Crash Takes Cavendish Out Of Tour De France

One of Britain's top cyclists will miss the rest of the Tour de France after crashing in the final moments of Saturday's opening stage in Yorkshire.

Mark Cavendish dislocated his shoulder in a heavy fall near the finish line in Harrogate - his mother's home town.

The Isle of Man sprinter collided with Australian Simon Gerrans in the last 200 metres and was thrown to the ground in the high-speed smash.

Cavendish lay clutching his shoulder, and after cycling painfully across the line, the 29-year-old was taken to hospital.

The 'Manx Missile', who competes for the Omega Pharma-QuickStep team, later said: "I'm gutted about the crash today.

"It was my fault. I'll personally apologise to Simon Gerrans as soon as I get the chance. In reality, I tried to find a gap that wasn't really there."

The rider crossed the finish line clutching his midriff

X-rays were taken on Saturday night which confirmed the shoulder injury.

His team then decided to wait overnight to see if he was fit to continue the race before ruling him out on Sunday morning.

The first stage lasting 190km began in Leeds and was won by German rider Marcel Kittel. Team Sky's Chris Froome finished sixth.

The high-profile crash marred the opening day of Yorkshire hosting the world's greatest bike race.

Cavendish's Tour De France is now over

Many spectators, including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and Prime Minister David Cameron, were willing Cavendish on as he entered Harrogate.

But he fell in the town centre as his mother, Adele Towns, watched from the stands.

More than a million people lined the streets of Yorkshire on Saturday for stage one as crowds flocked from all over the country to get a glimpse of the 198 racers.

Hundreds of thousands more people were expected to turn out for the second stage on Sunday from York to Sheffield - a 201km route where the world's top cyclists faced some of Britain's toughest climbs.

Police have warned spectators to stay safe after some dramatic scenes on Saturday.

A teenage boy was airlifted to hospital with serious leg injuries after he fell from the roadside in Ilkley, into the path of a Tour team vehicle following behind the race.

There were also reports of spectators on the climbs getting very close to the leading riders - often while taking 'selfies' on their phones.

On Monday, the Tour moves south to Cambridge and a 155km stage ending on The Mall, in central London.

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New Airport Security Checks 'Unavoidable'

Airlines To Scrutinise Smartphones Amid Threat

Updated: 8:12am UK, Friday 04 July 2014

Airlines with direct flights to the US have been told to tighten their screening of mobile phones amid fears terrorists could use them in bomb attacks.

US officials singled out Apple iPhones and Samsung Galaxy handsets for extra security checks.

They will apply to US-bound direct flights from Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the officials said.

The new precautions come in response to requests from US authorities, who fear attacks on planes flying to America.

US security officials said they fear bomb makers from the Yemen-based al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) have worked out how to turn the phones into explosive devices which can avoid detection.

They also are concerned that hard-to-detect bombs could be built into shoes.

A US official said that other electronic devices carried by passengers also are likely to receive more intense scrutiny.

Airlines or airport operators that fail to strengthen security could face bans on flights entering the US.

On Thursday, the US Homeland Security Department announced on plans to step up general security checks, but offered few details on how airlines and airports will implement them.

An official familiar with the issues said the US believes that while it is possible there may be some additional delays at security checkpoints, at most major airports passengers will not be seriously inconvenienced.

The official said most passengers taking long-distance flights arrive well in advance of scheduled departures, leaving time for extra screening.

But he said the US could not rule out disruptions in countries where airport infrastructure and security procedures are less sophisticated.

In the UK, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said the additional security was not expected to cause "significant" disruption to flights.

He told Sky News: "There will be extra security checks but they will be made in the course of events people already go through and I hope there will not be significant delays."

But British aviation security expert Philip Baum said heightened security will inevitably mean longer queues and increased waiting times to board flights at UK airports.

"It will mean (more) random searches, secondary searches and an increase in the number of passengers asked to remove shoes and possibly all passengers being asked to remove shoes if they're going on certain flights," he said.

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Scotland Moves To Slash Drink-Drive Limit

By Niall Paterson, Scotland Correspondent

Drinking a pint or a single glass of wine could soon put you over the legal driving limit in Scotland, under proposals due to reach the Scottish Parliament in the next few weeks.

Currently more than 80mg of alcohol in the bloodstream per 100ml would make you a drunk driver - the Scottish Government wants to reduce that to 50mg.

That would bring Scotland into line with Germany, France and Spain - but create a situation where crossing the Scottish border after consuming one drink could lead to a drink-driving conviction.

Thirty people are killed on Scottish roads each year as a result of alcohol, and 150 seriously injured.

Across Scotland almost 7,500 people are convicted of drink-driving offences each year.

First Minister Alex Salmond recently branded Scotland a "nation of drunks".

A pint of beer could be enough to push drivers in Scotland over the limit

The proposals have been welcomed by many families of those injured or killed by drunk drivers.

Stacey Muldoon, a 23-year-old mother from Lanarkshire, was killed in 2008 when the driver of the car taking her home from a night out crashed into a lamppost.

He was later found to be twice over the legal limit. Her sister, Leigh Payne, believes lowering the limit will in future prevent many other deaths.

"We're coming into line with most of Europe and some of America", Ms Payne told Sky News.

"We've done loads of research and definitely bringing it down to 50mg is the way to go.

"I think that people will now realise that it's not acceptable to have a drink . Physically ordering a drink and drinking it with your dinner you cannot do with 50mg.

Stacey Muldoon died in a car where the driver was over the limit

"Stacey left a twin sister, Kelly. She left two wee girls. They are now 10 and eight. My mum and dad have lost something they can never get back."

The Scottish Government says lowering the limit is a priority. Yet it has been two years since it first consulted on the issue and, as a devolved matter, it does not require legislative action by Westminster.

There has been resistance from the alcohol and pub sector. 

"I think it will lead to loss of business," says Bridgit Simmons, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association.

"Of course pubs serve many soft drinks, there's been a growth in coffee, people eat there, but inevitably people do go to the pub to have one drink...

Bridgit Simmons is concerned the change will damage business for pubs

"They've understood what they can do until now but confusion will mean they just won't go out, and that's of concern to us."

The Scottish Government said it hopes to introduce a bill affecting the change some time in August.

A spokesperson said: "We are working with Police Scotland and the UK Government to prepare for a lower limit, including obtaining the necessary type approvals for the devices used by the police to test drivers. 

"As a lower limit cannot be brought in until the necessary approvals are obtained through the UK Government, we have made clear to the UK Government that we view introducing a lower limit in Scotland as a key priority which we want to introduce as soon as possible."

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MPs To Question Top Official Over Abuse Claims

The most senior civil servant in the Home Office is to give evidence to MPs after the department admitted more than 100 official files relating to allegations of historical child abuse by politicians have been lost or destroyed.

Permanent secretary Mark Sedwill said the documents - which related to a 20-year period between 1979 and 1999 - were "presumed destroyed, missing or not found".

Home Affairs Select Committee chair Keith Vaz revealed on Sky News he has asked Mr Sedwill to appear before the committee on Tuesday to answer questions.

These files are in addition to a dossier alleging historical child abuse involving powerful and famous figures at Westminster in the 1980s that is also missing.

Mr Sedwill says an independent figure will assess how the Home Office acted

Mr Sedwill has said he will appoint a senior legal figure to assess the Home Office's handling of the dossier.

Prime Minister David Cameron has called for Mr Sedwill to establish what happened to the file which was handed to the then home secretary, Leon (now Lord) Brittan, by Tory MP Geoffrey Dickens in 1983.

Lord Brittan admitted he received the dossier and passed it on to officials, but no action was ever taken.

The Prime Minister is under pressure to launch a full public inquiry

Mr Sedwill revealed in a letter to the Home Affairs committee that while the original review had identified 527 potentially relevant files which had been retained, there were a further 114 files which could not be located.

He said that the investigation had not found a single dossier from Mr Dickens, but several sets of correspondence over a number of years to a number of home secretaries containing claims of sexual offences.

However he said that the review had found no record of specific allegations by Mr Dickens of child sex abuse by senior figures.

Mr Cameron has faced criticism for an "inadequate" investigation into what happened to the dossier.

Labour MP Tom Watson has launched a petition calling on the PM to "make amends for historic failures" and establish a national inquiry.

But Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude said it was "too soon" for such a move, which could delay the Home Office probe.

Allegations of sex abuse have been made against the late Cyril Smith

"It may well be then that the answer is to have a much broader inquiry but I think it's too soon to come to that conclusion now," he told Sky's Murnaghan programme.

Speaking to the BBC's Sunday Politics programme, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg did not rule out a wider inquiry, but stressed the ongoing police investigations would have to take precedence.

Former Conservative Cabinet minister Lord Tebbit has told the BBC he believes there could have been a cover-up of the allegations.

The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: "We are currently assessing information and conducting a number of investigations under Operation Fairbank.

"Any material submitted to us, historic or current, is reviewed to establish if it is relevant to these."

Calls for more to be done about allegations of child sex abuse by politicians have increased since the death of Liberal Democrat MP Cyril Smith, who was subsequently said to have been a paedophile.

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Hamilton Wins On Silverstone's 50th Anniversary

British Formula 1 racing driver Lewis Hamilton has won the British Grand Prix - as Silverstone celebrates its 50th race.

The former world champion sped across the line some 28 seconds ahead of second place Valtieri Bottas after his main rival and teammate Nico Rosberg dropped out.

Britain's Jenson Button came 4th, just 0.8 seconds behind Australian Daniel Ricciardo, on whom he was gaining before they both crossed the finish line.

Hamilton was heard saying over his cockpit radio: "England! What a great feeling guys I couldn't be happier" before stopping his car and hugging his team mates.

Thousands of people who were watching reacted with cheering as he crossed the line and then stepped on to the podium before the national anthem.

Lewis Hamilton celebrates after winning the British Grand Prix

Hamilton is the first British winner of the Silverstone Grand Prix since 2008, when he won the event for a first time.

The start of the race was marred by drama as a red flag was brought out by the marshals following a crash when it was only one lap old.

Jenson Button restarted the race in second, with Lewis Hamilton in fourth.

It came on a day when Formula 1 legends descended on the motor racing circuit for a special parade to mark the 50th British Grand Prix at the world famous Northamptonshire venue.

Nigel Mansell and Emerson Fittipaldi were among the F1 heroes to take part in front of a bumper crowd.

Silverstone hosted its first Grand Prix in 1948

The first British Grand Prix at the track was won in 1948 by the Italian driver Luigi Villoresi in a Maserati.

Two years later the World Championship was founded and Silverstone was given the honour of staging the first round, with a huge crowd of 150,000 people turning out, only for star attraction Juan Miguel Fangio to break down mid-race.

The first ever British winner was Peter Collins in 1958, whose victory came just weeks before his death in the German Grand Prix.

Nine other Britons have won at Silverstone.

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Firefighters To Strike For Eight Days Running

Firefighters in England and Wales are to strike over eight consecutive days as a result of their long-running pensions row.

The industrial action, which starts on July 14, will take place for between two and four hours a day throughout the strike period.

The Fire Brigades Union said it had decided to escalate action as current proposals on pensions and later retirement age were "unacceptable, unworkable and unrealistic".

The FBU has been negotiating with the Government for three years over plans to change the fire service's pension scheme.

The union says firefighters will end up paying more, working longer and receiving less.

The Government says the deal gives firefighters one of the most generous pension schemes in the public sector.

Justifying the strike, FBU General Secretary Matt Wrack said: "The Government must realise that firefighters cannot accept proposals that would have such devastating consequences for their futures, their families' futures  - and the future of the fire and rescue service itself.

"We have tried every route available to us to make the Government see sense over their attacks.

"Three years of negotiations have come to nothing because the Government is simply unwilling to compromise or even listen to reason despite a huge amount of evidence showing their planned scheme is unworkable.

"Shorter strike periods have illustrated the strength of feeling among firefighters whilst limiting disruption to the fire service, the public and our members' working lives.

"But the Government is merely ploughing ahead, forcing firefighters to react."

FBU members in Wales and England are also intending to join a huge strike by more than a million public sector workers next Thursday.

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Paediatrician Accused Of Sex Attacks On Boys

By Emma Birchley, East of England Correspondent

A paediatric doctor has appeared in court accused of sex offences against cancer patients as young as 11.

Dr Myles Bradbury, 41, who worked as a paediatric haematologist at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, is accused of four counts of sexual assault and a further four of engaging in sexual activity with boys.

The boys were aged between 11 and 15.

Cambridge Magistrates' Court also heard that Bradbury, of Herringswell, Suffolk, was found with 16,629 indecent still images of children and 20 indecent videos.

Delia Matthews, prosecuting, said: "He was in a position of trust as he was a doctor of these children who were cancer patients. They were very vulnerable."

She added he could face up to seven years in prison.

The offences are said to have taken place between December 2011 and December 2013.

The trust which runs Addenbrooke's has set up a helpline

Bradbury is also facing charges of making indecent images of a child and one act of voyeurism, where it is alleged he secretly filmed somebody engaged in a sex act.

Magistrate Stephanie Bishop said: "On what we have heard it would be inappropriate for these charges ... to be dealt with in the magistrates court."

Wearing a dark blue suit, white shirt and tie, Bradbury spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address.

He did not indicate any likely plea and was bailed to appear before Cambridge Crown Court on July 11.

Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Addenbrooke's Hospital, has set up a helpline to be used "if parents, patients or former patients have any concerns".

The Trust added it was working closely with the NSPCC.

The helpline, on 0800 389 8625, can be reached between 8am and 9pm on weekdays and 9am to 5pm at weekends.

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Queen Names UK's Newest And Biggest Warship

UK's New Aircraft Carrier: Facts And Figures

Updated: 8:58am UK, Friday 04 July 2014

As the Queen officially names the newest and most powerful warship ever built for the Royal Navy, Sky News looks at the numbers behind HMS Queen Elizabeth:

:: The design of the Queen Elizabeth Class began in 1999 and 28 million hours have been spent developing and building the ships.

:: The vessels are assembled in Britain's biggest dock by the country's largest crane.

:: Employees are given handheld indoor navigation devices to help them find their way around the ships, such is their scale and complexity.

:: The six-metre-high take-off ramp is officially called the "ski jump".

:: The fog horn is 162 decibels and can be heard from more than two miles away.

:: The vessels have their own bakery, which can produce 1,000 loaves of bread per day, as well as treats including scones, doughnuts and eclairs.

:: A typical deployment would sail with 66,000 sausages, 28,800 rashers of bacon, 64,800 eggs and 12,000 tins of beans.

:: Each of the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers is made up of 17 million parts.

:: Some 250,000 litres of 'battleship grey' paint is used to apply seven coats over an area the size of Hyde Park.

:: There are more than 250,000km of electrical cable, 8,000km of fibre optic cable and 360km of pipes inside each of the ships.

:: The Queen Elizabeth Class have their own dentist, pharmacy, surgery and operating theatre.

:: The crew can wind down in the onboard fitness suite and cinema. The vessels are also kitted out with a police office and cells.

:: The ships' long-range radar can track up to 1,000 contacts in a 250-mile radius.

:: The onboard 3D radar can track a tennis ball travelling at three times the speed of sound.

:: The aircraft carriers can convert sea water into more than 500 tons of drinking water each day, which is for both the crew and providing humanitarian relief.

:: Each of the ships has 17 decks and 15 lifts for aircraft, munitions and crew.

:: The flight deck is 70 metres wide and 280 metres long, which is enough space for three football pitches.

:: The ships have floor-to-ceiling (or deck-to-deck) windows designed to withstand a major impact, each of which requires windscreen wipers up to 2.4 metres long.

:: The vessels generate 80MW of power in their propellers, equivalent to 50 high speed trains.

:: Each ship has two propellers weighing 33 tons each - collectively heavier than an entire Royal Navy patrol boat.

:: The first HMS Queen Elizabeth was completed 100 years before the launch of the new one.

:: Designing, building and delivering the latest ships has involved more than 800 apprentices.

:: The aircraft carriers can operate on 679 personnel and accommodate up to 1,600 people.

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Andy Coulson Jailed For 'Unforgivable' Hacking

Former News Of The World editor Andy Coulson has been jailed for 18 months after being found guilty of conspiring to hack phones following an eight-month trial.

The former Number 10 spin doctor showed no obvious emotion as he was sentenced and sent down to the cells.

Judge Mr Justice Saunders told Coulson and four other defendants: "I do not accept ignorance of the law provides any mitigation.

"The laws of protection are given to the rich, famous and powerful as to all."

He said he had taken into account the impact on the lives of those whose phones were hacked, and the profit made from the crimes.

He singled out the former editor for the heaviest punishment, describing the hacking of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler as "unforgiveable".

He said: "Mr Coulson, on the jury's verdict, has to take the major share of the blame for the phone hacking at the News of the World.

"On the jury's verdict he knew about it and encouraged it when he should have stopped it."

He noted that there were many thousands of hacks over the years, involving hundreds of victims.

Coulson, from Charing in Kent, was sentenced alongside three former colleagues and private detective Glenn Mulcaire, who all admitted their part in the phone hacking plot last year.

NOTW news editor Greg Miskiw, 64, from Leeds; chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck, 52, of Esher, Surrey; and James Weatherup, 58, of Brentwood in Essex have all admitted one general count of conspiring together and with others to illegally access voicemails between October 2000 and August 2006.

Mulcaire, 43, from Sutton in south London, was first convicted of phone hacking with NOTW royal reporter Clive Goodman in 2006 and served a prison sentence.

Miskiw and Thurlbeck were each handed six-month prison terms. The terms will be reduced by 53 days for time spent electronically tagged.

Weatherup was given a four-month suspended sentence, while Mulcaire was given a six-month suspended sentence.

The judge told Mulcaire he was "truly the lucky one", saying the full extent of his hacking was known at the time of his previous sentencing.

According to Mulcaire's notes, Miskiw tasked him 1,500 times, Thurlbeck 261 times and Weatherup 157 times, the court heard.

Mr Justice Saunders told them: "All the defendants that I have to sentence, save for Mr Mulcaire are distinguished journalists who had no need to behave as they did to be successful.

"They all achieved a great deal without resorting to the unlawful invasion of other people's privacy. Those achievements will now count for nothing."

After sentencing, David Cameron said: "It's right that justice should be done and no-one is above the law."

Eight of the 11 jurors who heard the case returned to court to hear the verdicts.

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Jayden Killing: Accused Buried Her Twice

A 22-year-old who has admitted killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend has told a court he did not confess at first because he was "too ashamed".

Ben Blakeley told Oxford Crown Court he had buried 17-year-old Jayden Parkinson's body first in a field and then moved her remains to his uncle's grave.

The accused said he thought his teenage ex-girlfriend was "joking" when she fell to the ground as he strangled her in countryside near Didcot, Oxfordshire in December last year.

The former dustman, who admits the manslaughter of Jayden but denies murdering her, said he then moved the teenager's body under a tree and covered it with a branch before he left for home.

He told the court he went back to the scene later with a youth - who cannot be identified for legal reasons - and dug a hole under the tree where the two of them buried Jayden's remains.

All Saints Cemetery where the teenager's remains were buried

Blakeley said he had told his companion they were burying weapons, not a body.

After hiding the girl's body, Blakeley said he had returned alone days later to dig up her remains and take them to a local churchyard where he and his friend had dug into the grave of his uncle, Alan Kennedy.

Asked why he did that, Blakeley replied: "I couldn't leave her there. I know it sounds sick and twisted. I don't know why I f****** thought of it, somehow I thought it would f******...

"None of it seemed real, none of it seemed real. The whole f****** thing didn't seem real.

"I know it seems sick and twisted but I thought it would makes thing better. I don't know what I was thinking. I was f***** up."

Blakeley added: "I didn't want her in a f****** field, I couldn't handle it."

Richard Benson QC, defending Blakeley, asked him: "What sort of place did you want her to be finally laid to rest?"

Blakeley leaving court last December

Blakeley replied: "A proper place."

Mr Benson asked: "Why your uncle's grave?"

He replied: "I don't know."

Blakeley at one stage broke down in tears and covered his face with his hands.

"I can't explain it. You can't imagine what it's like.

Blakeley was questioned by police in the days after Jayden's death but did not confess to what he had done.

When asked why he had not, he replied: "I was too ashamed of what I had done."

Jayden was last seen alive with Blakeley on the afternoon of December 3 last year.

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