Frankie Boyle On Hunger Strike For Prisoner

Comedian Frankie Boyle has started a week-long hunger strike to show his support for the last British detainee at Guantanamo Bay.

The 40-year-old Scot is one of several people taking part in a campaign to highlight the plight of Shaker Aamer, who has been held at the detention centre since 2002.

Writing on Twitter, he said the first few hours of his protest had not been "too bad" before joking: "Let's remember who's really suffering - my local pizza shop."

Later, he added: "Day two of hunger strike feels a bit like being drunk. Feel pretty good, but no doubt I'll wake up to find myself in bathroom eating soap."

Boyle takes over from Clive Stafford Smith, the founder of Reprieve, a charity which campaigns for the release of Guantanamo prisoners.

Writing for The Huffington Post, the lawyer, who also went without food for a week, said Aamer was "really taken aback, really grateful" for Boyle's support.

Aamer, who grew up in Saudi Arabia but is a permanent UK resident and married to a British national, was arrested in Afghanistan in 2001.

The 46-year-old has never been charged with a crime and has been abused and subjected to extended isolation while at Guantanamo Bay, according to Reprieve.

More than 110,000 people signed an online petition demanding his urgent return to the UK.

Aamer has been on hunger strike since March, along with an estimated three-quarters of the 166 men still held at the Cuban base.

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Royal Baby: The 'Great Kate Wait' Continues

The Duchess of Cambridge is thought to have returned to London from her family home fuelling speculation the arrival of the royal baby may be imminent.

The Duchess has been dividing her time between her official London residence at Kensington Palace and her parents' home in Bucklebury, Berkshire.

But Sky's Royal Correspondent Paul Harrison says it is widely believed that the Duchess and Duke of Cambridge have travelled back to London.

The Duke is with his wife because he is on annual leave from his job as a search and rescue helicopter pilot. His two-week paternity leave will begin when the baby is born.

However, it is unclear whether the couple have gone straight to the private Lindo wing of St Mary's Hospital in Paddington where Kate is due to give birth, or back to Kensington Palace to sit out the wait.

Kensington Palace confirmed the Duchess of Cambridge is due to give birth this month, but has never specified an exact due date.

The royal couple have kept their baby's due date under wraps

Only 4% of women give birth on their due date. Most women go into labour one week either side of 40 weeks and statistically women pregnant with girls have shorter pregnancies than those having boys.

Louise Silverton, of the Royal College of Midwives, told Sky News: "One would presume the Duchess of Cambridge would have had a scan early on in her pregnancy and that's a very accurate way of determining the size of the baby at that stage.

"So I suspect they know pretty much when the baby is due  -  theoretically."

Since the start of the month, the world's media have been camped outside St Mary's Hospital waiting for the Duchess to arrive.

Harrison said: "Since disappearing off the scene in mid-June the Duchess of Cambridge has maintained kept a very low profile, keeping her due date a closely-guarded secret.

"In the 'Great Kate Wait' due date debate perhaps the biggest clue lies in where the Duchess is at any one time and the thought is she is back in London."

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Female Genital Mutilation: Campaigners' Rally

By Lisa Holland, Foreign Affairs Correspondent

Campaigners against the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) will rally in Trafalgar Square later to highlight the issue of girls being taken abroad to be 'cut' during the summer holidays.

It is estimated that more than 20,000 girls as young as four are at risk of mutilation in Britain. But there is a lack of accurate recent figures.

As many as 66,000 women and girls are thought to be living with the consequences of being ritually cut in England and Wales.

That is a staggering amount considering the latest crime figures suggest only four FGM crimes were detected in the UK last year.

There has never been a prosecution even though FMG is illegal in Britain.

The issue is a taboo subject and has prompted the NSPCC to recently open a new helpline to encourage concerned children to contact them.

The problem appears to be predominantly with children being taken abroad to a parent's cultural homeland for FGM to be carried out.

We went to meet Sarian Kamara. She has four daughters and a son - but it has been a difficult journey to motherhood.

She now lives in London. But as a child in Sierra Leone at the age of 11 she was subjected to female genital mutilation - a cultural practice in which some or all of a girl's external genitals are cut away.

The NSPCC has launched a FGM helpline

She recalls how her family celebrated in her village as the practice was considered normal to mark a girl's transition from childhood to womanhood. But the grim reality was quite different. It is a way of controlling a woman's sexual desires and relationships by men.

She said: "I was lying flat on the floor. This huge woman was sitting on my chest - very big. I was so skinny. My legs were spread apart and I felt a sharp cut - I cannot even explain.

"I am still trying to find the words that would fit the kind of punishment I went through on that day as a child. Nobody should expose their children to this kind of thing.

"It is wrong - it is child abuse. As a parent we should protect our children from harm. You should not subject your child to this kind of harm."

But the desire to protect young girls is complex. 

Efua Dorkenoo is a campaigner with Equality Now with over 30 years' experience in the field. It is a very difficult crime to detect.

She said: "Screening is a very controversial issue for the UK. It's done in France and I think it's been the quick way to detect whether it's happened but in the UK politically it doesn't seem to fly and therefore we should be focusing on soft monitoring in terms of education."

That education involves trying to get the message across, particularly during the school summer holidays. 

Jane Ellison, the Conservative chairwoman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Female Genital Mutilation, said: "There's still very widespread ignorance about the fact that the law covers you when you go abroad.

"So actually one of the things we most want to do, particularly at this time of the year, is simply get across to people what the law is - that you can go to jail for 14 years if you are found to commit this on a girl."

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Woolwich Suspect 'Attack': Prison Staff Suspended

Five prison officers have been suspended following allegations that Woolwich murder suspect Michael Adebolajo was assaulted at one of Britain's top-security jails.

Adebolajo, 28, who is accused of killing soldier Lee Rigby, reportedly lost two teeth as he was being restrained at Belmarsh prison in southeast London on Wednesday.

The Prison Service has refused to comment on the detail of what happened, but the Met Police confirmed it was investigating an allegation of assault.

During an investigation of this kind, the suspension of staff is standard practice, the Ministry of Justice said.

Adebolajo is in Belmarsh Prison awaiting trial for the murder of Lee Rigby

The Prison Officers Association (POA) has denied any wrongdoing by the officers and said its members would challenge the allegations made by the prisoner.

"We are aware of an incident that took place on Wednesday July 17, which involved a prisoner being subjected to restraint using approved techniques called Control and Restraint," it said in a statement.

"Our members strenuously deny any wrongdoing and the POA will be supporting them legally and emotionally during this difficult time.

"The use of restraint is only used where necessary when dealing with incidents up and down the country."

It said it will fully co-operate with any police investigation, and expects the officers to be "fully exonerated".

The prison officers' trade union also accused the Ministry of Justice of not doing enough to avoid what they described as "sensationalist reporting" of the alleged assault.

Adebolajo is accused together with Michael Adebowale, 22, of hacking Drummer Rigby to death near Woolwich Barracks in southeast London on May 22.

The pair are due to stand trial at the Old Bailey on November 18.

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Heatwave Causing Rise In Child Sunburn Cases

Hospitals across the UK say they have seen a rise in the number of severe sunburn cases among children, as Britain continues to bask in its longest heatwave for seven years.

Of the 14 hospitals with specialist burns units contacted by Sky News, almost two-thirds said they had seen a rise in the number of admissions.

A four-week-old baby was among 10 children admitted to the Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead, West Sussex.

With the hot spell expected to continue well into next week, doctors have warned that prolonged unprotected exposure to the sun could have fatal consequences.

London's Marble Arch fountains provided a respite from the hot weather

Dr David Lloyd said: "We know that children who burn their skin when they are under the age of 12 are much more likely to end up with skin cancer later on in their lives."

Matthew Breydin, 11, was admitted to Birmingham Children's Hospital last Saturday after suffering from severe sunburn during a family trip to Weston-super-Mare.

His mother Caroline said his back started to blister a few days after the outing although he applied sun cream regularly throughout the day.

"You have to make sure they are not in the sun for very long and keep them well covered all the time because the slightest bit of sun to the skin causes so much damage and there's so much pain as well," she said.

Dr Naiem Moiemen, a burns and plastics consultant surgeon at Birmingham Children's Hospital, said: "In the last week or two we've had a surge of small burns but substantial burns in children and sometimes we've see it in very, very small kids and that's really a high concern.

He said it has been unusual for sunburn cases to get this bad.

"We may have been caught by surprise and not taken the normal and sensible precautions," he said.

"We have to go out and enjoy the sun but also we have to use high sun factor cream on all areas, don't miss any part of the body that will be exposed. Hats are very important and white shirts and T-shirts that prevent sunbeams going to the skin."

A firefighter tackles a wildfire in southeast England

The heatwave is believed to have caused up to 760 premature deaths across the country.

Elderly residents are among the most vulnerable, with the British Red Cross opening two call centres in eastern England to ensure patients recently discharged from hospital are coping with the heat.

The Met Office has issued a level three health watch for the South West, the West Midlands and the North West, requiring social and healthcare services to implement specific measures to protect high-risk groups.

This has now been downgraded to level two for most of England, including Western areas, alerting social and healthcare services to be prepared.

Graham Bickler, of the Health Protection Agency, said: "There is considerable evidence that heatwaves are dangerous and can kill.

"In the 2003 heatwave there were 2,000 to 3,000 excess deaths in England. Across Europe, there were round 30,000 excess deaths."

The NHS urged people to consider staying out of the sun between 11am and 3pm, to take cool baths or showers and to drink cold drinks rather than tea, coffee or alcohol.

"Most of the information is common sense," Mr Bickler said. "It's not rocket science but it can have a dramatic effect."

Meanwhile, fire crews in London say they are dealing with twice as many grass fires this summer compared to last year.

More than 120 firefighters were called to one blaze on Wanstead Flats, near Stratford.

Elsewhere, wildfires tore through the south Wales valleys while flames devastated swathes of Tentsmuir Forest in Fife, Scotland.

Sky News weather presenter Sarah Pennock said temperatures "will be a touch cooler today for many, particularly across eastern England", although western Scotland will be hotter.

Forecasters say the mercury could climb to around 33C next week, with 35C possible in some places.

However, temperatures - which reached a 2013 high of 32.2C in London on Wednesday - are unlikely to top the high of 36.5C recorded in Surrey in July 2006.

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2012 Olympics Have Given UK A £10bn Boost

By Paul Kelso, Sports Correspondent

The UK economy has received a massive trade and investment boost from the London Olympic and Paralympic Games, according to a new report.

It says additional export sales have brought in £5.9bn, while £1.5bn has come from firms winning new contracts and £2.5bn from new foreign investment.

The latter includes the redevelopment of London's Battersea Power Station by a Malaysian consortium and projects involving the Chinese technology company Huawei.

Prime Minister David Cameron said: "This £9.9bn boost to the UK economy is a reminder to the world that, if you want the best, if you want professionalism, if you want jobs done on time and on budget then you should think British.

"With companies across the country we are harnessing the Olympic momentum and delivering the lasting business legacy of the Games that will help make Britain a winner in the global race.

"But that's not where the good news ends. The Games are also delivering a strong social legacy.

The success of UK athletes has not had a dramatic effect on participation

"Last summer, Games Makers changed the way Britain views volunteering. Since then, thousands of people have been inspired to get involved with their local sports clubs."

Business Secretary Vince Cable has rejected claims the £9.9bn figure is exaggerated.

"It has been independently audited and not been plucked out of the air," he told Sky News.

He also rejected suggestions a lot of the investment would have happened anyway, saying: "The people who've done the analysis have adopted a method of working that tries to screen that out."

Research carried out for the Government suggests that over the long term the total benefit could reach up to £41bn by 2020.

With four golds, David Weir was one of Britain's star performers

But a poll conducted exclusively for Sky News suggests a lasting legacy for sport and volunteering is proving harder to achieve.

The poll found that while more than half of respondents believe the Games delivered on their promise to "inspire a generation", the vast majority were unmoved to take up a new sport or commit to volunteering.

Asked if London 2012 had inspired them to take up a new sport or recreation activity, 88% said it had not.

Among existing participants there was also very little impact, with 80% of those asked saying the Olympics had not prompted them to do more sport.

Among volunteers there was a similar picture, with 89% of respondents saying they had not increased the amount of time they gave as a result of the Olympic example.

The Aquatics Centre may encourage the public when it opens next year

Just 6% said they had done more and 3% said they had done less.

While the results challenge the notion that the Olympics could transform behaviour, they do offer some comfort to organisers of what was otherwise a hugely successful Olympics.

Among 16 to 18-year-olds, responses were more positive, with 20% saying they had tried a new sport, 31% saying they had done more sport and 21% saying they had spent more time volunteering.

The poll also revealed mixed attitudes to the Games one year on.

Lord Coe says he believes more young people are now playing sport

Asked if the Olympics were value for the near £9bn spent on staging them, 41% of people said they were good or very good value for money, while 30% felt they were not worth the investment.

As to whether Britain should stage the Games again the poll revealed a split, with 40% in favour and the same percentage opposed to repeating the 2012 experiment.

Despite these findings, key figures in the Olympic project insist that the Games are delivering on the legacy promises.

Lord Sebastian Coe, chairman of the organising committee and now the Prime Minister's legacy ambassador, told Sky News: "I think in large part we have inspired.

"Look at waiting lists in sports clubs, they are both optimistic and challenging, but I think there are more people playing sport, and a good chunk of them are young people."

Lord Coe said his experience was that the appetite was particularly keen in schools.

"I've spent a lot of time in the last year, particularly with my legacy work in schools, in primary schools, secondary schools and even in colleges.

"And there's no doubt at all that PE teachers - and certainly teachers - that did not get sport up until the Games recognise that there is a very powerful momentum and that young people want more sport and so do their parents."

Sports minister Hugh Robertson said participation was growing, citing Sport England figures that show 1.4 million more people doing sport at least once a week than before London successfully bid for the Games.

"The legacy is undoubtedly genuine," he said. "More people are playing sport now than when we started on the Olympic journey, but this was never ever going to be one smooth uphill journey."

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Fracking Water Warning As Tax Break Announced

UK water companies have warned shale gas 'fracking' should not be allowed to compromise public health as the Chancellor unveiled plans for a "generous" tax relief regime for the industry.

Water UK policy and business adviser Dr Jim Marshall said public health should not be put at risk by attempts to cash in on the controversial energy resource.

"Provision of drinking water is a cornerstone of our public health and as such a service that cannot be compromised," he said.

"There are arguments for and against fracking and the water industry is not taking sides. If it goes ahead, we want to ensure corners are not cut and standards compromised, leaving us all counting the cost for years to come.

"We want greater clarity from the shale gas industry on what its needs related to water are really going to be and a true assessment of the impacts."

George Osborne's planned new shale gas allowance will more than halve the tax due on a proportion - which will be determined following consultation - of income from production in order to encourage exploration of the unconventional energy resource in the UK.

Supporters say fracking will reduce the UK's reliance on energy imports

The backing from the Treasury comes after a recent report from the British Geological Survey revealed there was twice as much shale gas in the north of England as previously thought. Other areas of the country could also be exploited for the gas.

Ministers believe the experience of the US, which has seen a shale gas boom, shows it could boost tax revenues, create jobs, reduce energy imports - which have reached record highs in the UK - and bring down household fuel bills.

George Osborne said: "Shale gas is a resource with huge potential to broaden the UK's energy mix. We want to create the right conditions for industry to explore and unlock that potential in a way that allows communities to share in the benefits.

"This new tax regime, which I want to make the most generous for shale in the world, will contribute to that. I want Britain to be a leader of the shale gas revolution - because it has the potential to create thousands of jobs and keep energy bills low for millions of people."

But opponents warn that the process for extracting shale gas, by fracturing rock with high-pressure liquid to release the gas, or "fracking", can cause earthquakes, pollute water supplies, blight the countryside and affect house prices.

Questions have also been raised about how much of an impact efforts to develop home-grown shale resources will have on household energy bills, and environmental campaigners warn a new "dash for gas" will undermine efforts to develop clean energy, cut emissions and create green jobs and growth.

Environmentalists warn against 'industrialising' the countryside

Greenpeace energy campaigner Lawrence Carter said: "The Chancellor is telling anyone who will listen that UK shale gas is set to be an economic miracle, yet he's had to offer the industry sweetheart tax deals just to reassure them that fracking would be profitable.

"Experts from energy regulator Ofgem to Deutsche Bank and the company in receipt of this tax break, Cuadrilla, admit that it won't reduce energy prices for consumers.

"Instead we're likely to see the industrialisation of tracts of the British countryside, gas flaring in the Home Counties and a steady stream of trucks carrying contaminated water down rural lanes."

New planning guidance on shale gas is set to be published by the Communities Department as the Government attempts to drive forward exploration.

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Wolverhampton Mosque: Explosive Device Found

Debris from an explosive device has been found close to a mosque in Wolverhampton, a police statement has said.

"The find was made late last night (Thursday 18 July) by officers and army bomb disposal experts as they searched land in and around the building on Waterloo Road," the statement said. 

"The debris, found on Fiveways roundabout, has been declared safe and further detailed forensic enquiries will be conducted at the scene throughout the day," it added. 

The mosque was evacuated on Thursday evening but has been reopened for worship following the discovery.

Information about the device, which police believe was activated on June 28, was uncovered as part of an investigation into recent attacks near mosques in Walsall and Tipton.

Two men aged 25 and 22, both of Eastern European origin, were arrested in Small Heath, Birmingham, on Thursday in connection with the blasts.

Bomb disposal experts were called to the mosque after reports of a blast

They continue to be held under the Terrorism Act on suspicion of being involved in the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism.

No one was injured in the Wolverhampton blast.  

Assistant Chief Constable Marcus Beale, who is leading the investigation, said: "Officers searching the area have found the seat of an explosion and debris on the island near the mosque.

"The investigation is being led by specialist officers and staff from our Counter Terrorism Unit who are being supported by a range of departments from across the force.

"We recognise the impact news of the latest find will have on the communities of Wolverhampton and further afield. We're working hard to complete our enquiries so that the area can be returned to normality.

"We are keen to hear from people who may have seen anyone acting suspiciously on or near to the roundabout on the night of the 27 or the morning of 28 June," said ACC Beale.

"Whether people feel the information is important or not, I would urge them to contact us so that we can assess that information."

:: Anyone with information which could assist the inquiry is urged to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

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Litvinenko Refusal: Russia Relations A Factor

"International relations" were a factor in the Government's decision not to hold a public inquiry into the death of poisoned spy Alexander Litvinenko, the Home Secretary has admitted.

Coroner Sir Robert Owen had requested that ministers order the inquiry because he could not consider vital secret evidence as part of a normal inquest.

However, the Government refused the request and Theresa May has now disclosed the reasons in a letter to Sir Robert.

She admitted: "It is true that international relations have been a factor in the Government's decision-making.

"An inquest managed and run by an independent coroner is more readily explainable to some of our foreign partners, and the integrity of the process more readily grasped, than an inquiry, established by the Government, under a chairman appointed by the Government, which has the power to see Government material potentially relevant to their interests, in secret.

"However this has not been a decisive factor and it if had stood alone would not have led the Government to refuse an inquiry."

Marina Litvinenko was "disappointed" by the Government's decision

Mr Litvinenko's widow Marina has said she and her legal team were "shocked and disappointed" by the Government's refusal to hold an inquiry.

In her letter, Mrs May also said the Government was anxious that Mr Litvinenko's death was properly investigated, and accepted there were "important factors" in favour of establishing an inquiry.

She wrote: "May I begin by assuring you that the Government shares your concern to make certain that the tragic death of Mr Litvinenko is properly investigated.

"Like you, the Government is anxious that as much as possible of the investigation is conducted in public, and in such a way that Mr Litvinenko's family are as closely involved in the process as is consistent with the public interest."

Mr Litvinenko, 43, was poisoned with radioactive polonium-210 while drinking tea at the Millennium Hotel in London's Grosvenor Square in 2006.

Since his death his widow and son Anatoly have battled to discover the truth about what led to his killing.

Andrei Lugovoy, ex KGB, suspected of playing a part in Litvinenko death

Mrs May told Sir Robert the inquest will be able to address key concerns.

"It is the view of the Government that, despite the serious concerns you express, an inquest will go a substantial way to addressing or allaying public concern about this incident," she said.

Any secret evidence presented during a public inquiry would have to be held in closed session and would remain private, she said.

Sir Robert, who is considering the points in Mrs May's letter, had ruled in May that he could not hear evidence linked to the alleged involvement of the Russian state in Mr Litvinenko's death, or whether his killing could have been prevented, in public.

He said that excluding key evidence on the issue of Russian involvement would cause him "grave concern".

Mr Litvinenko's family believe he was working for MI6 at the time of his death and was killed on the orders of the Kremlin.

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Alan Greaves: Church Organist Killers Jailed

Two men who attacked and killed a church organist as he walked to Midnight Mass have been sentenced to a total of 34 years in prison.

Jonathan Bowling, 22, was jailed for life and must serve a minimum term of 25 years after admitting last month that he had killed Alan Greaves, 68.

Mr Greaves died after he was found lying in the street yards from his home

Ashley Foster, also 22, had denied murder but was found guilty of manslaughter after a three-week trial. He was jailed for nine years at Sheffield Crown Court.

The pair, who were described during their trial as "virtually brothers", were caught on CCTV walking behind Mr Greaves seconds before he was smashed over the head with a pickaxe handle and another weapon which has never been found.

Fuelled by lager and Bacardi and Coke, the pair had gone in search of someone to attack after a family party. 

They found Mr Greaves, who was walking to St Saviour's Church in High Green, Sheffield, for Midnight Mass on December 24 last year to play the organ as he had done for 40 years.

Foster handed himself into police after being recognised by family and friends, but said he was a "witness" to the murder.

He and his partner Natalie Evers claimed they were frightened of Bowling.

The pickaxe handle used to batter Mr Greaves

The jury heard Foster never had a proper job, although he did casual work at a local farm.

He and Bowling had known each other since their early teens when Bowling's father was in a relationship with Foster's mother.

Mr Greaves, who was a retired social worker and dedicated community volunteer, died three days after being found lying in the street a few hundred yards from his home in High Green.

He was carrying a briefcase containing sheet music but the police found nothing had been taken from him by his attackers.

Mr Greaves with wife Maureen on their wedding day

Speaking after the sentencing, Mr Greaves' wife Maureen said she was extremely pleased with the result.

"To think Ashley's got nine years is the very best we could have got in the circumstances of the manslaughter.

"To think that Jonathan's got 25 minimum and to think he'll probably never come out, I really am wonderfully pleased with the result."

She told reporters she would not read a letter Bowling had written to her.

"To put it into my hands the days he was going to get sentenced, I didn't think it was very appropriate," she said.

"If he was going to write me a letter he should have written it a long time ago."

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A&E Admissions Rise In Britain's 30C Heatwave

Hospitals have reported a rise in A&E admissions as Britain's 30C heatwave continues.

Doctors at North Middlesex University Hospital said they have treated people for severe dehydration, heatstroke and breathing difficulties.

In Plymouth, the Derriford Hospital urged people to take extra care after heat-related admissions soared.

A Level Three health warning has been put in place by the Met Office in London, the South East, the West Midlands, and the South West due to the unusually high temperatures.

Public Health England advised people to stay out of the sun between 11am and 3pm, store medicines in the fridge and keep an eye on elderly neighbours.

Crowds of people have headed to the beach in the hot weather

The aged, the very young, and those with respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses, are among those most at risk.

"The risk of death and risk of illness really concerns us," Professor Virginia Murray, head of extreme events and health protection at Public Health England (PHE), said.

"Those with pre-existing illnesses are at much greater risk of not being able to cope with heat. It's much harder for them to cope with cooling."

She warned that those with breathing difficulties could find themselves struggling to regulate their temperature, while those with heart problems were more likely to suffer a heart attack.

As part of the heatwave plan in the South East, high-risk people are being contacted by hospitals.

Health experts have estimated that hundreds may have died already as a result of the heatwave.

The death toll for the first nine days of the heatwave is between 540 and 760 people in England alone, according to the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).

If the hot weather continues until the end of next week, as many predict, the number could rise substantially.

The figures were produced by using temperature data supplied by the Met Office and comparing it with studies conducted on death rates during previous heatwaves in Britain.

Ben Armstrong, a professor in epidemiological statistics at LSHTM, said risk increases at temperatures above 26C.

"A lot of evidence has been pulled together that the risk in London, for instance, is greatest when it is above 32C in the day and above 18C at night," he said.

On Wednesday, temperatures in London reached 32C (89F), the hottest day of the year so far.

On Call Clegg the Deputy Prime Minister said that temperatures on London transport were brutally hot, after being told the temperature on a Northern Line tube had hit 35C.

He said: "Other countries are used to very hot summers, we are not ready for this. 35 degrees is pretty brutal and you need to be careful, particularly if you're frail.

"My small kids don't realise when they're overheating. I was padding around in the office wearing no shoes yesterday, and I am relaxed about staff not overheating in my private office - providing they're not engaging in public facing tasks."

Extreme heat can lead to heatstroke, in which the body is unable to stay cool - leading to brain damage and death.

Temperatures are considered significant if they are high relative to the normal temperature for that area.

During the summer of 2003, there were 2,000 excess deaths in Britain.

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New Crime Stats Show Lowest Total On Record

The estimated number of crimes fell to 8.6 million in England and Wales in the year up to March 2013, the lowest figure since records began in 1981.

It was a 9% decrease compared with last year, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

Overall crime is now running at half the level it peaked at in 1995.

Recorded crime was also down, with police reporting 3.7 million offences in the year ending March 2013, a decrease of 7% compared with the previous year.

But in these times of financial hardship for many, fraud is up by 27%, with over a quarter of a million offences recorded.

Theft from the person - pickpocketing and snatch crime, such as stealing someone's mobile phone - is up by 9%.

The PM said: 'Britain is getting safer as well as stronger'

The number of rapes recorded by police has risen by 2% in the past year, with the increase thought to be linked to the knock-on effect of the high-profile Jimmy Savile investigation, the ONS said.

The figures - showing drops in many categories, and coming at a time of economic crisis and decreasing number of police officers - were welcomed by the Government.

David Cameron said the figures were "good news".

"We should congratulate the police. As a government we've asked them to do more with less resources and they performed, I think, magnificently.

"I think also all the work that's gone into crime prevention has made a difference, too.

"This is good news. Britain is getting safer, as well as stronger," the PM said during a visit to Hammersmith police station in west London.

Home Secretary Theresa May praised the police forces but also her own government, which she said had "played its part by slashing red tape and scrapping targets to enable the police to focus on crime fighting".

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: "It's one of the great triumphs of recent years that we've seen crime come down." 

The stats also showed that firearm offences have dropped by 15% in year ending March 2013, continuing to fall since a peak registered in 2005/2006.

Offences that involved a knife or sharp instrument decreased by 15% compared with the previous year.

The number of police officers in England and Wales has dropped for the fourth consecutive year - by 3.4% or 4,516 - taking the total to its lowest level since 2002, the Home Office said.

Theresa May said the drop was a 'significant achievement'

Sky News Deputy Political Editor Joey Jones said the figures were "extremely encouraging" from the point of view of the Government.

"From David Cameron's point of view, he'll be wanting to press home that sort of political advantage," explained Jones.

"As long as those statistics keep coming along those lines, it clearly makes things that much more comfortable from the Government's point of view."

Javed Khan, the chief executive of the charity Victim Support, said: "The progress that has been made is encouraging, but we should also be clear that there is no room for complacency."

"There remain some clear areas for concern, not least the increase in offences of theft from the person."

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Man Guilty Of Church Organist Killing

By Gerard Tubb, North of England Correspondent

A man accused of killing Sheffield church organist Alan Greaves has been found not guilty of murder, but guilty of manslaughter.

Ashley Foster had been charged with murdering Mr Greaves, 68, but a court decided he had not intended to kill the lay preacher.

Foster's friend Jonathan Bowling, with whom he was accused of carrying out the attack, had earlier admitted murder.

A jury at Sheffield Crown Court was told that Mr Greaves' injuries were similar to those found on victims of high speed car crashes.

Ashley Foster and Jonathan Bowling

The retired social worker and dedicated community volunteer died three days after being found lying in the street a few hundred yards from his home in High Green area of the city.

Bowling, 22, admitted last month that he had killed Mr Greaves, but Foster, also 22, denied murder. He was found guilty of manslaughter after a three-week trial.

The pair, described in court as "virtually brothers", were caught on CCTV walking behind Mr Greaves seconds before he was smashed over the head with a pickaxe handle and with another weapon which has never been found.

Mr Greaves was carrying a briefcase containing sheet music to play at his local church Christmas midnight mass as he had done every year for 40 years, but the police found nothing had been taken from him by his attackers.

The pickaxe handle used to batter Alan Greaves

Bowling and Foster had been drinking during the day and prosecutors had claimed that they went out to look for a victim.

Prosecutor Robert Smith QC, told the jury: "If it had not been Mr Greaves it would have been someone else."

The court heard that both men had talked about how "sick" they were, but the jury found that only Bowling had intended to kill the victim.

Foster told the court: "Jonno [Bowling] started running up towards the man, he pulled out a pickaxe handle. I shouted 'no' to stop him doing it.

"He jumped off the ground and smacked that man on the head. He hit him hard. All you could hear was a big bang sound," he said.

Maureen and Alan Greaves before he was brutally killed

Foster handed himself into police after being recognised by family and friends, but said he was a "witness" to the murder and he and his partner Natalie Evers claimed they were frightened of Bowling.

The jury heard Foster has never had a proper job, although he did casual work at a local farm.

The pair had known each other since their early teens when Bowling's father was in a relationship with Foster's mother.

After the verdict was clarified, Mr Greaves' widow Maureen sobbed in the public gallery, where she had sat throughout the trial, and was comforted by members of her family.

Speaking outside court, Mrs Greaves said: "Alan was a man driven by love and compassion and he would not want any of us to hold on to feelings of hate and unforgiveness.

Alan Greaves had been on his way to play the church organ at midnight mass

"So, in honour of Alan and in honour of the God we both love, my prayer is that this story doesn't end today.

"My prayer is that Jonathan Bowling and Ashley Foster will come to understand and experience the love and kindness of the God who made him in his own image and that God's great mercy will inspire them to true repentance."

Both men will be sentenced on Friday.

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David Ward In Row After '#Zionist' Tweet

By Jon Craig, Chief Political Correspondent

Nick Clegg has been accused of handing a "joke" punishment to a LibDem MP who made outspoken attacks on Israel.

Bradford East MP David Ward has been involved in a lengthy battle with the party leadership since January when he accused Jews in Israel of "inflicting atrocities on Palestinians".

His remarks sparked outrage, coming only days before Holocaust Day, and led to a series of meetings with Mr Clegg, deputy leader Simon Hughes and Chief Whip Alistair Carmichael.

But despite pleas from the leadership for restraint, last week Mr Ward tweeted: "Am I wrong or are am I right? At long last the #Zionists are losing the battle – how long can the #apartheid State of #Israel last?"

Now, after another meeting with Mr Clegg and party bosses, Mr Ward has been suspended and had the LibDem whip withdrawn until September 13.

But the punishment has been greeted with derision by MPs of other parties, since it was handed out on the day the Commons rises for the summer recess.

And the suspension will be lifted at the end of the two-week sitting of the Commons in September, in time for Mr Ward to attend the Lib Dems' autumn conference in Glasgow.

"It's a total let-off," said a former minister. "He's suspended for the summer recess, doesn't have to come back for the unwanted two weeks in September and he can go to his party conference. It's a joke."

The suspension was announced in a letter to Mr Ward from Mr Carmichael, who wrote: "Thank you for coming to see Nick, Simon and me this afternoon.

"You will recall that we discussed the report of your two meetings with the group convened by Simon, which included Jewish colleagues. As Nick indicated to you, that report was a largely positive one. In particular we were all pleased to note that you appreciated the need to use language in this debate that was proportionate and precise.

Lib Dem MP Mike Hancock resigned the whip in June to fight sex allegations

"It was therefore with immense disappointment that we were presented with your public comment made on 13th July on Twitter in the following terms:

'Am I wrong or are am I right? At long last the #Zionists are losing the battle - how long can the #apartheid State of #Israel last?'

"We were in unanimous agreement that questioning the continued existence of the State of Israel fails the test of language that is proportionate and precise.

"We want to be clear with you that in this process we are not concerned about your views and opinions on the policies of present or previous  Israeli governments, nor  the situation in the Israeli-occupied territories, nor the strength of feeling with which your views are held. As we have sought to impress upon you repeatedly, we are having to decide on whether language you chose to use in January and February, and now this month, is language which brings the party into disrepute or harms the interests of the Party.

"During the meeting, we put it to you that your most recent statement – which specifically questions the continuing existence of the State of Israel – is neither proportionate nor precise.  Unfortunately, we considered your explanation to be unconvincing and it did not satisfy us that you understood the importance of conducting the debate on this issue at all times and in all places in terms that are proportionate and precise.

"We wish to reiterate that this is not about telling you what your views should be. Indeed, we have all visited the occupied territories and we have all experienced an instinctive and liberal reaction to the humanitarian suffering we have witnessed. You will know that Nick, Simon and I have a consistent track record of being outspoken about illegal settlement activities of  Israeli governments and the threat this  poses to the two-state solution for which the party has long argued.

"It is also immensely frustrating for us to find ourselves constantly responding to questions about disproportionate and imprecise language from you. These interventions cause considerable offence rather than addressing questions of political substance about the plight of the Palestinian people and the right of Israel's citizens to live a life free of violence. It is extraordinarily difficult to gain traction in that debate at an effective political level if the expression of our concerns is undermined by the way your language misrepresents the view of our party.

"Whilst we understand you have your own views about this process, which has been long and complicated, we also hope you recognise that we have given you every opportunity to reconcile the expression of your views with the party's policy on a two-state solution. Unfortunately, you have not been able to do that.

"Therefore, it is with regret that I have to inform you that we have decided to suspend the Liberal Democrat whip from you. This period of suspension will be with immediate effect until  13th  September inclusive. I very much regret that it has been necessary to take this action."

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Carl Mills Jailed For 30 Years Over Fire Deaths

A man has been found guilty of three counts of murder after causing a fire that killed three generations of one family at a home in Wales.

Carl Mills is to serve a minimum of 30 years in jail, with no guarantee of ever being released.

Grandmother Kim Buckley, 46, daughter Kayleigh 17, and granddaughter Kimberley, six months, all died when the blaze ripped through their home in Cwmbran, South Wales, in September last year.

Thick smoke and flames quickly spread from the main porch to the stairs, cutting off all escape routes.

Fire ripped through the house in South Wales

Frantic neighbours watched in despair as teenager Kayleigh was seen trapped at an upstairs window screaming for help.

Mills, a 28-year-old unemployed alcoholic, was the father of the baby and on-off partner of Kayleigh.

He stood unemotional and apparently disinterested as the jury at Newport Crown Court delivered three unanimous guilty verdicts.

Trial judge Mr Justice Wyn Williams said: "There is no saying whether you will ever be released."

Mills sat leaning on his arm as the judge made his comments and did not look up.

Family and friends then burst into applause as Mills was taken away.

The judge commended them for the "great dignity" with which they had behaved throughout.

Smoke and flames quickly spread from the porch to the stairs

Mills had bombarded his partner with threatening texts and, convinced she was inside with another man, warned: "I will burn your house down."

Within hours, the three were dead.

Baby Kimberley, born 13 weeks premature, was at home for the first time after being discharged from hospital that day.

Homeless Mills, who had been banned from seeing Kimberley unsupervised, was living in a tent in the front garden. 

The victims' family said that "justice has been served".

The blaze cut all escape routes

"Carl Mills starts a life sentence for three murders but for us, the family and friends of Kim, Kayleigh and Kimberley, our life sentence started on September 18 last year when three beautiful innocent people were torn from our lives," said a statement issued on behalf of the family by Gwent Police.

"Our lives are never going to be the same again but we ask to be left in peace to come to terms with our losses."

Mills was arrested within the confines of the family's back garden a short time after the police arrived at the scene of the fire.

Officers later recovered Kayleigh's mobile phone and seized three mobile phones from Mills himself.

That led them to discover massive message traffic between the pair, including threats made by Mills.

"It was very clear from the text messages that he was making threats to kill. Threats to kill using arson. Exactly what happened," Detective Superintendent Peter Jones said.

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Thatcher Pushed For Jimmy Savile Knighthood

By Sophy Ridge, Political Correspondent

Margaret Thatcher made repeated attempts to give Jimmy Savile a knighthood despite the concerns of her aides, newly released documents show.

The former Prime Minister is said to have ignored advice that he should not be recommended for an honour because of "unfortunate revelations" about his private life.

Previously unseen Cabinet Office documents, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, show Baroness Thatcher tried several times to get Savile knighted before succeeding in her final year in office.

The television star was knighted for his services to charity in 1990, but a spokesperson for the Cabinet Office said there was "no indication in the papers that anything was known then about the allegations that have subsequently come to light".

One adviser's letter to the Prime Minister at the time said: "Mr Savile is a strange and complex man … Fears have been expressed that Mr Savile might not be able to refrain from exploiting a knighthood in a way which brought the honours system into disrepute."

'A strange and complex man': the words of one aide to Mrs Thatcher

Another letter, from Lady Thatcher's then private secretary Nigel Wicks, stated: "We have again considered the name of Mr Jimmy Savile, whom you have of course considered on previous occasions. We have again concluded that he should not be recommended."

The Jim'll Fix It presenter raised more than £30m for charity, including £12m to rebuild the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.

It appears that Mrs Thatcher was pushing for him to be honoured because of his charity work, with a letter from Mr Wicks saying: "She wonders how many more times his name is to be pushed aside, especially in view of all the great work he has done for Stoke Mandeville."

Savile died in October 2011 but evidence that he sexually abused scores of victims only came to light the following year.

More than 200 offences have been recorded against the disgraced TV presenter. Most involved children, including youngsters as young as eight.

The details emerged in heavily-redacted Cabinet Office documents

The allegations caused the Honours Forfeiture Committee to look into the possibility that he brought the honours system into disrepute.

It appears the aides were concerned about Savile's promiscuity, rather than suspicions involving underage children.

One 1986 letter said: "None of us would want to denigrate his many services. But my Committee, and I still fear that his manner of life - on his own confession - has been such that a high award for him would be an unhelpful signal when we are still having to grapple with an Aids problem which threatens to intensify; and that a knighthood for him would not benefit the honours system in the eyes of the public."

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British 'Drugs Baron' Owns 10 Luxury Villas

More details have emerged about the wealth of suspected British drugs baron Brian Charrington, who has been arrested at his Spanish villa.

Charrington, from Middlesbrough, was one of 13 alleged drug traffickers detained in a joint operation - seven in Spain and six in Venezuela.

The suspects also included one of Charrington's sons and his girlfriend, who was among those held in South America.

Charrington, 57, was detained at his home in Alicante - one of 10 he is said to own in Spain.

Spanish police said he also has a string of expensive boats and cars.

They described Charrington as "a longtime British criminal who is one of the top 10 most investigated criminals by European police forces".

It added Andrew Moran, a Briton wanted on charges of aggravated robbery, was arrested in May while relaxing by the pool at one of Charrington's properties.

Andrew Moran was staying at one of Charrington's villas

Police say they found 220kg (485lbs) of cocaine and seized assets worth around five million euros (£4.33m) in the operation, which involved Britain's Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca).

It is claimed Charrington headed a gang that brought cocaine in luxury boats from South America to Spain for distribution in Europe.

The arrests follow a three-year investigation conducted by authorities in Spain, the UK and South America with the support of Ameripol, an international police agency that includes Caribbean states.

Venezuela's justice minister Miguel Rodriguez Torres said the gang was thought to have smuggled "more or less" 25 tons of cocaine to Europe from South America over the last decade.

"We'll continue investigating and identifying the assets that these people have registered in different parts of the country," he told Venezuela's state television.

Charrington is the third suspected British drugs trafficker to be arrested in recent weeks.

On July 10 Kevin Hanley, who was wanted in connection with a multimillion-pound drug seizure, was caught in a sting operation in Athens.

Two days before convicted drug trafficker Mark Lilley was caught hiding in a panic room in his luxury villa in Malaga.

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Formula 1's Ecclestone Faces Bribery Charges

Motor racing boss Bernie Ecclestone has been indicted by German prosecutors, accused of paying a bribe to a banker in connection with the sale of a stake in Formula One.

Ecclestone has been under investigation since German banker Gerhard Gribkowsky was convicted of taking an illegal payment from him worth $44m (£29m) in the 2006 deal.

It is alleged that Ecclestone bribed Gribkowsky, who was in charge of managing German bank BayernLB's sale of a 48% stake in a Formula One holding company to CVC Capital Partners.

Ecclestone was allegedly keen to see the private equity investor brought in as a new shareholder.

During Gribkowsky's trial, Ecclestone told the Munich state court he felt pressured into paying the cash because he was worried the banker would make unfounded allegations about his tax affairs to Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs.

A spokesman for a Munich court said an indictment charging Ecclestone with bribery and breach of trust had been issued.

The 82-year-old confirmed that an indictment against him had been filed.

"The lawyers have accepted an indictment. It means they have to reply to the indictment which they are strenuously doing," he told the Associated Press.

Ecclestone has yet to read the indictment, but said: "They are alleging I bribed someone." He added that he had done "nothing illegal".

In addition to taking the money from Ecclestone, prosecutors maintained during the trial that Gribkowsky used BayernLB's funds to pay the F1 chief a commission of $41.1m and agreed to pay a further $25m to Bambino Trust, Ecclestone's family trust.

Ecclestone told the court that he had deserved a commission for the sale, saying: "I did a very, very good job."

Gribkowsky, who largely admitted to the charges, was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison after being found guilty last year of corruption, tax evasion and breach of trust.

Ecclestone remains central to the motor racing business he built into a global money-spinner and has always said he has no plans to retire.

There is no obvious successor in place, although CVC's ambition of floating Formula One's parent company on the Singapore Stock Exchange will partly depend on the case being resolved.

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GCHQ 'Did Not Break UK Laws' Over Prism

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

GCHQ, Britain's electronic eavesdropping agency, did not circumvent UK law in requesting and obtaining intelligence from its US counterparts gathered from the NSA Prism programme, it has been ruled.

Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee investigated the allegations made by the NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and came to the conclusion that the intelligence agency operated within the law.

GCHQ submitted classified material to the committee as evidence and the agency's Director, Sir Iain Lobban, was questioned.

The committee also discussed the allegations with NSA and congressional counterparts on a recent visit to Washington.

"We have reviewed the reports that GCHQ produced on the basis of intelligence sought from the US, and we are satisfied that they conformed with GCHQ's statutory duties," the report states.

Edward Snowden (top) and William Hague

"Further, in each case where GCHQ sought information from the US, a warrant for interception, signed by a Minister, was already in place, in accordance with legal safeguards contained in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000."

At the time William Hague, who as Foreign Secretary is responsible for GCHQ, described the allegations as "nonsense" and "fanciful".

Responding to the committee's findings, he said: "I see daily evidence of the integrity and high standards of the men and women of GCHQ.

"The committee's findings are further testament to their professionalism and values.

"The Intelligence and Security Committee is a vital part of the strong framework of democratic accountability and oversight governing the use of secret intelligence in the UK.

"It will continue to have the full cooperation of the Government and the security and intelligence agencies."

However, the committee does suggest that the laws governing intelligence operations should be considered to ensure they are still relevant and adequate, although it makes no suggestion that this might not be the case.

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Weather: Heatwave Health Alert As Mercury Rises

Health warnings have been issued as Britain continues to swelter in the country's first heatwave for seven years.

After five consecutive days basking in 30C-plus temperatures, forecasters said Britain was in the midst of its first prolonged heatwave since 2006.

The Met Office responded by issuing a "level three heat health watch" for London and the South East and advised "alertness and readiness" for those in the North West and North East.

Level three warnings are only one notch below the most serious alerts and are put out when high temperatures place the very young, the very old and those with chronic diseases at risk.

Forecasters said Wednesday could break the record for the warmest day of the year, with temperatures expected to creep as high as 32C (89.7F) in parts of England.

Two men have died in Norfolk after seemingly ignoring swimming bans

Sky News weather presenter Isobel Lang said: "Wednesday could be the hottest of the current heatwave across the London area with a high of 32C, topping Heathrow's 31.4C on Monday and Kew Gardens' 31.2C yesterday."

Referring to the level three heat-health warning for London and the South East, she added: "The temperature threshold for the region is for daytime highs of 31 or 32C (90F) and night minima of 16 to 18C (64F) over two days and the intervening night."

The alert comes after a series of tragic accidents in which people have died trying to cool off.

Emergency services have reiterated a warning of the dangers of swimming in open water after the bodies of two men were recovered from the water at a beauty spot in Norfolk where swimming is banned. A teenage boy and man in his 40s were found in separate lakes at the Bawsey Pits.

There have been four water-related deaths in Wales over the last week. In the latest accident a man in his twenties was reported dead on Wednesday morning after being pulled from the River Ceiriog at Pont-y-Blew, near Wrexham, the previous evening.

In the Brecon Beacons, a 24-year-old man died while swimming at the Cantref Reservoir and a 52-year-old man did not return from his swim in Pontsticill Reservoir in Merthyr Tydfil.

Only days earlier the body of 14-year-old Hollie McClymont from Glasgow was found in the sea near Fontygary in the Vale of Glamorgan. She was last seen in difficulty in the waters near Barry Island.

Two TA soldiers died of suspected heat exhaustion during an SAS assessment in the Beacons on Saturday.

Doctors at the Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University (ABMU) health board, which covers Swansea, say they have been inundated with people suffering with sunstroke and sunburn.

Londoners relax in the high temperatures on the Southbank

Other cases have included toes being amputated due to gardening accidents as well as a rise in those hurt in falls.

Emergency departments have become so busy that people not seeking urgent medical attention are being urged to instead contact their GP or pharmacist to avoid long waits.

ABMU emergency medicine consultant Andy MacNab said: "We are very busy, and we would urge people to take great care during this hot weather. They need to stay cool, avoid sun burn and keep well hydrated.

"If they are using a lawnmower or strimmer, then they need to have sturdy footwear and not cut grass in flip-flops.

"If they are taking part in sports, then they should ensure they are using all the necessary safety gear for their activity, like helmets, for example."

Firefighters in London have dealt with with twice as many grass fires this summer compared with last year, with 1,010 so far.

Motorists have been advised to prepare for summer "getaway" traffic as schools start to break up at the end of this week - including basic checks on coolant levels, tyre pressures and cooling fans.

Traffic is expected to peak on the weekend of July 26-28, with the busiest routes expected to be in the South West as people head for beaches.

Some relief from the heat is in sight, with cooler northeasterly winds set to bring cloudier skies across eastern Scotland and eastern and southeast England from Thursday.

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Police Under Fire For Using Dead Children's IDs

Concerns about the use of dead children's names as fake identities for undercover police have been "swept under the carpet", it has been claimed.

The Metropolitan Police came under fire as it released details about the use of 42 deceased children's identities by covert officers.

A newly published report said the bereaved families had not been told because it would put police at risk, although Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe apologised for the "shock and offence" the tactic caused.

Sir Bernard said: "It was never intended or foreseen that any of the identities used would become public, or that any family would suffer hurt as a result.

"At the time this method of creating identities was in use, officers felt this was the safest option."

He said he did not foresee the force confirming or denying which identities were used because to do so would potentially endanger officers who had signed up as undercover police "with the expectation that we would always protect their identity".

Sir Bernard apologised over the 'shock' the tactic caused

But Jules Carey, solicitor for Barbara Shaw who fears that her son Rod Richardson's name was used, said: "The families … deserve better than this.

"They deserve an explanation, a personal apology and, if appropriate, a warning of the potential risk they face, in the exceptional circumstances, that their dead child's identity was used to infiltrate serious criminal organisations.

"Ms Shaw has told me that she feels her complaint has been 'swept under the carpet' and she has instructed me to appeal this outcome."

He said the public had no reason to be reassured by the "hotchpotch" investigation into the deployment of undercover officers.

The identities taken by covert officers were of children born between 1940 and 1975 and it came to be accepted as "standard practice", Tuesday's report revealed.

It said the practice could have been more widely used outside Scotland Yard's Special Demonstration Squad (SDS) and the National Public Order Intelligence Unit (NPOIU), by police officers and possibly the security services.

Derbyshire Chief Constable Mick Creedon, who is leading a probe into the activities of police moles, said that while the relatives deserve an apology, revealing the names used "would and could put undercover officers at risk".

The report said there was a need for undercover officers to create identities that could "withstand invasive scrutiny by their target".

So far, investigators have found 106 covert names that were used by the SDS between 1968 and 2008, 42 of which are believed to have been based on the details of dead children.

Another 45 were fictitious, and the rest have not yet been categorised.

The force has apologised directly to one family who found out their child's identity had been used.

The earliest confirmed officer to have used such an identity was in the field between 1976 and 1981, the report said.

The practice was phased out from 1994 in the SDS, but potentially used by the NPOIU up to 2003.

Officers are unlikely to face criminal charges for using the identities.

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Swinton Insurance Fined £7m Over Mis-Selling

High street insurance group Swinton has been fined more than £7m over mis-selling products to consumers.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said Swinton's aggressive sales strategy meant that it failed to treat customers fairly in its telephone sales of monthly add-on insurance policies.

It said that between April 2010 and April 2012, Swinton sold personal accident, home emergency and motor breakdown policies, which during the relevant period generated an income for accounting purposes of £92.9m.

The FCA found that Swinton did not provide enough information to customers about the key terms of the policies and also failed to properly monitor its sales calls.

Swinton set aside £11.2 million to repay those customers who were mis-sold, of which £1.9 million has already been paid out.

According to the FCA, the insurance firm has contacted over 650,000 customers it thinks may have been affected.

Swinton has over 500 branches across the UK, employs more than 3,000 people and has been operating for six decades.

Incorporated in 1963, it processes more than 2.5 million policies each year.

The City watchdog said any policyholders who believe they bought monthly cover as a result of mis-selling should contact Swinton directly.

Tracey McDermott, the FCA's director of enforcement and financial crime, said: "Swinton failed its customers. When selling monthly add-on policies, Swinton did not place the consumer at the heart of its business. Instead it prioritised profit.

"At the FCA we have been clear in our expectation that firms must behave in the interests of consumers.

"Today's outcome shows our approach in action and will act as a deterrent for other firms tempted to put profit figures above the fair treatment of customers."

The FCA found Swinton did not explain the cover clearly enough or tell customers the monthly policies were optional and separate from other core insurance products.

It also failed to give enough information about the terms of the policy, including the conditions and limitations, and cancellation process.

The nature of the failings, particularly poor sales scripts, meant that every sale could have been a mis-sale, the FCA said.

In response to the ruling Swinton chief executive Christophe Bardet apologised for the company's procedural policies.

Mr Bardet said: "We apologise for these shortcomings. They were not compatible with the proud history of Swinton, which since 1957 has been providing peace of mind to people through insurance cover.

"Our focus is now to deliver on our promise of insurance with a personal touch. Swinton is embarking on a £60m investment in growth which puts the customer at the heart of everything we do."

On its website Swinton said its customer service team aims to resolve general complaints within 20 days.

The £7.38m fine reflects the number and seriousness of the issues raised during the investigation, according to the FCA.

The sum was reduced from £10.54m, with a 30% discount applied as Swinton settled at an early stage in the FCA's investigation.

In 2009, Swinton was ordered to offer refunds to 350,000 customers over mis-selling of payment protection insurance.

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Syria Rebels To Get Chemical Weapons Protection

The British Government is to give Syrian opposition forces £656,000 worth of equipment to protect against chemical and biological weapon attacks.

Foreign Secretary William Hague said 5,000 escape hoods will be sent, along with nerve agent pre-treatment tablets and chemical weapons detector paper.

He said the chemical weapons hoods protected against Sarin attacks for up to 20 minutes. Those who wear them are able to move away from an affected area but cannot continue to fight, he said.

The tablets can give those under a chemical weapons attack the time to get to a medical centre to receive atropine, the drug needed to overcome Sarin.

In a written ministerial statement to MPs, Mr Hague said the assistance would be offered to the Supreme Military Council and the Syrian National Coalition.

Bashar al Assad is thought to have used chemical weapons

The cost of the non-lethal assistance would be met from the Government's conflict pool fund.

Mr Hague said the Government needed to "gift" the Syrian opposition fighters the equipment without going through the proper parliamentary procedures because it was "a matter of special urgency" as there was evidence Syrian President Bashar al Assad was using chemical weapons in the conflict.

He said: "We have to be prepared to do more to save lives. There is evidence of attacks using chemical weapons in Syria - including Sarin.

"We believe that the use of chemical weapons is sanctioned and ordered by the Assad regime."

Last week, MPs passed a Commons motion calling on the Government to seek the "explicit" consent of Parliament before deciding to arm rebel fighters in Syria.

The motion - that "this House believes no lethal support should be provided to anti-government forces in Syria without the explicit prior consent of Parliament" - was passed by 114 votes to one.

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Birmingham Stab Murder: Four Teens Arrested

Four teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 15-year-old was stabbed during a fight between two groups.

Two 16-year-olds, a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old were arrested on Monday evening after the teenager was stabbed in a confrontation in Birmingham and died later in hospital.

The teenager was killed in what police described as a "fight which has tragically gone too far" when two groups of young people clashed in the South Yardley area of the city.

Emergency services were called at 5.55pm and officers, who flooded the scene, arrested four teenagers nearby. Further searches of the area were continuing today.

The stabbing victim, who has not been named, was taken to hospital but doctors were unable to save him. His family has been informed of his death.

The incident happened in the South Yardley area of Birmingham

Detective Inspector Tom Chisholm said: "This was a tragic incident and our deepest condolences go out to the young man's family.

"A murder investigation was immediately launched. We have a team of detectives working with local officers to gain an understanding of what happened.

"We are aware that there were groups of young people in the area, some of whom may have left the scene before the police arrived.

"There is some suggestion that this was a fight which has tragically gone too far.

"I would ask that people who were in the park or anyone else with information to contact us immediately."

Officers are examining CCTV cameras which may have captured the stabbing.

:: Anyone with any information about the incident should contact DI Chisholm on 101. Alternatively those who don't want to speak to the police can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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NHS Report: Teams Sent In To 11 Failing Trusts

The Health Secretary has revealed that 11 hospital trusts listed in a shocking report of care failures have been placed under "special measures".

After the publication of Professor Sir Bruce Keogh's review into 14 trusts, Jeremy Hunt, speaking in the Commons, said we can "no longer ignore mediocre treatment".

All of the trusts have been ordered to act on recommendations made by health officials.

The review found that none of the hospitals investigated were providing "consistently high quality care to patients".

Mr Hunt told MPs: "No statistics are perfect but mortality rates suggest that since 2005, thousands more people may have died than would normally be expected at the 14 trusts reviewed.

"Worryingly, in half of those trusts, the Care Quality Commission - the regulator specifically responsible for patient safety and care - failed to spot any real cause for concern, rating them as 'compliant' with basic standards."

The trusts in special measures will be assessed, senior managers "not up to the job will be removed" and each hospital will be given a high performing organisation as a mentor, Mr Hunt said.

He also sought to blame former health secretary Andy Burnham for the failings, telling MPs the findings represented Labour's "darkest moment".

Sir Bruce Keogh said 'mediocrity is simply not good enough'

But Mr Burnham hit back, accusing the Health Secretary of "playing politics with people's lives", adding that the report was based on trust performances in 2011 and 2012, after the coalition had taken office.

Tameside General Hospital in Greater Manchester was one of the worst trusts in England.

The investigation found "insufficient levels of nursing staff", "poor supervision of junior doctors by consultants" and a "lack of compassion" from staff dealing with patient complaints.

Mr Hunt said where failures have been found in hospitals like Tameside "they have been confronted straight away".

Other examples of problems included patients being left unmonitored on trolleys for excessive periods, staff working up to 12 days in a row and low levels of clinical cover, especially out of hours.

Sir Bruce, NHS England's medical director, was asked to conduct a series of 'deep-dive' reviews into other hospitals with mortality rates which have been consistently high for two years or more after the Francis report into failures at the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Trust.

He said: "Higher mortality rates do not always point to deaths which could have been avoided but they do act as a 'smoke alarm' indicator that there could be issues with the quality of care.

Jeremy Hunt said he was 'deeply proud' of the NHS

"Not one of these trusts has been given a clean bill of health by my review teams. These reviews have been highly rigorous and uncovered previously undisclosed problems.

"I felt it was crucial to provide a clear diagnosis, to write the prescription, and, most importantly, to identify what help these organisations might need to support their recovery or accelerate improvement."

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) welcomed the review and is calling for the recommendations to be implemented as a matter of urgency.

Dr Peter Carter, chief executive and general secretary, said: "There's an undeniable link between nurse staffing levels and patient mortality and we can't keep failing to address this issue.

"Only with the right numbers of nurses, with the right skills, can we ensure patients are looked after with dignity and compassion."

Hospitals in special measures:

North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust, Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust, Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, Medway NHS Foundation Trust.

Hospitals not in special measures:

Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust, The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

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Weather: Hot Spell Set To Last Rest Of Week

The hot weather is set to continue until at least the weekend with Wednesday expected to be another contender for the hottest day of the year.

Sky News Weather Producer Joanna Robinson said: "The summery spell is set to continue for many this week, with temperatures rising further over the next couple of days.

"Wednesday looks to be the hottest day of the week, with temperatures widely in the high twenties across England and Wales.

"In fact, 32 or 33C (91.4F) is possible across southeast England, which would be the highest temperature of the year so far."

Scotland and Ireland are forecast to see a more gradual rise in temperature, reaching the mid to high twenties by the end of the week.

Millions of people have been outside taking advantage of the sunshine

Northwest Scotland will be the main exception to the hot weather, where it will be relatively cloudy and cool with rain at times.

Last week's blazing temperatures peaked on Saturday with the mercury hitting 31.9C (89.4F) in Southampton - making it the hottest day of the year and the hottest day in July since 2006.

Sunday was another scorcher with temperatures into the high 20s in many regions and the Met Office issued a level three heatwave alert for southwest England.

But the soaring temperatures are still some way off the highest ever recorded in the UK, which stands at 38.5C (101.3F) - at Faversham in Kent on August 10, 2003.

The latest heatwave has seen shoppers spend thousands of pounds on the high street and online, buying barbecues, food, sunscreen and garden furniture.

Emergency services have warned about the dangers of swimming in open water

Paddling pool sales are up 816%, said online retailer Amazon, while Tesco predicted a sausage surge of nine million bangers over the weekend.

But the searing heat has prompted warnings from health authorities urging the public to take care in the potentially "dangerous" conditions.

And with people taking to the water to cool off, emergency services have warned against swimming in lakes and quarries after three people died in the West Midlands in the last week.

"Please think twice about going into open water," said Commander George Marshall, of Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service.

"If you must take a dip please do it in the safety of a public swimming pool where there are lifeguards on duty."

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Murder Victim 'Tried To Help Paedophile'

CCTV images have been released as police hunt an "extremely dangerous man" over the murder of a pensioner.

Graham Buck may have died trying to help his neighbour, believed to be convicted paedophile Francis Cory-Wright, who was apparently being attacked at his home.

Police urgently want to speak to Ian John McLoughlin, also known as Ian John Baker, in connection with the killing in Little Gaddesden, near Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire on Saturday afternoon.

Police are trying to trace McLoughlin

They have released images, thought to be of 55-year-old Mr McLoughlin, to highlight the clothes he was wearing on the day of the murder.

The suspect is described as being a white male, around 6ft tall with greying hair.

He was believed to be wearing sunglasses, blue jeans and a dark, blue, light blue and white checked short sleeved shirt with a button down collar. He is of average build.

Mr Buck, 66, was found dead at the scene by police while Cory-Wright was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Francis Cory-Wright was thought to have been attacked in his home

DCI Martin Branning from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit said: "We would like to reiterate that we continue to search for an extremely dangerous man and our focus is on finding Ian McLoughlin as soon as possible.

"The nature of this murder investigation is one of significant violence and until he is caught the public are asked not to approach him as he is a very dangerous man."

Officers have been conducting additional patrols in the "quiet residential" area to provide reassurance to residents.

In November 2011, Cory-Wright was jailed for 30 months for indecently assaulting a young boy in the 1970s.

:: Anyone with information should contact police on 101, quoting Operation Acaria, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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New London Airport Shortlist Revealed

By Enda Brady, Sky News Correspondent

Boris Johnson has unveiled a shortlist of three locations on which a new London airport will be built.

He put forward his outer Thames Estuary, artificial island plan - dubbed "Boris Island" - for a new four-runway hub airport in a report published on Monday.

He also said that a new, four-runway airport on the Isle of Grain on the Hoo Peninsula in Kent - a plan already outlined by architect Lord Foster - should be considered and was his first choice.

And Mr Johnson's third proposal for a four-runway hub would be at Stansted in Essex, where the existing airport would be expanded.

Mr Johnson's plans, which rule out expansion at Heathrow airport in west London, will be submitted later this week to the Government-appointed Airport Commission headed by Sir Howard Davies.

A list of 20 options were whittled down to the final three.

Mr Johnson said that a new hub airport would be able to support more than 375,000 new jobs by 2050 and add £742bn to the value of goods and services produced in the UK.

He said a new hub airport could be delivered by 2029, with a hybrid bill being passed by parliament to secure approval for the airport, the surface access and the acquisition of Heathrow.

He also wants to shut Heathrow at a cost of £15bn and create a new London borough for 250,000 residents, with housing and a university.

"This is a global race and we can still win it," Mr Johnson told reporters as he unveiled the plans at City Hall.

"Ambitious cities all over the world are stealing a march on us and putting themselves in a position to eat London's breakfast, lunch and dinner by constructing major airports that plug them directly into the global supply chains that we need to be part of.

"Those cities have moved heaven and earth to locate their airports away from major centres of population in areas where they have been able to build airports with four runways or more."

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British Woman Dies Swimming English Channel

A British woman has died after collapsing while attempting to swim across the English Channel.

Having set off in the early hours of Sunday, married accountant Susan Taylor was just a mile off the coast of France, near Sangatte.

The 34-year-old was pulled from the water by her paramedic brother David, who then battled to save her life on the boat accompanying her attempt. The support team alerted French emergency services and requested a defibrillator.

She was airlifted by a French naval helicopter to a hospital in Boulogne-sur-Mer, where she was pronounced dead at 7.15pm on Sunday.

Tributes were left on Mrs Taylor's Create A Ripple Channel Swim page

Speaking at the family home, Mrs Taylor's father, 68-year-old Arthur Wright, said: "I'm devastated. I've lost the best person in the world. She was just wonderful.

"She had swum 30 miles and she got to the last part and that's when it happened. That's as much as I know."

He said the family had celebrated Mrs Taylor's birthday and her brother's birthday at a restaurant last Thursday and that he last saw his daughter on Friday night.

"I saw her to say I hope it goes well and gave her a kiss," he said.

Mr Wright said his daughter had given up her full-time job to carry out charitable work and was working part-time as an accountant.

She had also done wing-walking and a parachute jump, and was a qualified rally driver.

"She was certainly not a boring accountant," he said.

The tracker map showing Mrs Taylor's progress stopped near the French coast

Also on the boat was Mrs Taylor's husband Stephen, her coach who has been training her since she was eight years old, and a support swimmer.

She had been attempting to raise money for Rainbows Hospice and Diabetes UK through her Facebook page Create A Ripple Channel Swim.

A message apparently posted by her sister on the page said: "Thank you for your messages of support. If you would like to leave a sign of respect please feel free to donate to her fund raising page."

She set off from Samphire Hoe at around 1am on Sunday and weather conditions were reported to be relatively good when she encountered difficulties, with water temperatures of 15C.

Mrs Taylor before starting her swim (pic: Create A Ripple Channel Swim)

Posts on her Facebook page show supporters began to fear for Mrs Taylor at around 9pm.

Sarah Taylor wrote: "Any news Susan Taylor? Can't seem to get any track since 6.30? Xxxxxxxx."

A short time later, Clare Biddle posted: "Hope all is ok?? Tracker has stopped!! Susan you are a star xxx."

At around 11pm, a user called Maverick Marc Richardson wrote: "What's going on no news and tracker doesn't look good."

The messages reflected mounting concerns among her supporters, with Lauren Boat writing at 10am today: "Really hope your OK Susan, thinking of you xx."

More than 100 comments followed within an hour of the message from Mrs Taylor's sister.

One post, from Rebecca Adie-Drackley, said: "RIP Susan. Swimming was your life all through school from Barwell Infants we all grew up together. I am so sad I cannot think of any words at this time. God bless you, it was an honour to grow up with you xxx."

Mrs Taylor's crossing was being overseen by the Channel Swimming Association, one of the two official British organisations who authorise the attempts.

Dr Julie Bradshaw, secretary of the association, told Sky News: "Susan was a bubbly person, full of life and always doing things for other people."

Kevin Murphy, who is secretary of the other official body, the Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation (CS&PF), oversaw Mrs Taylor's six-hour assessment swim - which everyone attempting to swim the Channel must undertake.

He told Sky News: "She was a very nice woman, a very good swimmer and we're all very upset.

"I got to know her while overseeing her assessment swim. It is an extreme sport but has a safety record that is second to none among extreme sports. Both the official organisations work within the strictest of conditions in terms of safety.

"Susan has passed away doing something she loved and raising money for two fantastic causes. I would hope people recognise that and feel moved to donate money to those causes in her memory."

He said the zig-zag pattern on the tracker charting her progress was normal and reflected the tidal flows that affect swimmers' routes during the attempts.

Mrs Taylor is the eighth person to die while trying to swim the channel since the first recorded attempt in 1875.

Geoff Ellis, chief executive at Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People, said: "Susan was a wonderful woman who would do anything for anybody.

"She has been a much loved ambassador at Rainbows for over two years, helping out at events and tirelessly fundraising for us.

"She was more than an ambassador; she was part of the Rainbows family."

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Soldiers Died 'On First Day Of SAS Assessment'

Two TA soldiers who died while attempting to get into the special forces were on the first day of a week-long assessment when they collapsed with suspected heat exhaustion, according to Sky sources.

Police are investigating the deaths of the two servicemen on the hottest day of the year while a third serviceman is in a serious condition in hospital. The Ministry of Defence has named one of the servicemen as Lance Corporal Craig Roberts.

The three were part of a group training in the Brecon Beacons, some of Wales' most rugged terrain, on Saturday when temperatures topped 29.5C (85.1F).

It is understood that the men were on the first day of a week-long assessment as part of the Territorial Army section of the SAS.

The selection process was running alongside regular SAS trials and has now been abandoned due to the deaths.

For the regular version of the special forces elite, the trials would involve a 40-mile speed march with about 55lb on their backs, including a replica rifle, normally completed over a 20-hour period.

It is likely that the process would be slightly reduced for the reservist version or split up, but nevertheless gruelling.

Sky News Defence Correspondent Alistair Bunkall said the "very rigorous selection process" would have meant "long yomping walks carrying an awful lot of weight".

Police are investigating the deaths

With military sources indicating soaring temperatures may have been to blame for their deaths, Bunkall added that the investigation into their deaths was like to focus on the climate and whether enough preparations were put in place.

Colonel Richard Kemp, former commander of British troops in Afghanistan, pointed out the difference between the selection processes for the regular Army and the special forces, where the onus is on individual achievement and self-motivation.

He told Sky News: "The Army relies a lot on the buddy-buddy system, in other words of either a commander or fellow soldier looking out for their mates to see if they are exhibiting any symptoms of heat illness.

"Of course if they are doing SAS selection ... then a lot of that is done as individuals."

Chris Hunter, a former special forces bomb disposal officer who was training for a marathon on the Brecon Beacons over the weekend, told Sky News that every member of the armed forces is taught how to survive in extreme heat as soon as they join up - using techniques such as carrying lots of water, rehydrating with salts and adding and removing layers of clothing as necessary.

But he added: "Of course when they are trying to meet very tight timelines, carrying lots of equipment, literally speed marching up the mountains, running down them and navigating at the same time it can be quite difficult to do so."

Mr Hunter said a medical assessment by a doctor is always carried out before "any extreme training" and "the individual soldiers would certainly have been physically fit".

The Ministry of Defence and police are both investigating what happened. The soldiers' families have been informed.

The MoD has refused to confirm that the three were members of the TA aspiring to join the reservists' branch of the SAS.

And a spokesman said there are no plans to change "routine exercises" in light of the incident.

The Brecon Beacons is one of several locations British military use as part of their training. The deaths occurred near the Storey Arms activity centre.

The area's rugged and sprawling terrain helps prepare soldiers physically and mentally for warfare as well as put their logistic skills to the test, making it an ideal area for elite forces personnel like the SAS.

However the Beacons' jagged topography can prove dangerous even to the most hardened and physically fit.

Earlier this year, an army captain was found dead on a snow-covered Corn Du mountain.

It was thought that Rob Carnegie had been taking part in a gruelling 17-40 mile march in freezing conditions in the Brecon Beacons as part of a selection process for the special forces regiment, when he collapsed and died.

However, this time investigators are examining whether hot temperatures played a major factor.

The soldiers who died were thought to be trying out for the SAS

A source said: "It is a case of the people succumbing to being affected by the training that they were doing."

The Army's website said the Brecon Beacons were used because they are so demanding and prepare soldiers for the "extraordinary things" they have to do on deployment.

The website says: "Training for high-intensity, light-role war fighting is the way soldiers and officers are prepared for any operational situation they may face - conventional war, counter insurgency, security sector reform, peacekeeping or supporting civil authorities.

"This ensures that the training is as close to current operations and pre-deployment training as possible, whilst maintaining the ability to train for high intensity war fighting."

News of the deaths has been met with shock in the nearby town of Brecon, which is home to The Infantry Battle School.

Brecon mayor and Powys county councillor Matthew Dorrance said: "It's incredibly sad for the friends and family of the people who have lost their lives and our thoughts are with the person who is injured.

"In one way we've been blessed with the weather but for people working in this heat, they're tough conditions."

Members of all four of South Wales' mountain rescue teams said they had been called out to assist when the two servicemen died.

Thirty members of Central Beacons, Brecon, Western Beacons and Abergavenny-based Longtown Mountain Rescue Teams joined the operation near Pen y Fan, which is the highest mountain in south Wales.

Mark Moran, from Central Beacons MRT, paid tribute to its members who took part in the rescue operation.

"They are all volunteers, who are highly trained and dedicated" he said.

"We were working alongside military personnel who remained extremely calm and professional during this tragic incident. Our thoughts are now with the families of those involved."

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