area and there should have been a certain amount of privacy that one should expect," he said.

In May, Harry will watch the opening ceremony of the Warrior Games, in which wounded troops compete in Paralympic-style competitions.

Prince Harry has followed his mother in anti-landmine campaigning

A British team is being formally entered in the annual event in Colorado Springs for the first time. Prince Harry has previously met troops who have taken part as individuals.

Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, Harry's private secretary, said: "Prince Harry wants to highlight once again the extraordinary commitment and sacrifice of our injured servicemen and women - our wounded warriors.

"Although a Prince, Harry is also an operational soldier - indeed he's a soldier's soldier - therefore throughout this briefing the recurring theme is to help recognise and bring a spotlight onto the work being done to help these outstanding young men and women."

Also among his engagements will be a visit to Arlington National Ceremony, where more than 400,000 fallen American troops, veterans and their families are buried, and the Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre.

In Washington DC, Prince Harry will attend an exhibition on Capitol Hill about landmine clearing.

Earlier this month, it was announced that he would follow in the footsteps of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, by becoming the patron of the HALO Trust, which aims to clear landmines and unexploded ordnance from war-torn countries

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Boris Berezovsky's Body Removed From Home

Boris Berezovsky: A Profile

Updated: 10:23pm UK, Saturday 23 March 2013

Boris Berezovsky was once one of Russia's most powerful kingmakers, a member of the influential group of Russian tycoons referred to as the "oligarchs".

Born in Moscow in 1946, the son of a civil engineer, he gained a doctorate in applied mathematics, before becoming one of a number of Russian businessmen who took advantage of Perestroika.

He made his money founding the car company LogoVAZ in 1989, selling local Russian cars and importing Mercedes.

As his wealth grew so too did his sphere of influence and in 1993 he entered the Kremlin's inner circle, eventually earning the nickname Rasputin, after the mystic adviser to the Romanovs.

By the mid-1990s Mr Berezovsky owned a stake in the oil company Sibneft and had a majority share in Russia's main television channel, ORT.

In 1997 Forbes estimated his wealth was $3bn.

At Davos in 1996 he joined forces with other businessmen who had flourished in the ruins of the Soviet Union and they formed a pact, known as the "Davos Pact" in which they agreed to bank roll Boris Yeltsin for his second presidential run.

Together with members of Mr Yeltsin's family, like his daughter Tatyana Yumasheva, and like-minded politicians, like Anatoly Chubais, Yegor Gaidar and Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov, they effectively ran Russia during Mr Yetsin's second term as his health faltered.

When it was clear a successor was needed, it is said that it was Mr Berezovsky who hand-picked the ex-KGB head, Vladimir Putin.

He may have made him king but Mr Putin soon made it clear that he was not to be anyone's puppet and shortly after he became President the two men fell out.

Mr Berezovsky resigned from the Duma and set himself up in opposition then left the country on business. He never returned.

In November 2000, while travelling, he was summoned for economic crimes but he did not respond and set up home in London. He was granted asylum in the UK in 2003.

Mr Berezovsky vowed that he would bring Mr Putin down, but after a series of assassination attempts, he also lived in fear for his life.

According to Alexander Litvinenko, the former Russian FSB agent who was assassinated in London in 2006, a Russian agent was preparing a hit on Mr Berezovsky in September 2003.

Mr Litvinenko had also claimed in 1998 when he was an FSB agent that he himself had been ordered to kill Mr Berezovsky.

In 2007, Scotland Yard said it had foiled a plot to assassinate Mr Berezovsky in the UK. The alleged hitman, a Chechen national, was arrested in London and deported to Russia.

Mr Berezovsky also survived an assassination attempt in Russia in 1994 when a car bomb exploded, wounding him and decapitating his driver.

And as Mr Berezovsky's power faded in his self-imposed exile, so did his wealth.

According to the Sunday Times Rich List by 2011, his net worth was only about $900m (£591m).

Mr Berezovsky's stake in Sibneft eventually led to a court battle with Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich, which is estimated to have cost him £100m, and speculation about his financial well-being.

In 2012, he lost the High Court case in which he accused his fellow oligarch of breach of trust, breach of contract and claimed Mr Abramovich "intimidated" him into selling shares in Sibneft for a "mere $1.3bn" (£800m) - "a fraction of their true worth".

In July 2011 his ex-wife Galina Beshanrova, 53, won the biggest divorce settlement in history, said to be worth hundreds of millions of pounds.

Mr Berezovsky ran up further legal bills of more than £250,000 later in 2012 fighting a case against his former lover, Elena Gorbunova.

Ms Gorbunova, who had two children with Mr Berezovsky, complained that she had not been given millions promised by him.

On Wednesday, Mr Berezovsky sold Red Lenin, an Andy Warhol screen print, for £133,875 at Christie's auction house, prompting more speculation about his financial situation.

Demoralised by the Abramovich case, the Kremlin claims that Mr Berezovsky, the kingmaker, was a broken man in the days before he died.

He had written, Mr Putin's spokesman claimed, to beg forgiveness and to finally return to Russia.

He never did.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

London Fire: 100 Firefighters In Walworth

Nearly 100 firefighters are tackling a major fire which has engulfed a museum and library in south east London.

The blaze ripped through a building in Wansey St, Walworth, shortly after 12.30pm.

London Fire Brigade said 15 fire engines, with 97 firefighters, were at the scene.

There are currently no indications of how the fire started and no injuries have been reported, a fire brigade spokesman added.

The building houses Newington Library, a museum of Southwark's history and a one-stop shop for residents to access council services.

Leader of the council Peter John said: "Whilst our first concern is for the safety of residents and our staff, we are also worried about possible damage to the museum's collection.

"It does not appear at this time that surrounding buildings or any residential properties have been affected, but we will continue to monitor the situation very closely and continue to assist the emergency services where we can."

More follows...

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Snow 'Winter War Zone' Hampers Rescue Efforts

Ice warnings are in place for much of Britain as the freezing cold weather conditions and snow continues to bring chaos to the roads and railways.

Drivers in snow-hit areas across the UK have been urged to postpone their journeys if possible, while train journeys have also been severely affected with services delayed or cancelled.

The AA has has said its patrols have faced a "winter war zone" - attending more than 1,100 call-outs to people either stuck in snow, ice or flood water since Thursday.

Huge snowdrifts - up to 15ft deep in some places - and abandoned vehicles are preventing energy companies from reaching some areas to restore power.

A man walks along a snow drenched road in Leeds, Yorkshire

Power has been restored to all 1,700 homes in Cumbria - but several thousands are still without electricity in other parts and many roads remain impassable with no end in sight to the severe weather gripping the UK.

Helicopters are being used to get engineers to affected properties in rural and exposed part of Northern Ireland.

Businesses have also suffered, while farmers - yet to recover from the disastrously sodden summer of 2012 - have said the Arctic weather has come at the worst possible time.

A motorist drives past snow covered trees near Dundrod in County Antrim

Blizzard conditions are claiming the lives of newborn lambs, affecting spring crops and forcing families to work all hours to try to keep stranded stock alive, according to the National Union of Farmers (NFU).

And the severe weather and bitterly cold temperatures are set to continue across most parts of the country right up until the weekend, forecasters have said.

This could mean the first white Easter in five years, as the nation enters British summertime.

The Met Office - which has extended its level 3 cold weather alert until Friday - has said there is a 90% chance the unseasonal cold snap will continue to keep large parts of Britain frozen for the rest of the week.

Farmer Roy Kerby feeds sheep after snowfall in Etwall, central England

Bitterly cold easterly winds will persist in the days to come, bringing snow showers to northeast England and light snow flurries across other parts.

It is a marked contrast to the warm spring weather the nation enjoyed this time last year.

On March 24, 2012, sun-seekers flocked to Brighton to bask in the sunshine and 18C (64.4F) heat. In comparison, the beach was deserted on Sunday with the temperature at just 2C (35.6F).

Some reports suggest Britain could be hit with a similar heatwave towards the end of spring.

But according to Sky News Weather Producer Jo Robinson: "Spring is a changeable season, with extremes possible. There's no evidence to suggest that a cold snap at the end of March means there will be a heatwave in April."

An abandoned car on the side of the road in the Briercliffe area of Burnley

A yellow warning - meaning be prepared for bad weather - is in place for north-east England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

But it is the ice that is causing the biggest concern, with large parts of the country being warned about the danger of black ice as commuters wrestle with journeys on foot, by car or public transport to work and back.

"Lying snow in many areas will melt on roads and pavements by day, refreezing by night to give icy patches," a Met Office spokesman said.

"Snow blowing off fields in strong to gale force winds will also affect some roads, especially over high ground."

Brighton beach - this time last year compared to this weekend

In northern England, many cross-Pennine routes remain blocked by drifting snow, including the Snake Pass and Woodhead Pass, between Manchester and South Yorkshire.

The Department for Transport has warned motorists to take precautions and only set off from home if they have checked the latest travel conditions.

A spokesman said: "The unseasonal weather is affecting transport networks. Our staff and other transport operators are working tirelessly around the clock to keep roads open, and keep other services running."

Sky's Mike McCarthy, in Buxton, Derbyshire, said: "What is happening is these bitterly cold easterly winds are making the snow drift over the roads, even when it has been cleared by the snow ploughs and gritters.

People clearing the road to access their homes in the village of Cargan

"We've seen a number of people struggling with the weather, some abandoned cars still, and in other parts of the country, Cumbria for example, they are saying 'don't return to your abandoned car just yet - contact the police first', because the conditions are still very severe."

The electricity grid has been hit by the wintry conditions over the past few days. Ice has packed onto power lines, causing them to buckle under the weight.

Engineers have been working to restore supplies to around 7,000 homes in Northern Ireland and 10,000 in Scotland, as well as 500 properties on the Isle of Man.

Some 3,500 people are cut off in Kintyre and 1,500 are without electricity on the Isle of Arran. The Caledonian MacBrayne ferry between the mainland and Arran was laden with engineering support to be deployed in the Island.

A snow covered narrow boat sits in a frozen canal in Birmingham

Sky's Scotland Correspondent, James Matthews, said: "Lorries carried generators and fresh telegraph poles. There was also a small fleet of outdoor catering vans which had been drafted off duty at commercial public events to come and supply islanders running short of supplies."

Emergency oxygen supplies had to be airlifted to an elderly man trapped by heavy snow in Northern Ireland.

Those living in remote areas there have been warned it could be days before they have electricity again, but water supply has now been restored to most of the 1,000 homes affected.

A man found dead in deep snow after he started walking home in severe weather has been named by police.

The body of Gary Windle, 25, was found by a farmer in Brierfield, near Burnley, in Lancashire, at around 1.30pm on Saturday.

Gary Windle (left) was found dead in deep snow near Burnley

Police said his death was not being treated as suspicious and there were indications it was a "very tragic incident" after he started walking home from a night out with friends.

On Friday, a woman, named locally as Susan Norman, died when her house in Looe, Cornwall, collapsed during a landslip following torrential rain.

A 57-year-old hill walker, named by police as James Jack, died in the Scottish Highlands, although police said it was not clear whether his death was linked to the poor weather.

Sky News Weather Presenter Nazaneen Ghaffar said the heavy snow had subsided but added: "As we head towards this Easter weekend, it's going to remain unsettled, In fact, on Good Friday, there's the risk of more widespread snow."

Bookmaker Ladbrokes has cut the odds of snow at Easter to 4/5 after taking a flurry of bets in the past 48 hours.

Forecasters have predicted it could be the coldest March in 50 years. In 1962, average temperatures for the month were 2.8C (37F).

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Huge Problem' Of Male Suicide Rate In UK

Nelson Fell Through The Cracks

Updated: 4:19am UK, Sunday 24 March 2013

To the outside world Nelson had the world at this feet. A professional snowboarder, on the cover of magazines, coach to the British Olympic snowboard team, as physically fit as it was possible to be, universally loved by everyone that knew him and from a loving family.

Nelson was a truly aspirational human being and a role model to many. How could someone like Nelson take his own life? He had so much to live for.

His death in the summer of 2012 sent shockwaves through the UK snowboarding community and with everyone that knew him. His family and friends were left distraught as there had been no glaring warning signs. I had seen Nelson only days before and even though I felt I knew him better than anyone, even in my darkest fears I had no idea what was coming.

Nelson did suffer from anxieties and at periods of his life had been touched by bouts of depression. Like so many men, Nelson found it very hard to openly talk about these powerful inner thoughts. He had great friends and a loving family but found it very hard to be truly honest - especially in perhaps such an image conscious sport as snowboarding?

Men as a rule are supposed to battle on through strife and illness. For a man to show weakness and say they're feeling down is frowned upon and the stigma attached to depression and other mental illnesses is huge. Nelson felt this, and often telling your close friends and family you feel depressed has its own pressures attached - I'm sure Nelson felt the worry of not letting loved ones down. It is obvious now Nelson had incredibly powerful emotions locked deep inside him that ultimately took control of him towards the end.

One of Nelson's last acts was to take himself to his local GP the day before he took his life, obviously seeking help and support. I know how much courage this must have taken for Nelson. Nelson was asked to fill in various questionnaires to assess his mood, he scored very highly for anxiety and was classed as moderately depressed. Unfortunately all the GP could do for him at the time was to tell him to return in two weeks if he still felt bad, and was given the web address of an online cognitive programme.

Like many, Nelson fell through the cracks. He died the next day. I understand how much pressure GPs are under, but also feel frustrated that he could have been given more options - a few telephone numbers maybe, a help line, a link to CALM's website or even a call to his family to say he may be at risk. This may have helped him feel he wasn't struggling alone, that there was help out there, that other guys were struggling with exactly what he was feeling. Why, for instance, is it so hard to get a referral to see a psychiatrist, my local GP told me he doesn't even know the name of his and even if he did it would take weeks for an appointment. Things have to change.

Only after this tragic event do the shattering statistics hit home. Suicide in young men is the biggest single killer in the UK right now, on average three a day and more deaths in 2011 than traffic accidents, HIV and murder alone. BUT only 1 in 10 people have any idea of these brutal stats. Awareness has to be top priority, there must be a focused strategy to suicide in the UK. The minister of care and support Norman Lamb stated that the government has a "complete responsibility to reduce men taking their own lives." Now's the time for action - not words.

By tapping into organisations such as CALM, the government can educate themselves and potentially hit the key demographic and most at risk. CALM are using people, brands, musicians, artists etc that young men can associate with, a voice they respect, raising awareness. A strong communications strategy is clearly needed for the government. 

Obviously this is huge problem and not easily tackled. It will take time. Stigma amongst men, families and society in general is a huge hurdle but we have to start somewhere. It's clear from Nelson's story that there isn't a set stereotype for someone who ends their own life.  He appeared to have everything. If there is any positive to come out of his death, it's that suicide and depression can hit anyone and there is no shame in admitting you need help. Help is out there, you don't have to suffer alone, there is always hope. Ride on Nelly.

00.35 | 0 komentar | Read More

Military Honours: Code-Breaker Receives MBE

A soldier who cracked codes used by Afghan insurgents to hide deadly weapons is among those recognised in the latest military honours.

Private Lewis Treloar, a 23-year-old former builder, volunteered for the role as lead IED (improvised explosive device) searcher on his second tour of Afghanistan last summer, despite his wife expecting their second baby.

"I didn't want to witness anything bad happening to anyone else," he said.

After cracking the coded warning signs used by the Taliban, Pte Treloar, of 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, went on to find more than 40 stores of IEDs and weapons.

He said he was "shocked" to receive an MBE but added: "The real reward is seeing these weapons off the streets."

Pte Treloar is one of 118 members of the Armed Forces honoured for their bravery.

Others include Flight Lieutenant Christopher Gordon, who receives the Distinguished Flying Cross for rescuing 30 British and Afghan troops while under heavy fire.

Flt Lt Gordon said receiving his medal was "very humbling"

The 29-year-old flew his Chinook into an insurgent "safe haven" in Helmand Province, despite one of the helicopter's two engines being disabled.

He made his way back to Camp Bastion at a height of less than 20ft, creating a dust cloud that meant he "couldn't see anything".

On Friday, it emerged Lance Corporal Lawrence Kayser would receive the Military Cross after single-handedly clearing an entire compound of insurgents.

Medic Lance Corporal Abbie Martin receives the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service for treating a British soldier on the battlefield while under fire.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said: "In a changing world, the bravery and commitment to duty of our servicemen and women remains unswerving.

"Whether fighting for our security on operations abroad or rescuing mountaineers and sailors within the British Isles, they deserve our gratitude and respect.

"I hope that the awards ... go some way to underlining how much this country values the efforts and sacrifices of our Armed Forces."

00.35 | 0 komentar | Read More