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UK Passengers On Ebola Nurse's Flights Traced

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 03 Januari 2015 | 16.12

All the British-based passengers and crew who were on two flights taken by a British nurse who contracted Ebola have been tracked down, health officials say.

Pauline Cafferkey, who was part of a team of medical volunteers deployed to Africa by the UK Government last month, is receiving specialist treatment in north London.

She was diagnosed with the deadly virus after returning to Glasgow from Heathrow after flying to the UK from Sierra Leone via Casablanca in Morocco.

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.

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.

Ms Cafferkey, who works at Blantyre Health Centre in South Lanarkshire, faces a "critical" few days as she is treated with an experimental anti-viral drug and blood from a survivor of the virus, her doctor has said.

Dr Michael Jacobs said she is being treated via a quarantine tent at the Royal Free Hospital with convalescent plasma taken from the blood of a recovered patient and an experimental anti-viral drug which is "not proven to work".

But 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".

Dr Jacobs said Ms Cafferkey was in an early phase of the disease which gave the hospital the "best opportunity to give her treatment".

She has been sitting up and talking, was able to read, eat and drink, and had been in communication with her family, he added.

The 39-year-old, from Glasgow, was initially placed in isolation at a Glasgow hospital early on Monday after feeling feverish, before being transferred to north London on an RAF Hercules plane.


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Arrests Over Deaths Linked To Bad Drugs Batch

Three men have been arrested by police investigating a series of suspected drugs-related deaths in Suffolk.

They were held after the recent deaths of two young men in Ipswich on Christmas Eve and New Year's Day, which are thought to be related to a "dangerous batch" of ecstasy tablets.

The death of a third man in Rendlesham is also under investigation, and it emerged on Friday that the death of a fourth man in Telford, Shropshire, was also being linked to the drugs.

The three arrested men - aged 19, 20 and 26 - are all from Ipswich and were detained on Friday on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs.

The drugs linked to the deaths in Suffolk have been described as red and triangular with a Superman 'S' logo.

Police in Shropshire said they were not officially linking the death of the 27-year-old man in Telford on New Year's Day with the fatalities in Suffolk, but admitted there "appear to be similarities".

One of the men thought to have died from taking an ecstasy pill linked to the "dangerous" Suffolk batch has been named as 20-year-old labourer John Hocking.

The girlfriend of another man, Lithuanian Gediminas Kulokas, has told how she fought to save his life after he stopped breathing on New Year's Day, his 24th birthday.

Natasha Mumby told how she had checked on him in their lounge during the night and found him "breathing in a funny way" at the flat they shared in Provan Court, Ipswich.

"I propped him up and went back to bed. I then came back in the lounge because he was not making the breathing noise any more. He was just sitting there not breathing."

Another man from the same address, also thought to be from Lithuania, was in hospital in a serious condition, but is said to be "improving".

The death of the third man, Justas Ropas, in Ipswich on 24 December could also be linked to the drug, according to officers.

Mr Ropas was a 22-year-old machine operator.

Suffolk Police have drawn a link between these latest drugs and dangerous pills with a similar appearance found in the Netherlands last month.

The tablets in the Netherlands had a large concentration of PMMA, which acts more slowly than ecstasy's MDMA.

This means people take more pills because they think they are not working.

Following the three deaths in Suffolk, police appealed for people to hand the drugs in at a police station, A&E department or fire station.

Officers promised those surrendering the drugs would not face prosecution and that they simply wanted to remove them from circulation.


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Palace Denies Prince Andrew Sex Claims

Buckingham Palace has issued a strongly worded denial of allegations that Prince Andrew was involved in "impropriety with underage minors".

The statement was released after the Duke of York was named in a US lawsuit.

The woman who has made the allegations claims the disgraced US banker Jeffrey Epstein loaned her out to his friends, including Prince Andrew.

Papers filed by her lawyers say she was held as a "sex slave" by Epstein from 1999 through 2002 after he "became enamoured" with her.

In the motion filed in a court in Florida, she claims she was "forced to have sexual relations with this prince when she was a minor" in London, New York and on a private Caribbean island. She is believed to have been 17 at the time - underage according to US law.

The document continues: "Epstein instructed Jane Doe #3 that she was to give the Prince whatever he demanded and required Jane Doe #3 to report back to him on the details of the sexual abuse."

The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous and is referred to as Jane Doe 3 in documents, says Epstein, who has been jailed for having sex with a 14-year-old, forced her to have sexual encounters against her will between 1999 and 2002.

In the papers, she claims she was effectively recruited for Epstein's use by Ghislaine Maxwell, the daughter of the late media tycoon Robert Maxwell, when she was 15 years old.

And it is claimed in the court document that Ms Maxwell "was one of the main women whom Epstein used to procure under-aged girls for sexual activities".

The document also claims Epstein's "purposes in 'lending' Jane Doe to such powerful people were to ingratiate himself with them for business, personal, political and financial gain, as well as to obtain potential blackmail information".

Buckingham Palace said: "This relates to long-standing and ongoing civil proceedings in the United States, to which the Duke of York is not a party. As such we would not comment in detail. However, for the avoidance of doubt, any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue."

Prince Andrew's friendship with Epstein is well-documented and in an interview in 2011 he denied any sexual contact with any of the young women connected to the multi-millionaire banker.

Sky News Correspondent Rhiannon Mills said: "It's important to point out that we have in the past seen Prince Andrew criticised for spending time with Epstein, including in December 2010 after he was released from prison."

Epstein was jailed in 2008 and spent 13 months in jail after admitting to having sex with a 14-year-old.

He had been investigated for paying underage girls to have sex with him at his luxury Palm Beach home - and 40 women had come forward as victims.

However, he cut a deal with federal prosecutors and the charges were not progressed.

Two of his victims have now brought a case against the prosecutors claiming their rights were violated because they were not consulted on the secret deal.

Jane Doe 3 has applied to the court to be included in the lawsuit against the federal prosecutor and it is in the legal document to join the case that she makes the allegations against the Duke of York.

Sky News has attempted to reach Ms Maxwell for a response to the latest allegations.

When claims about the nature of her relationship with Epstein were reported in 2011, her lawyers issued a statement describing them as "entirely false".


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Hospital Calls To Police 'A Major Problem'

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 02 Januari 2015 | 16.12

By Mark White, Home Affairs Correspondent

There are calls for drunks and others who commit offences on NHS premises to be dealt with more severely after a Sky News investigation found the police are being called about crimes every 10 minutes.

Figures show officers deal with more than 60,000 crimes in hospitals across the UK every year - and the number has risen in the last 12 months.

The number of offences is so high that several police forces, including Greater Manchester and Lancashire, have started basing liaison officers at some of the busier A&E departments.

The true scale of the problem is likely to be much higher as the figures only represent two-thirds of Britain's police forces and do not include the biggest, the Metropolitan Police.

A total of 30 forces responded to a Freedom of Information request from Sky News, which shows they attended 64,728 calls to hospitals and other NHS premises in 2013 - a rise of almost 1,700 on the previous year. 

Greater Manchester Police attended 12,726 incidents on NHS premises last year - an increase of 320 on the year before.

Officers in another of the UK's larger forces, West Midlands, attended 7,132 calls to hospitals and other health premises in 2013 - up 249 on the 2012 figure.

Police chiefs are warning that those who threaten or assault NHS staff will be dealt with robustly.

Northampton Police Chief Constable Adrian Lee, the national lead on alcohol harm reduction at the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), told Sky News that many of the incidents are drink-related.

He said: "There was a time when NHS staff, through good motivations and a sense of vocation, didn't want to report crimes against people who were there to receive the service, but actually that's not appropriate because it gets the message across that you can go to a hospital and behave inappropriately - well you can't."

Latest Health Service figures in England also point to worsening safety for hospital staff.

NHS Protect say that in the period 2013-2014, 68,683 members of staff were assaulted, a rise of almost 5,500 on the previous 12 months.

Royal College of Nursing chief executive Dr Peter Carter has called for a tougher approach from both the police and hospital trusts towards offenders.

He said: "Against 68,000 reported assaults last year, there were just 1,600 prosecutions. That's lamentable. This is a major national problem and something needs to be done about it."

As well as stationing officers in A&E units, some forces are also beginning trials of special "drunk tanks" as a way of keeping potentially disruptive patients with more minor ailments out of emergency departments.

Chief Constable Lee, who is overseeing the pilot for ACPO, said: "These facilities don't just help reduce the demand on A&E departments at peak times, but can also have an impact on the atmosphere in emergency departments.

"A long wait in A&E because other people are more seriously injured is one thing, but a long wait surrounded by people who are behaving badly because they are drunk is a completely different experience."


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Three Dead Amid Fears Of Bad Ecstasy Batch

Three people have died and one person is in hospital as police warn of a "dangerous batch of drugs" - believed to be ecstasy.

A man in his 20s died on Thursday morning after being found seriously unwell in Rendlesham, Suffolk.

He received treatment at the property on Chestnut Close but could not be saved.

Two and a half hours later, at 9.40am, ambulance crews treated two more men at Provan Court, Ipswich.

One died at the scene, the other was taken to hospital in a critical condition.

The second dead man is also thought to be in his 20s.

Police are linking them to another suspected drugs-related death in Ipswich on Christmas Eve.

Chief Inspector Steve Denham told Sky News: "It's too soon to definitively link [all] the cases but we believe three of the young men have taken a tablet which they believed to be ecstasy.

"Three of them describe a red triangular pill with a Superman 'S' symbol embossed on the front.

"We're really concerned there's a batch of those pills."

He added: "If you have been offered drugs in the Ipswich area over the past few weeks, in particular ecstasy, we'd urge you to contact us with any information so that we can find those responsible and remove these dangerous drugs from the streets."

Chief Inspector Denham said the man taken to hospital was "thankfully doing better now".

Officers have drawn a link between the drugs and dangerous pills with a similar appearance sold in the Netherlands last month.

Those tablets had a large concentration of PMMA, which acts more slowly than MDMA, the main component of ecstasy.

This causes people to take more pills because they think they are not working.

PMMA can cause high body temperature and an increased heart rate.

:: Anyone with information is urged to contact police on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.


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Rail Fares: Anger Over New Year Price Hike

Commuters face rail fare rises by an average of 2.2%, with the latest annual increase meaning some fares have increased over 20% in the last five years.

Although the average increase is the lowest average rise for five years, the rise for regulated fares, including season tickets, will be up to 2.5%.

The rise - announced by rail industry body the Rail Delivery Group - will see more rail passengers than ever before paying £5,000 for season tickets.

While the hike is limited to a maximum of 2.5%, unregulated fares, such as off-peak leisure tickets, can go up by as much as the train companies decide.

It follows weeks of disruption to rush-hour services with problems for travellers compounded by over-running festive engineering work.

Last Saturday's chaos caused King's Cross and Paddington stations in London to close and resulted in Network Rail chief executive Mark Carne announcing he would forego his bonus.

Rail Delivery Group director general Michael Roberts said: "At 2.2%, the average increase in fares in 2015 is the lowest for five years. We understand no one likes to pay more, especially to go to work.

"For every £1 spent on fares, 97p goes on track, train, staff and other costs while 3p goes in profits earned by train companies for running services on Europe's fastest growing railway."

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: "We are investing in the biggest rail modernisation since the Victorian era and fares have a crucial role to play in funding these improvements. This is because building better infrastructure helps create jobs, building a stronger economy for us all."

But campaign groups and trade unions say the latest annual rise in fares far outstrip the rises in wages and that Britons pay some of the highest rail fares in Europe.

Those commuting to London from Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, for example, are from today having to pay 2.43% more, with their 2015 ticket going up to £4,888.

According to the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT), the cost of a Milton Keynes season ticket has risen 23.5%, or £930, since January 2010 and is one of a number of fares that have increased around four times more than average wages over this five-year period.

The CBT also highlighted the cost of a Newcastle to Middlesbrough season ticket, which will be £2,324 from today and which has risen 26.3% since January 2010.

According to TUC figures, UK commuters spend more than twice as much of their salary on rail fares than some European passengers.

TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said: "This year's fare hike will hit passengers particularly hard because wages are rising so slowly.

"Rail fares are now consuming a huge proportion of people's wages, leaving precious little for other bread and butter expenses. On average passengers are now paying £600 more for a season ticket and yet seeing no change in their pay packets."


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Sheffield Shooting Suspect Charged With Murder

Written By Unknown on Senin, 29 Desember 2014 | 16.12

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.


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Police Make Appeal Over Christmas Eve Murder

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.


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King's Cross Station Hit By More Problems

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.

"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.

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  1. Gallery: Travel Chaos Hits London

This was the scene at Finsbury Park station

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