Charity Fundraiser Stephen Sutton Dies

Teenager Stephen Sutton, who raised more than £3m for charity after his bucket list went viral on the internet, has died after losing his cancer battle.

His mother wrote on his Facebook page: "My heart is bursting with pride but breaking with pain for my courageous, selfless, inspirational son who passed away peacefully in his sleep in the early hours of this morning, Wednesday 14th May.

"The ongoing support and outpouring of love for Stephen will help greatly at this difficult time, in the same way as it helped Stephen throughout his journey.

"We all know he will never be forgotten, his spirit will live on, in all that he achieved and shared with so many."

Stephen raised more than £3m for charity and the total continues to rise

Within 30 minutes of the posting, more than 60,000 messages of condolence had been left on his Facebook page.

Prime Minister David Cameron, who met Stephen, told Sky News: "He was really inspiring. I feel deeply sorry for Stephen's family, for everyone that knew him.

"He was determined not to waste a minute, not to waste an hour, or a day. I can hardly think of anyone I have met with such a zest for life, with such a belief that you can get things done, and who wanted to live every minute.

"He did extraordinary things for charity and meeting him was a huge privilege. A very bright light has gone out."

The Teenage Cancer Trust, who Stephen raised money for, said in a statement: "We are humbled and hugely grateful for what Stephen achieved, and continues to achieve, for young people with cancer."

News of Stephen's death came shortly after his family said the 19-year-old had become too sick to communicate as his condition deteriorated.

David Cameron visited the teenager and said he was "an inspiration"

He was readmitted to hospital on Sunday after having previously been discharged when it appeared he had made a "miraculous recovery" by coughing up a tumour.

At the time he revealed that he was suffering from breathlessness and said doctors thought there was something blocking his airway.

He wrote on Facebook: "The doctors think there may be something restricting my airway again, they're not sure exactly what yet though (tumour regrowth, infection, inflammation, are all potential reasons mentioned), but are currently discussing the possibilities and my scan results to decide what to do next."

Stephen, from Burntwood in Staffordshire, was diagnosed with bowel cancer when he was 15.

Despite treatment the tumours spread, with doctors telling him the disease was terminal in 2012.

Hundreds of thousands of people have supported his fundraising efforts for the Teenage Cancer Trust since he posted a picture of himself in hospital in April with a goodbye message as he thought he was nearing death.

The amount collected totals £3.3m and continues to rise by tens of thousands of pounds as donations poured in following news of Stephen's death.

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Interest Rate To Remain Low For 'Some Time'

Affordability Gap: Figures In Detail

Updated: 11:45pm UK, Tuesday 13 May 2014

The 10 most affordable and least affordable areas to buy a property in England and Wales.

They are listed by their affordability gap - the ratio between average house prices and average earnings of locals in each area.

The first figure is the average house price in that area, the next is the average local earnings, and the third is the affordability gap - calculated by dividing the first figure by the second...

Top Ten    

Kensington and Chelsea £935,000 £42,957  21.8  

Westminster £748,500   £38,355  19.5  

Camden £595,000   £37,372  15.9  

Hammersmith and Fulham £550,000 £34,778  15.8

Islington £450,100 £34,876  12.9 

Elmbridge £444,500 £36,161  12.3 

Wandsworth £450,000   £36,618  12.3 

Richmond upon Thames £475,000   £38,860  12.2 

Hackney £378,500   £31,023  12.2 

Brent £340,000  £27,950  12.2 

Bottom Ten   

Wigan £105,000   £25,589  4.1

Neath Port Talbot £93,750   £23,462  4.0

Stoke-on-Trent £88,000   £22,620  3.9

Merthyr Tydfil £86,000   £22,396  3.8   

Rhondda, Cynon, Taff £93,000   £24,872  3.7

Pendle £85,000   £22,932  3.7

Barrow-in-Furness £92,500   £27,794  3.3

Blaenau Gwent £70,000   £21,034  3.3

Copeland £115,000   £35,105  3.3

Burnley £71,500   £24,612  2.9 

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Kate And William Hacked 190 Times By NOTW

The News Of The World's former royal editor has admitted hacking the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's phones nearly 200 times.

Clive Goodman told the Old Bailey he accessed the voicemail on Prince William's phone 35 times and Kate Middleton's on a total of 155 occasions.

It is the first time Goodman, who was jailed in 2007 for illegally accessing the voicemails on the mobiles of royal aides, has admitted he hacked the royal couple while working at the now-defunct tabloid.

But having returned to the witness box after weeks of ill health, he was accused of being more heavily involved in phone hacking with private detective Glenn Mulcaire in 2005 and 2006 than was previously heard.

Jurors were told Kate was even hacked on Christmas Day 2005.

The details emerged as Goodman was being cross examined by ex-NotW editor Andy Coulson's lawyer Timothy Langdale QC.

He asked: "I'm going to suggest you had direct contact with Glenn Mulcaire significantly before the time you have told us - that you yourself had been hacking on a much wider scale than you have told this court about."

Goodman said he had not been asked a direct question.

The witness said he had been assured by the Crown Prosecution Service he would not be charged with any more hacking but no-one had asked him.

When presented with a list of hacking victims, he said: "I'm not on trial for hacking," adding: "There has been no intention to deceive you or anybody else in relation to phone hacking."

On his arrest in 2006, Mr Langdale said: "It's the one thing you must have been more worried about than anything else that it would become clear you yourself had been hacking members of the royal family."

Goodman replied: "I was terrified of the whole thing. I was mortified."

Mr Langdale said Kate Middleton, who was to become the Duchess of Cambridge, was first hacked on October 21 2005.

Mr Langdale asked the witness why she had been targeted and if he had tasked Mulcaire to do it.

He replied: "She was a figure of increasing importance around the royal family. There were discussions about her and Prince William marrying, moving in, settling down. She started to receive semi royal status and things were moving on."

Mr Langdale said: "You are telling us Glenn Mulcaire hacked her without any instruction from you? Did you task him to do that?"

He replied: "I do not remember tasking him to do that. It's possible but I do not recall.

"I have been as open and honest about hacking as I can be but nobody has asked me any questions about this before."

Mr Langdale said: "You knew perfectly well you hacked Prince Harry and Prince William didn't you?"

Goodman replied: "Nobody asked me."

He added that often he and Mulcaire hacked the same messages.

He is on trial along with with former NOTW editor Coulson, later Prime Minister David Cameron's media chief, of authorising illegal payments to public officials

Coulson and Rebekah Brooks, another former editor and later chief executive of Rupert Murdoch's British newspaper arm, are also on trial accused of phone-hacking offences.

All seven defendants on trial deny the charges.

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Rolf Harris Described As Dirty Old Man

By Nick Pisa, Sky News Reporter

A childhood friend of a woman allegedly sexually abused by Rolf Harris has told a court how the entertainer was described as a "dirty old man".

The witness, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she was "shocked and horrified" when the now 49-year-old alleged victim told her what he had done to her.

Southwark Crown Court has heard Harris first abused the woman during a holiday in Hawaii when she was 13 years old in 1978 and continued until she was 29.

At the time, the alleged victim was the best friend of the entertainer's daughter Bindi and he is said to have groped her in a hotel room and on a waterside jetty.

The alleged victim's friend told the court: "Rolf Harris was a well-known and well-loved celebrity, pretty much well known to all of us."

She added she was a classmate of the alleged victim and told the court she had had a conversation with her friend during which she described Harris as a "dirty old man".

Rolf Harris was accompanied to court by several friends and family members

The witness went on: "He asked her to sit on his lap and then touched her up. It was a shocking conversation.

"He was a well-known … he was one of those people I would never imagine ... I was shocked, horrified.

"I may have mentioned it to my parents. It wasn't an asking matter … I wasn't going to spread it to the world."

She added that in 1996, after she had moved to New Zealand, the alleged victim called and spoke to her again about the sexual abuse she had allegedly suffered.

The alleged victim's friend told the court: "He had been abusing her through her teens and beyond ... at the age of 13, 14.

"It went on for many years. I didn't want to go into details at the time because it wasn't the place. It was quite distressing.

"She told her parents, no one else I don't think knew. I told her to go to the police but she said she didn't want to. It wasn't the time or the place and she didn't want it to become a media circus."

Under cross examination from Sonia Woodley QC, the witness was asked about her friend's drinking.

She said that she never smelt alcohol on her breath at school but did "in a home environment".

When questioned again by prosecutor Ms Sasha Wass QC to explain further her friend's "anxiety" at school, she said: "She never seemed to have a lot of self-confidence. She was a lovely, lovely girl.

"She just sometime ... took to drink to give her confidence."

The court was also read a statement from the alleged victim's former tutor in 1980 which said she was "weeping about home/private matters" and had been comforted by friends.

Harris faces 12 charges of indecent assault between 1968 and 1986, which he denies.

He followed proceedings via a hearing loop from the dock. His niece and friends were also in court.

The trial continues.

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Stephen Sutton: Tributes Pour In For Teenager

Tributes to cancer fundraiser Stephen Sutton have been pouring in after his death at the age of 19.

Prime Minister David Cameron, who met the youngster last week, said on Twitter: "I'm deeply saddened to hear that Stephen Sutton has died.

"His spirit, bravery and fundraising for cancer research were all an inspiration."

Opposition leader Ed Miliband added: "Tragic news that Stephen Sutton has passed away. His bravery & determination to live life to the full was an inspiration to us all."

David Cameron was among those paying tribute to Stephen

His family said Stephen, from Burntwood, Staffordshire, died peacefully in his sleep in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Within seconds of the news being announced, thousands of people had left their own tributes on his Facebook page Stephen's Story.

Many others took to Twitter to express their feelings about what he had achieved.

Ricky Gervais said on Twitter: "RIP Stephen Sutton. A true hero & inspiration to us all."

David Cameron and Ed Miliband's tributes to Stephen

Cricketer Kevin Pieterson added: "So sad to hear the news about Stephen Sutton. What an amazing, selfless and immensely inspirational young man. #RIPStephen."

Pop star and pundit Carol Decker said: "RIP Stephen Sutton,a truly inspiring young man,I am in tears watching the news footage."

Comedian Jason Manford, who help raise the profile of his fundraising efforts, said: "Stephen Sutton was the most inspiring person I've ever met and touched more lives than he will ever know.

"The reason we took to him so passionately was because he was better than us, he did something that none of us could even imagine doing.

More than 130,000 people had left a comment after an hour

"Some of Stephen's words will stay with me and others forever and they are words to live by - 'life isn't measured in time, it's measured in achievements'."

His headteacher Stuart Jones, of Chase Terrace Technology College, said: "Stephen was academically brilliant, an excellent sportsman and a talented musician. He was also a caring, modest, creative young person with a great sense of fun."

"The resilience and strength of character that Stephen has shown over the last couple of years is extraordinary. Stephen developed a deep understanding of what's important in life.

"The school and the wider community of Burntwood are immensely proud of what Stephen achieved."

Stephen had been ill since 2012

Siobhan Dunn, chief executive of Teenage Cancer Trust, for which he raised more than £3.2m, said: "Stephen was an exceptional young man and ambassador for Teenage Cancer Trust.

"Stephen has made an enormous difference to Teenage Cancer Trust and the seven young people diagnosed with cancer every day who need our help."

Deborah Alsina, chief executive of Bowel Cancer UK, said: "Stephen's story struck a chord with the nation, putting teenage cancer, and bowel cancer specifically, firmly in the public eye."

Alex Horne, general secretary of the Football Association, which supported the Teenage Cancer Trust, also paid tribute on behalf of the organisation.

England captain Steven Gerrard added: "I was fortunate enough to meet Stephen at Wembley. His enthusiasm was amazing.

"What he has done has been incredible, raising funds that will make an enormous difference to so many people. He's an inspiration."

Hundreds of those who continued to add to the £3.2million he had raised for the Teenage Cancer Trust also left tributes.

One, Sylvia Brookes, said: "May you rest in eternal peace, knowing that your bravery and inspiration to others will always remain in our hearts.God bless you!"

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Cornwall Crash: Dozens Of Passengers Injured

One person has been killed and 13 injured after a coach crashed into a wall in Cornwall.

Police were called at around 1pm to the A387 at Morval, around three miles from Looe, after reports that a coach had hit a wall.

Four air ambulances from Devon and Cornwall, ambulances, fire crews, doctors and paramedics were sent to the scene and police declared a "major incident" as the road was closed.

South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) said 54 "mostly elderly" passengers were on the coach at the time of the smash. 

The scene of the crash on the A387. Photo: Sam Blackledge/Plymouth Herald

Neil Chevalier from SWASFT told Sky News the coach had been travelling down a steep hill when it crashed.

Eight people were seriously injured and were taken to Plymouth's Derriford Hospital, two of them by air ambulance while four were classed as walking wounded after checks by paramedics.

A number of people who were trapped after the impact have since been freed from the vehicle.

The coach had been travelling from the Plymouth direction towards Looe between Sandplace and Widegates when the crash happened.

One local resident told the Cornish Guardian the vehicle appeared to "lose its brakes" at the top of a hill.

She said: "It is dreadful. The coach lost his brakes on the top of the hill at the Snooty Fox and careered down the hill.

"As it did so it turned on its side and all the windows blew out and it lost all the glass.

Seats removed from the coach. Photo: Sam Blackledge/Plymouth Herald

"All the neighbours have been rushing around making tea for them. We spoke to a few of the people who were coming out of the wreckage. It was a bus full of older people.

"The passengers from the other side of the coach were deeply shocked by it all."

A 69-year-old resident told the paper: "People use the road too fast. Although there are 'slow' signs, people just don't follow them.

"The road is quite bendy, and can be tricky, particularly for big vehicles."

Local MP Sheryll Murray said the crash was "absolutely tragic".

She told Sky News: "I send my deepest sympathies to the family of the person that's died and all those people that are very worried because they have relatives that have travelled to Looe."

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Legal Battle Over GCHQ's 'Smartphone Snooping'

By Tom Cheshire, Technology Correspondent

The first legal challenge against alleged GCHQ snooping on UK smartphones has been filed.

The challenge alleges that the Government Communications Headquarters listening post has infected "potentially millions" of computers and smartphones around the world with malicious software, which could be used to extract photos and text messages, switch on the phone's microphone or camera, track locations and listen in to calls.

Privacy International, a UK-based charity, brought the case to demand "an end to the unlawful hacking being carried out by GCHQ which, in partnership with the NSA".

The challenge says GCHQ infected smartphones

It argues these practices violate articles 8 and 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Article 8 outlines the right to respect for private and family life, home and correspondence, and the activists question whether GCHQ's data collection is in accordance with the law.

Deputy director Eric King said: "Unrestrained, unregulated Government spying of this kind is the antithesis of the rule of law and Government must be held accountable for their actions."

In March this year website The Intercept reported that the US National Security Agency (NSA) planned to secretly infect millions of devices with software that would extract information and send it back to the NSA, and that GCHQ collaborated to develop these tools.

The Guardian newspaper also said that by May 2010, GCHQ had developed software for iPhone and Android devices called Warrior Pride, which allowed the remote activation of microphones and cameras on phones, as well as the retrieval of data stored on the phone.

In January, legal advice given to MPs by public law barrister Jemima Stratford QC said spy agencies could use "gaps in the current statutory framework to commit serious crimes with impunity" and that GCHQ surveillance could be in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Mr King added: "The hacking programmes being undertaken by GCHQ are the modern equivalent of the Government entering your house, rummaging through your filing cabinets, diaries, journals and correspondence, before planting bugs in every room you enter."

GCHQ told Sky News it had no comment on Privacy International's challenge.

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Peaches Geldof's House Raided Twice By Burglars

Peaches Geldof: From Wild Child To Doting Mum

Updated: 12:33pm UK, Tuesday 08 April 2014

Peaches Honeyblossom Geldof was just 11 when she lost her 41-year-old mother Paula Yates in an accidental heroin overdose in 2000.

As the second daughter of Bob Geldof and Yates, much of her life was lived in the public eye as the family coped with the tragedy and she started to make a name for herself as a model and journalist.

She left home aged 16 and began a career which included writing for UK newspapers, Elle magazine and presenting TV shows including OMG!

Ms Geldof received constant attention from the paparazzi, and tabloids often compared her to other troubled young celebrities Amy Winehouse and Pete Doherty.

She admitted to experimenting with drugs and was often labelled as a "wild child".

In August 2008 Ms Geldof married rock musician Max Drummey in Las Vegas but the pair separated in 2009.

But it was meeting second husband Tom Cohen and the birth of their first son, Astala Dylan Willow, which triggered her transformation from a partying socialite to doting mother.

The couple married in 2012 at St Mary Magdalene and St Lawrence Church in Kent, where Ms Geldof's parents got married and her mother's funeral was held.

She said she felt Yates was "watching over" her that day.

She told Hello magazine: "I feel her presence all the time but especially today.

"Mum loved family celebrations and she would adore Tom and the fact that we've married here.

"I know that she is watching over me and feeling so happy for us."

The couple's second son, Phaedra Bloom Forever, was born last year and will turn one on April 24.

Ms Geldof spent a lot of time discussing parenting techniques and was an avid believer in attachment parenting, appearing on This Morning in a head-to-head debate with Apprentice star Katie Hopkins.

Midge Ure, Scottish musician and co-organiser of Band Aid with Bob Geldof, told Sky News Ms Geldof had become an "earth mother" figure, like her own mother Paula Yates.

"They embraced this whole motherhood thing so incredibly well, after what had maybe been ropey beginnings. They had completely found their niche in life."

Mother & Baby magazine announced in February that Ms Geldof was to be their new columnist.

A spokesman said it was after she had completed what they called, a "mama metamorphosis" from party girl to working mother. The magazine was to feature her attempts to juggle parenting, work and family.

A tribute posted online by the magazine reads: "We are extremely saddened at the tragic news that Peaches Geldof has died. Our hearts and sympathies are with her family and two little boys."

Ms Geldof's Twitter and Instagram accounts were full of photos of her sons, dogs and husband.

Her last tweet, posted on Sunday at 10.17am, was a photograph of her and her late mother with the message "Me and my mum."

But her tweets also got her into some trouble.

Last year she apologised for breaking a court order and tweeting the names of the two women whose babies were abused by rock star Ian Watkins.

She tried to explain her actions by saying she had assumed the names were already "public knowledge".

The women's names were tweeted to her 160,000 followers after she reportedly read them on a US-based website. She later said: "I deleted my tweets, however, and apologise for any offence caused."

Ms Geldof's last public appearance was at a fashion show in London on April 3.

A statement from Ms Geldof's father and sisters - Fifi Trixibelle and Pixie and half-sister Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily - said they were "beyond pain" following her death on Monday.

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Caroline Aherne Recovering From Lung Cancer

Television star Caroline Aherne is recovering after undergoing treatment for lung cancer.

The Royle Family actress, who has previously battled bladder and eye cancer, is taking part in a campaign to improve cancer care in her home city of Manchester.

"I've had cancer and my brother's had cancer and we know how it affects people," the 50-year-old said.

"It's brilliant that all these big institutions want to make cancer care better for Manchester people, but even the best doctors, nurses and managers on earth aren't going to be able to understand what needs improving unless people affected by cancer in Manchester get involved and tell them what needs to change."

Personal problems have prompted the comedian to withdraw largely from the public eye, but she recently took part as one of the cast of an animated children's series for the BBC.

She also provides the voice for the hit Channel 4 show Gogglebox.

Following news of her latest health problems, she said: "I will be narrating this week's Gogglebox, and I will continue to narrate Gogglebox for as long as Gogglebox want me."

Aherne, a smoker, has struggled with her health for years.

She has fought depression and drink problems and spent time in the Priory clinic following a suicide attempt, before moving to Australia to avoid the glare of publicity.

Aherne will speak at the launch of the Macmillan Cancer Improvement Partnership (MCIP) in Manchester next month.

Nicola Cook from the charity said: "We're delighted that Caroline is supporting MCIP. We know that its success hinges on the involvement of people affected by cancer in Manchester.

"Caroline's one of Manchester's own - she's loved here and people identify with her. We hope that if people see that Caroline is sitting down and talking to us then maybe they'll know that they can too. Our MCIP partnership needs to listen to people."

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British Troops Face Iraq Abuse Claims Probe

The International Criminal Court prosecutor is to hold a "preliminary examination" into claims of abuse by British forces in Iraq.

More follows...

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