Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 03 Januari 2015 | 22.11
By Becky Johnson, Sky Correspondent
Hundreds of mourners have gathered for the funeral of three members of the same family killed when a bin lorry crashed into Christmas shoppers in Glasgow.
Erin McQuade, 18, and her grandparents Jack Sweeney, 68 and Lorraine Sweeney, 69, all died when the out-of-control refuse vehicle ploughed into pedestrians in the city's George Square three days before Christmas.
Some 700 people packed in to St Patrick's RC Church in Dumbarton, where the family live, for a joint requiem mass for the teenager and her grandparents, with more mourners standing outside.
Three hearses filled with white roses lined the pavement outside the church.
Crash victims Jack and Lorraine Sweeney and granddaughter Erin McQuade
Erin, who was in her first year studying English literature at Glasgow University, had been out Christmas shopping with her family when the crash happened.
Her mother, Jacqueline, was just yards away from her daughter and parents as the disaster unfolded. She arrived at the church holding hands with her 14-year-old son Aidan.
1/13
Gallery: Tributes For Lorry Crash Victims
Flowers were left near the scene of a bin lorry crash which killed six people and left 10 more injured
A service to remember the victims of the disaster was held at Glasgow's St Andrew's Cathedral
Malta's Prime Minister has intervened in the controversy over striker Ched Evans after one of the country's football club's offered the convicted rapist a contract.
Joseph Muscat has urged caution over Hibernians FC signing the former Sheffield United player and Welsh international, who has been shunned by a number of English clubs.
The Maltese PM said footballers are role models, and warned how the decision would reflect both on the club and the country.
His comments come after Hibernians, who are top of the country's domestic league, said they had made an offer to Evans for the remainder of the season.
The 26-year-old had an offer to train with League One United withdrawn in November after his release from prison following strong opposition.
Video:Evans Has "Served His Time"
Other English clubs including Tranmere and Oldham also rejected the chance to sign him.
However, Malta's Justice Minister, Owen Bonnici, argued should be given "a second chance".
He tweeted: "If we believe in rehabilitation of ex-prisoners we should practice what we preach."
Club vice-president Stephen Vaughan, the controversial former Chester City owner, told Sky News: "The bottom line is Ched Evans has been punished for previous misdemeanours.
Video:Justice Secretary On Evans' Future
"We are looking at signing Ched Evans the footballer.
"We are looking for a centre-forward that can find the back of the net, and we believe Ched Evans fits the bill."
Mr Vaughan, who was disqualified from acting as a company director for 11 years in 2009 for his involvement in an alleged £500,000 VAT fraud and was jailed in 2011 for attacking a police officer, said he was "very confident" of doing a deal to sign Evans.
"If someone offers you a cheap Ferrari, you're gonna drive it," Mr Vaughan said.
Video:21 Nov: U-Turn 'Right Decision'
However, a statement issued by the office of the Maltese PM said: "Footballers are role models and the decision by Hibernians will not only define the club but also, to a certain extent, Malta.
"The PM hopes that the decision by the club's management takes this into consideration before the final decision."
But Hibernians technical director, Jeffrey Farrugia, told Sky News Evans' rape conviction would not be a problem for the club.
"He paid for what he did so for us it is not an issue," he said.
Video:Clough Defends Decision On Evans
"We'll open the doors for him to come over here and start his career again in international football."
Evans is keen to resume his playing career after being released from prison in October.
He served two-and-a-half years of a five-year sentence after being found guilty of raping a 19-year-old woman in 2011. He claimed she had agreed to have sex.
He was initially given permission by Sheffield United to train with them at the request of players' union, the Professional Footballers Association.
Video:22 Oct: Evans Wants To Clear Name
But following a backlash from supporters, sponsors and patrons, including Olympic gold medallist Jessica Ennis-Hill, the club changed their mind.
London hate preacher Abu Hamza should be sent to a prison hospital because he is too disabled to spend life at a high-security US jail for terror offences, lawyers have claimed.
Attorneys for the one-eyed, handless, radical Egyptian cleric also claim by sentencing him to life in prison, the US would breach assurances given to judges in the UK, to secure his 2012 extradition to America.
Hamza used his sermons in London to incite murder and racial hatred
But this is disputed by federal prosecutors, who argue Hamza should be held accountable for his role as a "global terrorist leader who orchestrated plots around the world to further his deadly mission".
The 56-year-old was convicted in May of 11 charges, including conspiring to set up a terror training camp in Oregon, conspiring to kidnap Americans in Yemen and providing support to terrorist organisations.
Video:May 20: Hamza Faces Life In Jail
Hamza, whose real name is Mustafa Kamel Mustafa, has already served a UK prison sentence for using his sermons at the Finsbury Park Mosque in London to incite murder and racial hatred.
He was extradited to the US to face trial after a protracted legal battle lasting almost a decade.
A UK High Court judge ruled in October, 2012, that Hamza and four other men could be removed after the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) refused to intervene and stop the Home Secretary extraditing them.
Speaking at the time, Prime Minister David Cameron said he was "absolutely delighted" Hamza was out of the country.
He said: "Like the rest of the public I'm sick to the back teeth of people who come here, threaten our country, who stay at vast expense to the taxpayer and we can't get rid of them."
Ahead of Hamza's sentencing on 9 January, his lawyers' said in court papers he would face unconstitutional cruel and unusual punishment if his amputated forearms, psoriasis, diabetes and high blood pressure were not taken into account at his sentencing on 9 January.
They argue a non-life sentence would be "appropriate" in light of mitigating circumstances, and that he should have specially adapted accommodation to ensure he receives fair treatment while in custody.
But a letter submitted by Jeffery Allen, chief of health programs for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, said Hamza would be given a full medical evaluation and assessed by a prosthetic specialist after he was sentenced.
Mr Allen also said there were special cells for those with disabilities and if the prison could not address Hamza's health needs, he would be moved to a prison hospital.
A British couple stranded in New York after their son was born 11 weeks early will no longer have to pay the expected $200,000 (£130,000) hospital bill for his care.
Katie Amos, 30, and Lee Johnston, 29, are "hugely relieved" the medical costs for Dax, who weighs just 3lb (1.4kg), are now being covered.
The pair, from Burgh-le-Marsh, Lincolnshire, have been told they cannot return safely to the UK until their son's original due date in March.
Dax was born on December 28 while Mr Johnston, a personal trainer, and Miss Amos, a fitness instructor, were on holiday, and is being treated at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan.
Close friend Richard Crow, who set up an online appeal which has raised more than £7,700 to help the couple, said: "I spoke last night with (Katie and Lee) and they told me the medical bills are being taken care of.
A photo from the pair's Dax's Tale of New York appeal
"I understand the hospital made a statement saying they are working with their travel insurers to make sure they don't have to pay anything.
"They are hugely relieved, absolutely. They're just overwhelmed by all the support.
"They are all doing very well. Dax is one thing that they don't have to worry about - he's being well cared for."
The couple are staying in accommodation offered by the Ronald McDonald House Charities near the hospital.
A Facebook page supporting the appeal called Dax's Tale of New York has received worldwide attention.
Mr Crow said cash raised will go towards covering the cost of the couple's rent and bills in the UK and living costs in New York so they can stay near their son.
"We're going to continue fundraising to help cover expenses that they incur over there and also back home," he added.
Responding to criticism on Facebook that donors thought they were helping towards medical costs and not living expenses, Mr Crow said: "The appeal was only ever to raise money for their living costs, we never intended to raise money for the medical bills.
"I have offered on the Facebook page to refund anyone who feels they were misled but I have had no messages so far.
"The criticism has only come from people who haven't actually donated."
A British nurse battling Ebola in a London hospital is now in a critical condition, medical staff say.
A statement from the Royal Free Hospital said the health of Pauline Cafferkey, who was diagnosed after travelling back to Glasgow from Sierra Leone, had deteriorated over the past two days.
Ms Cafferkey, who was part of a team of medical volunteers deployed to Africa by the UK Government last month, is being treated using the blood of a recovered patient and an experimental anti-viral drug which has not yet been proven to work.
Earlier this week Dr Michael Jacobs, who has been involved in Ms Cafferkey's treatment, said she had been sitting up and talking - adding she was able to read, eat and drink and had spoken to her family.
However, he revealed the hospital was unable to obtain ZMapp, the drug used to treat fellow British volunteer nurse William Pooley, who recovered, because "there is none in the world at the moment".
Ms Cafferkey was voluntarily deployed to Sierra Leone by the UK Government
A brief statement on the hospital's website said: "The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust is sorry to announce that the condition of Pauline Cafferkey has gradually deteriorated over the past two days and is now critical."
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon added: "Our thoughts continue to be with Pauline Cafferkey and her family during this extremely distressing time.
Video:Ebola Nurse Flies To Sierra Leone
"I would like to thank all of the health professionals involved in treating Pauline, as they continue to show tremendous dedication and expertise."
Ms Cafferkey, who is from Glasgow and works at Blantyre Health Centre, South Lanarkshire, was diagnosed with the deadly virus after returning to Glasgow from Heathrow. She had flown from Sierra Leone via Casablanca in Morocco.
At Heathrow, the 39-year-old was considered high risk because of the nature of her work and checked, but showed no symptoms. When she raised concerns about her temperature, she was checked a further six times but cleared to travel and returned to Glasgow.
Video:Ebola Patient Arrives In London
Ms Cafferkey was then transferred from Scotland to north London on an RAF Hercules plane.
A Public Health England (PHE) spokeswoman confirmed all British-based passengers and crew members on both flights from Heathrow to Glasgow and from Casablanca to Heathrow have been contacted.
She said they had all been "given advice and reassurance" by health officials.
Video:How Ebola Attacks The Human Body
She added that an additional 31 international passengers on the Casablanca to Heathrow flight were being contacted by international public health authorities.
The Moroccan Ministry of Health has also been tracing passengers aboard the Royal Air Maroc flight from Freetown in Sierra Leone to Casablanca as a precautionary measure.
All passengers on that flight were screened before they left Freetown and cleared to travel, as well as on their arrival in Casablanca, PHE said.
Written By Unknown on Rabu, 31 Desember 2014 | 22.12
Poppy Display Creators Named On Honours List
We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.
Video:'Spectacle Will Never Be Repeated'
The artists who created a breathtaking installation of poppies at the Tower of London have been awarded MBEs in the New Year Honours.
Paul Cummins and Tom Piper were the masterminds of Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, which saw 888,246 ceramic poppies gradually fill the moat of the Tower. Each poppy signified a British or Colonial military death during World War I.
More than five million people attended the installation, with the Queen herself saying: "The only possible reaction to walking among them was silence."
Mr Cummins said he was "taken aback and shocked" to receive his MBE, but was "truly grateful" for the recognition.
"Everyone who worked on Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, to me, should feel a part of this MBE, without them this installation wouldn't have been created," he said.
1/27
Gallery: The New Year Honours List
Actor John Hurt receives a knighthood
Joan Collins receives a DBE (Dame Commander)
]]>
Actor James Corden receives an OBE
]]>
There's an OBE for actress Emily Watson
]]>
Trevor Baylis, the inventor of the wind-up radio, receives a CBE
]]>
Mr Piper added: "It has been a real privilege to co-create an artwork which has meant so much to so many people."
Several other artists were also given the nod in this year's list, with Dynasty diva Joan Collins made a Dame for her charity work.
The 81-year-old actress said it was "humbling to receive this level of recognition from my Queen and country".
1/15
Gallery: Tower Poppy Display Draws Huge Crowds
The art installation Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red at the Tower of London
Some 888,246 ceramic poppies filled the Tower moat
]]>
Kristin Scott Thomas, who is due to play the British monarch in stage play "The Audience" next year, was also made a Dame.
"I am thrilled, astonished and worried that I might suddenly wake up," the actress, who received an Academy Award nomination in 1997 for The English Patient, said.
Comedian and actress Meera Syal, who receives a CBE for her services to art and literature.
Video:Cadet's 'Amazing Feeling' At Tower
Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy - who has produced poignant verses on a plethora of subjects including the MPs' expenses scandal and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee - becomes a Dame.
Comic actor James Corden and actress Sheridan Smith were handed OBEs.
And a young music mogul who was instrumental in propelling Ed Sheeran to stardom has been honoured with an MBE.
Video:Tower Poppy Tribute From The Air
Jamal Edwards started his multimillion pound business, SB.TV, when he was a teenager, and has also worked with Jessie J and Emeli Sande.
"It'll be the second time I've been to see the Queen. That's sick," he told Sky News. "I'm overwhelmed, it's going to be fun."
The former boss of the National Lottery has also hit the jackpot. Dianne Thompson has been made a Dame for her work as the chief executive of Camelot, which has raised more than £21bn for good causes during her tenure.
Recommended by Outbrain Recommended by Outbrain
Top Stories
AirAsia Bodies Returned As Recovery Suspended
AirAsia Victims: Stewardess Was Living Her Dream
AirAsia Crash: Relatives Vent Frustration
Breaking News: Anti-Terror Police Arrest Woman At UK Airport
Ship Carrying 900 Migrants Abandoned At Sea
Poppy Display Creators Named On Honours List
We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.
Video:'Spectacle Will Never Be Repeated'
The artists who created a breathtaking installation of poppies at the Tower of London have been awarded MBEs in the New Year Honours.
Paul Cummins and Tom Piper were the masterminds of Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, which saw 888,246 ceramic poppies gradually fill the moat of the Tower. Each poppy signified a British or Colonial military death during World War I.
More than five million people attended the installation, with the Queen herself saying: "The only possible reaction to walking among them was silence."
Mr Cummins said he was "taken aback and shocked" to receive his MBE, but was "truly grateful" for the recognition.
"Everyone who worked on Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, to me, should feel a part of this MBE, without them this installation wouldn't have been created," he said.
1/27
Gallery: The New Year Honours List
Actor John Hurt receives a knighthood
Joan Collins receives a DBE (Dame Commander)
]]>
Actor James Corden receives an OBE
]]>
There's an OBE for actress Emily Watson
]]>
Trevor Baylis, the inventor of the wind-up radio, receives a CBE
]]>
Mr Piper added: "It has been a real privilege to co-create an artwork which has meant so much to so many people."
Several other artists were also given the nod in this year's list, with Dynasty diva Joan Collins made a Dame for her charity work.
The 81-year-old actress said it was "humbling to receive this level of recognition from my Queen and country".
1/15
Gallery: Tower Poppy Display Draws Huge Crowds
The art installation Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red at the Tower of London
Some 888,246 ceramic poppies filled the Tower moat
]]>
Kristin Scott Thomas, who is due to play the British monarch in stage play "The Audience" next year, was also made a Dame.
"I am thrilled, astonished and worried that I might suddenly wake up," the actress, who received an Academy Award nomination in 1997 for The English Patient, said.
Comedian and actress Meera Syal, who receives a CBE for her services to art and literature.
Video:Cadet's 'Amazing Feeling' At Tower
Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy - who has produced poignant verses on a plethora of subjects including the MPs' expenses scandal and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee - becomes a Dame.
Comic actor James Corden and actress Sheridan Smith were handed OBEs.
And a young music mogul who was instrumental in propelling Ed Sheeran to stardom has been honoured with an MBE.
Video:Tower Poppy Tribute From The Air
Jamal Edwards started his multimillion pound business, SB.TV, when he was a teenager, and has also worked with Jessie J and Emeli Sande.
"It'll be the second time I've been to see the Queen. That's sick," he told Sky News. "I'm overwhelmed, it's going to be fun."
The former boss of the National Lottery has also hit the jackpot. Dianne Thompson has been made a Dame for her work as the chief executive of Camelot, which has raised more than £21bn for good causes during her tenure.
Recommended by Outbrain Recommended by Outbrain
Top Stories
AirAsia Bodies Returned As Recovery Suspended
AirAsia Victims: Stewardess Was Living Her Dream
AirAsia Crash: Relatives Vent Frustration
Breaking News: Anti-Terror Police Arrest Woman At UK Airport
Olympians past and present who top Northern Ireland's New Year honours list have expressed concern about a potential £1m cut to the devolved government's sports budget.
The warning comes at the end of another golden year for the country's athletes.
Rory McIlroy won his fourth major, boxer Carl Frampton won the IBF Super Bantamweight title and skier Kelly Gallagher and her sight guide won gold in the winter Paralympics.
But there are fears for young sportsmen and women who aspire to follow in their footsteps, if public funding is cut by the proposed 10%.
Dame Mary Peters, who joins the distinguished Order of Companions of Honour, heads a charitable trust for budding athletes.
And she expects a queue at the door in 2015.
This year boxer Carl Frampton won the IBF Super Bantamweight title
She said: "There always is but there will be more I'm sure because we help them to get on that ladder for success.
"Unfortunately, if money isn't there you've got to find another way and you know, I had no track, I had no funding, I had no facilities at all but I'd a very good coach who motivated me."
Irish boxer Paddy Barnes won two gold medals in the Commonwealth Games and has now been awarded the MBE.
He is training hard for Rio and relies on public funding.
He said: "Put it this way, if the money's cut in sport, don't be expecting good results on the international scene, don't be expecting any new household names to come through, don't be expecting any more childhood heroes.
"Don't be expecting anything like that because without that funding, none of it's going to be possible."
Antoinette McKeown, chief executive of Sport NI, said: "I think it's very, very sad that in a year when Kelly Gallagher has won gold for the first time ever in the winter Olympics for Britain, a Northern Irish woman who's supported by Sport Northern Ireland, we're having to cut the very organisation who helped to get her there."
We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.
Video:CBE For Hillsborough Campaigner
By Jason Farrell, Senior Politics Correspondent
A Hillsborough campaigner honoured in the New Year's Day list has told Sky News she believes the award is part of an apology from the establishment.
Margaret Aspinall, chairwoman of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, described her CBE as "bitter sweet" and said she had doubts about accepting it.
Mrs Aspinall, who lost her son James, 18, in the tragedy, said she consulted a survivor about the award.
"I needed to talk to a survivor … and this survivor broke down and said 'Please, please accept it. It is part and parcel of an apology'," she said.
"I decided, when he said that, if that's what it does for him I hope it does the same for the rest of the survivors - that the establishment are acknowledging all these people who are stigmatised. To me, you can't refuse that."
1/27
Gallery: The New Year Honours List
Actor John Hurt receives a knighthood
Joan Collins receives a DBE (Dame Commander)
]]>
Actor James Corden receives an OBE
]]>
There's an OBE for actress Emily Watson
]]>
Trevor Baylis, the inventor of the wind-up radio, receives a CBE
]]>
New inquests into the deaths of the 96 Liverpool football fans who were crushed to death in 1989 are currently being held after the original verdicts of accidental death were quashed in December 2012.
Trevor Hicks, whose daughters Sarah and Victoria died in the disaster at Sheffield Wednesday's ground, has also been awarded a CBE for his work with bereaved families.
Both have mixed feelings after what Mrs Aspinall called the "long, long struggle" for justice from the authorities who were now 25 years later bestowing titles on them.
Video:'We Jumped Around The Room'
Mr Hicks said he was proud of the award, but added: "It is with understandable regret that Sarah, Victoria and the rest of the 96 paid the ultimate price, and clearly I wish none of this had ever happened."
Shadow health minister Andy Burnham also said he interpreted the honours as an apology.
"These awards will be seen as a gesture of apology and reconciliation from a British establishment which failed these families, and an entire city, so badly," he said.
Video:Young Musical Entrepreneur Gets MBE
The full list of names on the New Year Honours list has now been released, but officials say they will investigate how the media found out about so many of the celebrity honours ahead of publication.
It was leaked that Joan Collins would become a Dame, along with Kristen Scott Thomas, and that John Hurt would receive a knighthood, while James Corden and Sheridan Smith are both getting OBEs.
Sir Bob Kerslake, the outgoing head of the Civil Service, described the leaks as "highly regrettable" and added: "I am concerned by how much was leaked. We will look into the leak and the high number of names."
1/12
Gallery: Who Refused Honours And Why?
Former prime minister Sir Winston Churchill was offered the Dukedom of London in 1955, but declined in order to continue serving in the House of Commons
Olympics opening ceremony director Danny Boyle declined a knighthood in 2013, saying: 'I'm very proud to be an equal citizen, and I think that's what the opening ceremony was actually about'
]]>
He said: "I think it's unfair on the individuals who are asked, indeed instructed, to keep the fact that they are recipients of awards confidential."
Inspiring people from across the UK were also honoured. MBEs were awarded to Paul Cummings and Tom Piper, the creators of the WWI Centenary poppy memorial at the Tower of London.
Esther Rantzen became a Dame for her work as founder of ChildLine. She Told Sky News: "There was a very formal invitation to be elevated to be a Dame if I was agreeable, and it mentioned the Prime Minister and the Queen.
Video:Honours List 'Has Work To Do'
"I just stood there reading it, quite stunned. And then my daughter arrived and read it and began to jump around the room. So I jumped round the room too."
Some 74% of recipients this year are being recognised for outstanding work in the community, and 45% are women, compared with 35% last year, but the list still looking to be more diverse with only 6% of successful candidates coming from ethnic minority communities.
Recommended by Outbrain Recommended by Outbrain
Top Stories
AirAsia Bodies Returned As Recovery Suspended
AirAsia Victims: Stewardess Was Living Her Dream
AirAsia Crash: Relatives Vent Frustration
Breaking News: Anti-Terror Police Arrest Woman At UK Airport
Ship Carrying 900 Migrants Abandoned At Sea
Hillsborough Campaigner's Honour 'An Apology'
We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.
Video:CBE For Hillsborough Campaigner
By Jason Farrell, Senior Politics Correspondent
A Hillsborough campaigner honoured in the New Year's Day list has told Sky News she believes the award is part of an apology from the establishment.
Margaret Aspinall, chairwoman of the Hillsborough Family Support Group, described her CBE as "bitter sweet" and said she had doubts about accepting it.
Mrs Aspinall, who lost her son James, 18, in the tragedy, said she consulted a survivor about the award.
"I needed to talk to a survivor … and this survivor broke down and said 'Please, please accept it. It is part and parcel of an apology'," she said.
"I decided, when he said that, if that's what it does for him I hope it does the same for the rest of the survivors - that the establishment are acknowledging all these people who are stigmatised. To me, you can't refuse that."
1/27
Gallery: The New Year Honours List
Actor John Hurt receives a knighthood
Joan Collins receives a DBE (Dame Commander)
]]>
Actor James Corden receives an OBE
]]>
There's an OBE for actress Emily Watson
]]>
Trevor Baylis, the inventor of the wind-up radio, receives a CBE
]]>
New inquests into the deaths of the 96 Liverpool football fans who were crushed to death in 1989 are currently being held after the original verdicts of accidental death were quashed in December 2012.
Trevor Hicks, whose daughters Sarah and Victoria died in the disaster at Sheffield Wednesday's ground, has also been awarded a CBE for his work with bereaved families.
Both have mixed feelings after what Mrs Aspinall called the "long, long struggle" for justice from the authorities who were now 25 years later bestowing titles on them.
Video:'We Jumped Around The Room'
Mr Hicks said he was proud of the award, but added: "It is with understandable regret that Sarah, Victoria and the rest of the 96 paid the ultimate price, and clearly I wish none of this had ever happened."
Shadow health minister Andy Burnham also said he interpreted the honours as an apology.
"These awards will be seen as a gesture of apology and reconciliation from a British establishment which failed these families, and an entire city, so badly," he said.
Video:Young Musical Entrepreneur Gets MBE
The full list of names on the New Year Honours list has now been released, but officials say they will investigate how the media found out about so many of the celebrity honours ahead of publication.
It was leaked that Joan Collins would become a Dame, along with Kristen Scott Thomas, and that John Hurt would receive a knighthood, while James Corden and Sheridan Smith are both getting OBEs.
Sir Bob Kerslake, the outgoing head of the Civil Service, described the leaks as "highly regrettable" and added: "I am concerned by how much was leaked. We will look into the leak and the high number of names."
1/12
Gallery: Who Refused Honours And Why?
Former prime minister Sir Winston Churchill was offered the Dukedom of London in 1955, but declined in order to continue serving in the House of Commons
Olympics opening ceremony director Danny Boyle declined a knighthood in 2013, saying: 'I'm very proud to be an equal citizen, and I think that's what the opening ceremony was actually about'
]]>
He said: "I think it's unfair on the individuals who are asked, indeed instructed, to keep the fact that they are recipients of awards confidential."
Inspiring people from across the UK were also honoured. MBEs were awarded to Paul Cummings and Tom Piper, the creators of the WWI Centenary poppy memorial at the Tower of London.
Esther Rantzen became a Dame for her work as founder of ChildLine. She Told Sky News: "There was a very formal invitation to be elevated to be a Dame if I was agreeable, and it mentioned the Prime Minister and the Queen.
Video:Honours List 'Has Work To Do'
"I just stood there reading it, quite stunned. And then my daughter arrived and read it and began to jump around the room. So I jumped round the room too."
Some 74% of recipients this year are being recognised for outstanding work in the community, and 45% are women, compared with 35% last year, but the list still looking to be more diverse with only 6% of successful candidates coming from ethnic minority communities.
Recommended by Outbrain Recommended by Outbrain
Top Stories
AirAsia Bodies Returned As Recovery Suspended
AirAsia Victims: Stewardess Was Living Her Dream
AirAsia Crash: Relatives Vent Frustration
Breaking News: Anti-Terror Police Arrest Woman At UK Airport
A 61-year-old man has died after he was robbed at his home in Sheffield on Christmas Day.
Police believe the victim, named locally as Stephen Starkey, was assaulted by a man who targeted his house in "broad daylight" and stole a PlayStation 3 and cash.
A 37-year-old has been arrested in connection with the incident and is being held in custody.
A South Yorkshire Police spokesman said: "At around 10.30am on Thursday December 25, a 61-year-old man was inside his home in Reney Crescent, Lowedges, when he answered a knock at his door.
"An unknown man is reported to have entered the property, assaulting the 61-year-old and taking a PlayStation 3 and cash before fleeing the scene.
"The 61-year-old was taken to hospital to be treated for his injuries where he later died."
Written By Unknown on Selasa, 30 Desember 2014 | 22.12
A patient is being assessed for possible symptoms of Ebola at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro.
The person is being kept in isolation and the result will be known in around 24 hours.
The patient had recently been in a high-risk Ebola area, although the exact location has not been revealed.
The tests are thought to be precautionary - more than 100 patients have tested negative in similar circumstances over the last few months.
Symptoms of Ebola are very similar to other tropical diseases, such as malaria.
Video:How UK Medics Will Treat Patients
It comes as the first person to be diagnosed with Ebola in the UK - a Scottish nurse - arrives in London for specialist medical care.
In a joint statement, the hospital and Public Health England said: "A patient has been admitted to Royal Cornwall Hospital and is currently undergoing a series of tests - one of which is for Ebola.
"We do not expect the results to be known for at least 24 hours and in the meantime the patient is being looked after in isolation, following nationally agreed guidelines and protocols to protect the health of our staff and other patients.
"Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust has been following national guidance around Ebola and made plans in line with advice from Public Health England and NHS England."
Nurse Pauline Cafferkey who fell ill after returning from Sierra Leone is being treated for Ebola at a specialist infectious diseases unit in London.
Ms Cafferkey, a Scot, was initially treated at a Glasgow hospital. She is the first person diagnosed with Ebola in the UK and is receiving specialist medical care at the Royal Free Hospital.
The nurse returned to Scotland after a spell working in Sierra Leone and arrived at Glasgow Airport on a British Airways flight at around 11.30pm on Sunday. She was showing no symptoms at the time.
Nurse Pauline Cafferkey is confirmed as having Ebola
Dr Martin Deahl, who travelled back to the UK with Ms Cafferkey, was critical of Public Health England for allowing the returning health workers to travel home by public transport and giving conflicting advice.
He told Sky News: "The thing that surprised most of us is that Public Health England suggested that we could go home from the airport by any way we wanted on public transport, so the underground, or in Pauline's case, the flight to Glasgow.
Video:Ebola Patient Arrives In London
"Once we got home, we were not to use public transport or go to crowded places."
He added: "If there had been alternative arrangements for Pauline a lot of the people on that flight to Glasgow would not be going through the anxiety and stress that they are at the moment."
Dr Deahl said staff at Heathrow seemed "inadequately prepared" to carry out the "so-called health check" the group needed.
"We were queueing for over an hour in very close proximity in this small space so in that sense, everybody came close to Pauline."
Two men in their mid-20s have been arrested and questioned on suspicion of terrorism-related offences.
The pair were detained early on Monday after officers from the east counter terrorism investigation unit carried out raids at two properties in Bedford.
Police said the men were interviewed at the town's Greyfriars police station.
Unspecified items of property were seized during the raids.
The force said the men were later released on police bail pending further inquiries.
Margaret Thatcher was warned about the dangers of deregulating the banks prior to the Big Bang of 1986, according to files released by the National Archives.
Sir Robert Armstrong, the Cabinet secretary, expressed fears of "unscrupulous" money-making and "a bubble that will be pricked in a year or two".
The Big Bang was a super-lucrative revolution in the financial sector which introduced electronic screen-based trading and opened up the Square Mile to international banks.
The reforms ensured London's place at the heart of global financial markets, but critics say they paved the way towards the great banking sector crash of 2008.
Seven months before the event, Sir Robert, Margaret Thatcher's most senior official, wrote a memo saying: "There is increasing disquiet about the things that people think are going on in the City.
"I do not just mean the levels of remuneration; a lot of people, including some from inside the City, think that is a bubble that will be pricked in a year or two.
Some people believe the Big Bang paved the way for the 2008 financial crash
"They think more about the way in which corners are being cut and money is being made in ways that are at least bordering on the unscrupulous.
"It tends to be summed up by the people saying that they doubt whether it really is good enough any more to leave the policing of the City to self-regulation."
David Willetts, who was then working in the No 10 policy unit but went on to be a Tory minister, co-authored a paper for the Prime Minister on the likely impact of the Big Bang.
The report expressed concern about "unethical behaviour" and that financial deregulation could lead to "boom and bust".
But he concluded that while there might be "individual financial failures" he did not expect "a systemic problem".
The correspondence, released after 30 years in the archives, show ministers were mindful of the risks but most dismissed them, fearing the greater danger was the City becoming less competitive.
Written By Unknown on Senin, 29 Desember 2014 | 00.35
A man has been charged over the fatal shooting of a 22-year-old man in Sheffield.
Asif Yousaf, 32, has been charged with the murder of Jordan Thomas and with the attempted murder of a 27-year-old who was seriously injured in the shooting last Sunday.
The 27-year-old man has since been released from hospital.
Mr Thomas was sitting in the passenger seat of a Ford Mondeo when he was shot in what detectives believe could have been a targeted attack.
The silver Mondeo was shot at while stationary at traffic lights on the A61 Derek Dooley Way about 10.15pm last Sunday.
In a statement, Mr Thomas' family had described the shooting as an "act of cowardice" and appealed to anyone with information to come forward.
"Jordan was such a likeable, caring, loving individual with a larger-than-life personality who really did brighten up any room he entered," they said.
"He truly was full of life, with his cheeky grin and quick wit, he was a charmer, anyone lucky enough to have met Jordan will attest to this and those that have met him truly did love him."
A statement released by South Yorkshire Police said: "Jordan, from the Waterthorpe area of Sheffield, was a passenger in a silver Ford Mondeo, when the car was shot at while stationary on Derek Dooley Way.
"He was taken to hospital but died a short time later. A post-mortem examination revealed he died from gunshot injuries."
Yousaf has been remanded in custody and will appear before magistrates on Monday.
A 25-year-old who was also arrested on Thursday has been released on bail pending further enquiries.
UKIP's first MP in Parliament has warned his party must not tolerate racist comments and should instead present itself as inclusive with a "serious internationalist agenda".
Douglas Carswell, who represents the coastal Clacton constituency, said: "There has never been anything splendid about isolation. It was our interdependence that put the Great into Great Britain – and it is what sustains our living standards today.
"In such a world, a dislike of foreigners is not merely offensive but absurd."
His comments, made in an article for the Mail on Sunday, come as an Opinium poll for the Observer newspaper shows UKIP's general popularity is not replicated among young, first time voters.
Only 3% of those aged 17 to 22 say they would vote for the party, while overall polling is closer to 20%.
Video:'UKIP: Yes. Labour And Tories?'
Three times as many young people say they would vote Green – while Nigel Farage is the least popular political leader among this group.
In his article, Mr Carswell argues against harking back to "Merrie Olde England" because life in pre-industrial Britain was "grim" with high infant mortality rates, hungry children, and the unrelenting slog of 80-hour weeks carrying out manual labour.
The thing that has changed that is that the UK has become more outward looking, he adds. "Far from being a party that tolerates pejorative comments about people's heritage and background, UKIP in 2015 has to show that we have a serious internationalist agenda."
He calls for an immigration system that can say a "cheery… Yes" to doctors from Singapore or scientists from south Asia and a "polite 'No thank you'" to those with criminal records, or tendencies towards welfare dependency.
Senior sources within UKIP point out that the party is in a very different position in 2015 than 2010, with much higher poll ratings, two MPs and the real prospect of winning more seats. As such they think much more care must be taken about what people say, and how they are dealt with.
The source said there was a feeling it was right for Kerry Smith to resign as a candidate over derogatory comments about Chinese and gay people – but that there was too much hesitation when dealing with the case.
They pointed out that where UKIP wins, as opposed to coming second, it does so with a more positive appeal that helps them reach out beyond the core vote.
Mr Carswell won the support of six out of ten adults in the Clacton by-election that followed his defection from the Tories. Despite the national trend with young people, he was even in the lead among 18 to 34-year-olds.
Mr Carswell believes there is an opportunity for his party to tap into the anti-politics sentiment felt by many young people although he acknowledges it could be an uphill battle.
London's King's Cross station was hit by more problems today as an investigation was launched into disruption caused by overrunning engineering work.
A number of trains out of King's Cross were cancelled and other services delayed after a signalling failure this afternoon.
The failure meant that some Great Northern services from the station were cancelled, while incoming trains ended their journeys at Finsbury Park.
A Great Northern spokeswoman said: "At approximately 13.30 this afternoon signalling problems were experienced in the Finsbury Park area, resulting in no trains being able to run in and out of London King's Cross.
"Several trains terminated at Finsbury Park and Welwyn Garden City. Rail replacement buses were organised for passengers to transport them across to the Thameslink route, where ticket acceptance was in place.
Video:Probe Launched Into Travel Chaos
"Signalling was restored at 14.15. Customers may have been affected by residual delays of up to 60 minutes whilst the service recovered.
"We would like to apologise for any inconvenience that Great Northern's customers may have experienced."
Today's problems follow major disruption yesterday when King's Cross and Paddington stations were closed because engineering works ran over schedule.
Both stations have since reopened and services from Paddington were running as planned, a Network Rail spokeswoman said.
Network Rail's Robin Gisby, managing director of network operations, apologised for yesterday's disruption which led to extra police being brought in to control crowds.
"I'm deeply sorry for the delays, upset and upheaval caused... to passengers impacted by our overrunning improvement work outside King's Cross," he said.
"We've had an army of 11,000 engineers out over Christmas Day and Boxing Day at 2,000 locations nationwide.
Police have launched a murder investigation after the body of a 51-year-old man was found in Bath city centre on Christmas Eve.
A member of the public discovered Thomas Downey under a railway arch on Lower Bristol Road, near Bath railway station just after 1.30pm on Wednesday.
The area was cordoned off and a detailed search of the area continues.
A post mortem examination has been carried out and confirmed that Mr Downey died from significant head injuries.
His family have travelled down from Manchester and are helping investigating officers with the inquiry.
A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police said: "They are being supported by a police family liaison officer and our thoughts are with them at this sad time."
Mr Downey is known locally as "Manchester Tommy".
Officers have urged anyone with information to share it with police to help them piece together what happened on Christmas Eve.
Two men in their thirties have been arrested on suspicion of murder and continue to be questioned.
The spokesman added: "The neighbourhood policing team are working with the local community to provide support and reassurance and to assist with the investigation.
"However, we are still keen to speak to anyone who was in the area near to the station in Lower Bristol Road around lunchtime on Christmas Eve.
"We believe the area would have been busy with shoppers and people leaving work early."
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Major Crime Investigation Team on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
Police should do more to stop drunk people verbally and physically abusing NHS workers, according to the head of Britain's A&E doctors.
Speaking to Sky News, Dr Cliff Mann said: "There's been a substantial increase in the number of patients and people attending A&E departments who are severely drunk.
"Indeed many of them are simply the colleagues and friends and hangers-on of the actual patients.
"And yet they all hang around in the cubicles and our waiting rooms distracting our staff."
He says education has failed to curb the rising problem of A&E abusers and is calling for police to arrest and charge more drunks.
Dr Mann argues the move would free up doctors and nurses to treat more patients.
Figures from the Metropolitan Police show a dramatic decline in arrests for drunk and disorderly conduct since 2001, with fixed penalty tickets being more readily used.
Under the current system, drunken people avoid receiving criminal records and escape with a fine of around £80.
Steve White, chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, believes arresting more people may not be the right answer.
In a statement he said: "Forces up and down the country regularly have campaigns to tackle drunk and disorderly behaviour.
"Alcohol is well-known to be a contributory factor in incidents of disorder, but it is a complex issue and a crackdown on 'troublesome drunks' is too simplistic an answer."
He added: "Yes, our colleagues in the NHS should not be subject to abuse; nor should our officers or anyone working in the public sector.
"But hauling people through the courts isn't always the answer either.
"That takes valuable time and resources to process, not just for the police, but also as people go through the courts and criminal justice system."
