UK Ebola Case: Family Praise 'Excellent Care'

The family of a British nurse airlifted from Africa to London to be treated for ebola has thanked the medical team looking after him.

Volunteer nurse William Pooley is in the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead after contracting the virus in Sierra Leone.

He is the first confirmed British ebola case. There is no cure and outbreaks have a fatality rate as high as 90%.

A statement from his family said: "We would like to express our thanks to all involved in bringing our son back to the UK.

Mr Pooley is brought to the Royal Free with a police escort

"We have been astounded by the speed and way which the various international and UK government agencies have worked together to get Will home.

"Will is receiving excellent care at the Royal Free Hospital and we could not ask for him to be in a better place.

"We ... ask everyone to remember those in other parts of the world suffering with ebola who do not have access to the same healthcare facilities as Will."

Mr Pooley, 29, was flown back to the UK on Sunday night for emergency treatment.

The victim is being treated at the Royal Free Hospital, Hampstead, London

Days before he contracted the disease, he spoke about the joy of seeing ebola victims make a full recovery.

He told The Guardian: "It's great seeing them walk away after some of them have been in a terrible state. Seeing them on the wards and then seeing them recover and walk out the door is great."

Mr Pooley is being treated in Hampstead because it has the only isolation ward in the country.

His bed will be surrounded by a tent with its own controlled ventilation system and the only people allowed inside are specially-trained medical staff.

Liberia has been receiving shipments of USAid as it struggles to cope

A Liberian doctor who was one of three Africans to receive the experimental Ebola drug ZMapp is among the latest to have died, the country's information minister said on Monday.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Monday that protective equipment had been sent to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where two cases of ebola have been confirmed.

Japan said it had developed an anti-influenza drug which may be able to treat the virus.

It is not known if favipiravir, which trades under the name Avigan, can treat the disease, but it was designed to treat new and re-emerging influenza viruses, which have similarities to ebola.

Residents have been quarantined in several parts of Liberia

Mr Pooley was working at a hospice in Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown, but moved to a government hospital in Kenema when he found out workers at the hospital had died.

In an interview with a blogger for freetownfashpack.com published earlier this month, he is reported to have said: "It's the easiest situation in the world to make a difference."

His friend Dr Oliver Johnson, who has been working in Freetown, said Mr Pooley was an "extraordinary guy" who knew the risks involved but was prepared to take them in order to help.

The Department of Health said he was not "seriously unwell", and health chiefs have insisted that the risk to the public from ebola is "very low".

There have so far been 2,615 confirmed cases and 1,427 deaths in the outbreak in Africa.

Ebola is contracted through contact with an infected person's bodily fluids and there is currently no cure or vaccine.

Symptoms of the virus appear as a sudden onset of fever, headache, sore throat, intense weakness and muscle pain.

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Two Officers Assaulted At Notting Hill Carnival

One police officer was hurt while trying to make an arrest at the Notting Hill Carnival - and a second was injured while going to his aid.

A male PC, 33, was taken to hospital after being attacked while trying to arrest a suspected drug dealer during the event in West London.

He was found in Lancaster Road at the junction with St Luke's Road at around 3.15pm on Sunday with injuries to the head and torso.

The officer has since been discharged from hospital.

Colleagues also came under attack when they went to help him, and a 35-year-old female officer suffered injuries to her torso. She was taken to hospital but also released on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan police activated special stop and search powers across the Carnival between 7pm on Monday and 2am on Tuesday following a spate of violent incidents.

It was decided to impose Section 60 and Section 60AA orders in the area.

Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 allows senior police officers to authorise constables to stop and search people in a specific area, either where a serious public order problem is likely to arise or has taken place, or for offensive weapons or dangerous instruments.

Officers can conduct searches under the powers whether or not they suspect the subject to have been involved in wrongdoing.

Section 60AA gives police powers to order the removal of disguises where section 60 has been invoked.

The decision was taken "in response to incidents of violence, and intelligence received, which have taken place within a short period of time in the last few hours".

Six men have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a man suffered "a serious stab wound".

In another incident shortly before 4pm on Monday several men were injured - one 29-year-old man sustained a serious stab wound and is in a stable condition.

Eight others also received knife wounds.

Eight people were arrested in connection with the disorder.

By 9pm on Monday there had been 123 arrests over the course of the day taking the total for the two-day event to 227.

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Stop And Search Code Of Conduct Lauched

By Anushka Asthana, Political Correspondent

Police forces across the country will today sign up to a crackdown on the misuse of stop and search powers that have caused tension between officers and the black community.

A new voluntary code will mean the outcome of each stop will be recorded to measure how many lead to an arrest.

There will also be tougher rules around the controversial "section 60" stops where there are no grounds for suspicion.

Under the plans these powers will require higher authorisation - from a chief police officer - and will be limited to 15-hour periods, down from 24.

They will also have to believe that violence "will" occur without the measure, while before it was only if more junior officers thought it might occur.

Police used 'section 60' at the Notting Hill Carnival

Some 24 police forces across England and Wales will start implementing the code, which has been brought in by Home Secretary Theresa May, immediately. By November all 43 forces will have signed up.

"Nobody wins when stop and search is misused," said Mrs May. "It can be an enormous waste of police time and damage the relationship between the public and police.

"I am delighted that all 43 police forces have signed up to the Best Use of Stop and Search scheme. It will increase transparency, give us a better understanding of how stop and search is actually being used and help local communities hold the police to account for their use of the powers.

"I hope it will also go a long way to building public confidence and forging an important link between communities and the police."

Mrs May believes the way the powers have been used is unfair to young, black men in particular. They are six times more likely to be stopped overall, but this rises to 29 times in some areas.

All 43 forces will abide by the code by the end of the year

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has called the figure "stubbornly" high.

The Met police, one of the first to sign up to the code, admitted they used Section 60 powers this weekend at the Notting Hill Carnival.

They also brought in Section 60AA powers - through which people can be asked to remove disguises. The force said it was in "response to incidents of violence and intelligence received".

The country-wide reforms are being led by black police inspector Nick Glynn, of Leicestershire force, who said he has been stopped and searched about 30 times when off duty.

Chief Executive of the College of Policing, Chief Constable Alex Marshall, added: "Stop and search powers are necessary to help us tackle crime and keep people safe but it is clear they are being misused too often. This can leave resentment in our communities and hinder our ability to prevent crime."

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First Briton With Ebola Virus Begins Treatment

A Briton who contracted the deadly ebola virus in Sierra Leone is being treated at a specialist hospital after being evacuated to the UK.

The volunteer nurse, who is understood to be William Pooley, tested positive after treating patients suffering from the disease at Kenema Government Hospital (KGH) in the south-east of the country.

It is the first confirmed case of a Briton contracting ebola during the outbreak. There is no cure and outbreaks have a fatality rate as high as 90%.

Mr Pooley, who is understood to be in his late 20s or early 30s, was transported to the UK on a specially-equipped C-17 Royal Air Force jet, which landed at RAF Northolt in west London on Sunday evening.

He was then taken to the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, north London, which has the UK's only high level isolation unit.

The nurse is taken off the plane and into a waiting ambulance

His bed will be surrounded by a specially-designed tent with its own controlled ventilation system.

The only people allowed inside are specially-trained medical staff.

Dr Robert Garry, from Tulane University in New Orleans, has worked at KGH for around a decade on a virus research project.

He said he was told by a university colleague that the test results for William were received on Saturday.

"They worked as hard as they could, as fast as humanly possible to make these arrangements," he said.

William was treating ebola patients in Sierra Leone

"Of course they were wanting to make sure that he got the best care possible.

"It was kind of a remarkable turnaround, barely over 24 hours (later) he was heading towards that plane."

Mr Pooley was working at a hospice in the capital, Freetown, but moved to Kenema when he found out other workers at the hospital had died from ebola.

In an interview with a blogger for freetownfashpack.com published earlier this month, he is reported to have said: "It's the easiest situation in the world to make a difference.

"I'm not particularly experienced or skilled, but I can do the job and I am actually helping."

The C17 plane lands at RAF Northolt on Sunday evening

Dr Garry praised William's decision to help. He said: "It's a very honourable thing. He saw the need.

"He read about our nurses who were unfortunately dying there and took it on himself to come over and volunteer and learned how to be as safe as he could.

"But when you work hard like that, when you put in so many hours, you're going to make a mistake and unfortunately that seems to have happened in this case.

"I just hope the best for him, that he can get the best treatment he can get."

The Royal Free Hospital in north London

The Department of Health said he was not "seriously unwell", while health chiefs have insisted that the risk to the public from ebola is "very low".

There have so far been 2,615 confirmed cases and 1,427 deaths in the outbreak in Africa.

Ebola is contracted through contact with an infected person's bodily fluids and there is currently no cure or vaccine.

Symptoms of the virus appear as a sudden onset of fever, headache, sore throat, intense weakness and muscle pain.

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Leaders Meet For Second TV Debate On Scotland

Salmond: The Man Behind The Nationalist

Updated: 9:14am UK, Monday 25 August 2014

Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond was born at home in Linlithgow in 1954, on what is one of the most important days in the Scottish calendar - New Year's Eve.

He was the second of four children born to Robert and Mary Salmond, both of whom were civil servants.

The future Scottish National Party leader attended school locally and then went on to the University of St Andrews where he took his first step towards his lifelong passion for an independent Scotland by joining the Scottish National Party.

Mr Salmond graduated in 1978 with a 2:2 MA honours degree in Economics and Medieval History.

He went to work for the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland in 1978, serving as an assistant economist.

He moved to the Royal Bank of Scotland in 1980, working there as an assistant economist and then being appointed an oil economist - he later combined that role with that of a bank economist.

The early 1980s were a good time personally for Mr Salmond who met and married his wife, Moira, in 1981.

The engineer's daughter was herself a senior civil servant and had been her husband's boss during his time in what was then the Scottish Office.

The couple have no children and Mrs Salmond, who gave up her job at the time of her marriage, is known to prefer to keep a low profile.

Mr Salmond began his political career in 1987 when he was elected MP for Banff & Buchan.

He became leader of the Scottish National Party in 1990 when he beat sole opponent Margaret Ewing by 486 votes.

The General Election of 1992 was a disappointment for the party and its leader when, despite increasing its share of the vote, it failed to win a large number of seats and make the breakthrough it had hoped for.

Following a referendum in 1997 when the Scottish electorate backed the setting up of a Scottish Parliament, Mr Salmond was elected as an MSP in 1999.

But two years later he resigned as leader after being criticised from within the party about a number of fall-outs with party members. He left the Scottish Parliament.

He remained deeply involved in politics, publicly protesting about the 2003 invasion of Iraq in which the UK took part. This was not a new stand; he had also opposed PM Tony Blair's bombing of Serbia in 1999 because it was not backed by a UN Security Council resolution.

In 2004, despite having earlier said he would not be leadership candidate for the SNP, Mr Salmond decided to stand and won the contest with more than 75% of the vote.

After becoming leader of the SNP, he was elected as an MSP for the constituency of Gordon in May 2007, making political history by becoming the first nationalist to be elected First Minister of Scotland.

Mr Salmond lives with his wife in Strichen, Aberdeenshire, and he lists his hobbies as horse racing, football - he supports Scotland and Heart of Midlothian FC - golf and reading.

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Richard Attenborough: Director Dies Aged 90

Tributes are being paid to Oscar-winning director Richard Attenborough, who dominated the British film business for more than half a century.

Lord Attenborough, who won two Academy Awards for directing and producing Gandhi in 1983, died at lunchtime on Sunday.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) described its former president as a "titan of British cinema" who set an example of "industry, skill and compassion" that business would do well to live up to. 

2005: Lord Attenborough with his wife Sheila whom he married when he was 21

He was president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada) and championed the British film business for more than 60 years as an actor, director and prolific movie-maker.

Gandhi was the highlight of his career, winning eight Oscars, including best film. He also directed Young Winston, A Bridge Too Far and Cry Freedom.

As an actor he won acclaim for starring roles in films such as Brighton Rock and 10 Rillington Place. 

Lord 'Dickie' Attenborough was born in Cambridgeshire in 1923 and educated at Wyggeston Grammar School and Emmanuel College Cambridge.

Richard Attenborough was a 'titan' of cinema for decades, says BAFTA

He was the older brother of naturalist Sir David Attenborough.

He married the actress Sheila Sim when he was 21. His son Michael was born in 1949, followed by two daughters, Jane and Charlotte.

Tragedy struck on Boxing Day 2004 when his elder daughter Jane Holland, her daughter Lucy, and her mother-in-law, also Jane, died in the south-Asian tsunami.

Director Steven Spielberg said: "Dickie Attenborough was passionate about everything in his life -  family, friends, country and career. 

With his brother, naturalist David

"He made a gift to the world with his emotional epic Ghandi and he was the perfect ringmaster to bring the dinosaurs back to life as John Hammond in Jurassic Park.

"He was a dear friend and I am standing in an endless line of those who completely adored him."

David Cameron said: "His acting in Brighton Rock was brilliant, his directing of Gandhi was stunning - Richard Attenborough was one of the greats of cinema."

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon, Labour's leader in the House of Lords, said she was "proud" that the actor was a Labour peer.

Former Cabinet minister Peter Hain also paid tribute to the "brilliant actor and film director" who he also hailed as an "anti-Apartheid, Labour and Chelsea Football Club stalwart".

In a statement on their website, Chelsea said: "Chelsea Football Club is tonight deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our Life President Lord Attenborough.

"His personality was woven into the tapestry of the club over seven decades. He will be greatly missed."

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Bank Holiday Weather Alert Over Rain And Wind

A weather alert has been issued as heavy rain and wind threaten travel problems for millions of Britons returning home from a weekend break.

The Met Office has issued a sweeping yellow weather alert for Bank Holiday Monday, predicting significant surface water on roads and gusts of up to 40mph (64kph). 

Meanwhile, overnight temperatures will plummet to freezing point in some areas, with the first frost of the summer arriving in the north this morning.

Tomorrow's weather warning relates to parts of Wales, as well as London, the South East, East and South West of England, although most of the UK will see some rain.

Winds of up to 40mph are expected in some areas

Temperatures will struggle to get above 17C (62.6F) - well below average for August.

Scotland, where it is not a bank holiday, will enjoy the best of the weather tomorrow.

The Met Office said: "Heavy rain is expected to affect many southern areas of Britain at times during Bank Holiday Monday, with strong winds a possible additional factor close to southern coasts.

"The public should be aware that there may be some impacts to holiday traffic and other outdoor activities.

The first frost of the summer is expected to arrive in the north on Sunday

"A complex area of low pressure looks like bringing an unpleasant day's weather to much of the south on Monday.

"Rainfall amounts look like exceeding 20mm quite widely, while a few places might see around 40mm, so there will be a lot of surface water and spray on roads.

"The spray will probably be made worse by strong winds across some southern areas; gusts to around 40mph may occur at some coastal locations although this will depend on the exact track of the low pressure."

More than five million people in the UK are planning an overnight holiday trip this weekend, VisitEngland said.

Around one million people are expected to be drawn to Notting Hill Carnival, one of Europe's biggest street carnival events, today and tomorrow.

Despite a cold start, Sunday's weather will be largely fine across the UK with spells of sunshine and highs of 18C (64.4F).

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Independent Scotland 'Would Have To Join Euro'

Alex Salmond's "only realistic plan B" for the currency of an independent Scotland is the euro, according to shadow chancellor Ed Balls.

Mr Balls reiterated his warning that the Scottish National Party's preference for keeping the pound in a formal currency union with the rest of the UK is "off the table".

The Labour MP, who was against UK entry to the euro when he worked for Gordon Brown, has previously ruled out a currency union if his party wins the next election.

The current Conservative chancellor, George Osborne, and Scottish Liberal Democrat Treasury Secretary Danny Alexander have also dismissed the prospect.

Keeping the pound without a currency union would accelerate "the movement of financial services out of Scotland", Mr Balls told the Observer newspaper.

Meanwhile, new currency would be "very expensive, very risky" and people would "pay a big price in terms of higher interest rates for mortgages", Mr Balls claimed.

Ed Balls ruled out a formal currency union in the newspaper interview

He said: "I fear that an independent Scotland would end up finding that joining the euro would be the least worst of all the bad options.

"It's not what I would choose for Scotland. And I am not surprised at all that Alex Salmond doesn't want to admit it now, but joining the euro would likely be his only realistic plan B."

Mr Balls added: "Given the size of the UK relative to Scotland, given that Scotland would be leaving the UK, the size of the Scottish financial sector and given the risk, therefore, to UK taxpayers, a sterling currency area would be off the table."

Alex Salmond and Alistair Darling will stage another debate on Monday

He urged Mr Salmond "to tell people what plan B is" at his next debate with Better Together leader Alistair Darling, which will be shown on Sky News on Monday.

A spokesman for Mr Salmond told The Observer: "An independent Scotland will keep the pound because it's our currency too, and pensions and public services will be more sustainable after a yes vote because Scotland's economy is stronger than the UK's."

A Better Together spokesman said: "Alex Salmond wants us to vote for independence on the basis of his blind faith and guesswork alone.

"We should say no thanks to taking on so much risk."

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British Ebola Patient 'May Be Flown To UK'

Nigeria Confirms First 'Secondary' Ebola Cases

Updated: 8:47am UK, Sunday 24 August 2014

Ebola fears in Nigeria have heightened after two more people tested positive, despite having no contact with the man who brought the virus into the country.

The infected people are the spouses of a man and woman who had contact with Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian-American who died in July after flying into Abuja and infecting 11 others.

It comes as blood tests confirmed an Irish engineer who died on Thursday did not have ebola.

Dessie Quinn, 43, had been working in Sierra Leone, one of the countries struggling with the current outbreak.

Nigerian officials now have more than 200 potential ebola cases under "surveillance" after the discovery of the secondary infections.

"They were quarantined two days ago," said Health Minister Onyebuchi Chukwu.

"But the other ones that were quarantined along with them have been released.

"Those on treatment (in isolation) currently are four - two primary contacts, two secondary contacts. Presently altogether we have 213 on surveillance."

Patrick Sawyer, 40, died from ebola after becoming sick during a flight to Nigeria from the Liberian capital, Monrovia.

Two doctors, two nurses, and a man who picked him up from Abuja airport also died.

The World Health Organisation said earlier this week it was hopeful over the situation in Nigeria because all the cases there had come from a single chain of transmission.

The country now has 14 confirmed cases, including five deaths.

Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have suffered the worst from the outbreak, accounting for most of the 1,350 fatalities.

Liberian capital Monrovia, in particular, has seen chaotic scenes in recent days as ebola cases increase.

The local crematorium is struggling to burn the infected bodies and is having to send some back to the hospital, according to the Red Cross.

Troops have also fired tear gas to enforce a quarantine zone and prevent looting in the city's huge West Point slum.

A teenage boy, Shakie Kamara, has died after being shot by security forces earlier this week, Information Minister Lewis Brown said on Friday.

Senegal has become the latest country to lock down its border with an ebola-affected neighbour, closing its land border with Guinea.

Decisions to bar widespread use of an experimental ebola drug have caused controversy.

Two Americans, Kent Brantly, 33, and Nancy Writebol, 60, recovered after taking ZMapp, but there are no plans to send it to the heart of the outbreak.

Specialists believe the pair, who were treated in Atlanta, now pose "no public health threat" and will probably be immune to the disease.

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Hospitals Told To End 'Unfair' Parking Charges

Hospitals have been told to give free or cheap parking to the relatives of chronically ill patients.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said new guidelines for English hospitals have been created in order to end the stress of "unfair" charges.

Patients with disabilities, those who have frequent appointments and members of staff working shifts will also benefit from the changes, Mr Hunt said.

The guidelines state hospital trusts should waive fines when an overstay is beyond the control of the driver, for instance if treatment takes longer than planned.

Jeremy Hunt has come under pressure from Tory backbenchers on the issue

Mr Hunt last month admitted he was concerned about parking fees being charged at some hospitals after being pressed by backbenchers to end "rip-off" costs.

The guidance sets out for the first time that hospital trusts are responsible for the actions of any private firms they use to run parking facilities.

It also calls on hospitals to look at introducing pay on exit systems so those visiting only pay for the time they have used.

Mr Hunt said: "Patients and families shouldn't have to deal with the added stress of unfair parking charges.

"These clear ground rules set out our expectations, and will help the public hold the NHS to account for unfair charges or practices."

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