NY Cabbie Sets Up Fund For Crash Victim

A New York taxi driver involved in a crash which left a British woman with part of her leg amputated has denied the accident was his fault.

Sian Green has been recovering from surgery at Bellevue Hospital after she was hit by a yellow cab at the start of a city break on Tuesday.

Mohammed Fasyal Himon blamed the crash on a cyclist, who he claimed pounded on his car and yelled at him.

Mr Himon said he was "very sorry" about the accident as he launched a charity fund for Ms Green with the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers

It has so far raised $3,000 (£1,900).

Mr Himon said: "I am praying for her and her family. But it is not my fault. It is just an accident.

Mr Himon's cab mounted the pavement

"This is what cab drivers have to deal with every day. It could have happened to any of us."

New York police said the cyclist has not been charged.

Ms Green has been praised for her fighting spirit by surgeons, who had to amputate her left foot, while she has undergone treatment to wounds on her other leg as a result of the accident.

Dr Spiros Frangos, a senior trauma surgeon at the hospital, said: "Ms Green had her left leg amputated below the knee as a result of the accident.

"Given the condition of the lower leg, replantation was not an option.

"Her right leg sustained multiple deep lacerations which were also cleaned and repaired and will likely regain most functionality with time and physical therapy."

Ms Green's parents Jason and Sonia, who made a mercy dash to be at their daughter's bedside earlier this week, released a statement through the hospital praising the aid and care their daughter had received.

They said: "There are not enough words to express our gratitude to everyone who has helped our family during this difficult time."

Ms Green was at the start of her holiday when she was hit

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Legal Highs: Ban At Reading Leeds Festival

By Frazer Maude, North of England Correspondent

The parents of a man who died after taking a "legal high" drug have welcomed a decision by the organisers of a music festival to ban the products from their sites.

Christopher Scott, 23, from Swindon, died at the Great Western Hospital in July after taking the chemical marketed as AMT (alpha-Methyltryptamine).

His father Michael says the family are "so pleased" that promoters of the Leeds and Reading Festivals have banned the sale or use of legal highs at the events this weekend.

"Everybody knows illegal drugs - there's a big risk behind them - but as soon as you start saying 'oh it's a legal high' you get the misconception that it's okay," said Michael.

"They think it's not dangerous, it's legal, so it must be fine. And then they get the impression they can take as many as they want."

A photo of Christopher Scott at home of his family

Christopher was a father of three and only after his death did his family find out that his partner was pregnant with his fourth child.

The Government finds it hard to legislate against the drugs, as whenever one is banned the manufacturers only have to make slight changes to the chemical formula in order for the new compound to be legal again.

Former legal highs Mexxy and Black Mamba are now classified as Class B drugs, and are therefore illegal.

Sky News bought a number of the legal highs from a shop in the North of England, including AMT which Mr Scott took.

They are also freely available on the internet.

The websites, sales staff and the packaging of the chemicals all warn that these items are not for human consumption, but are for research purposes.

The drug has been banned at Leeds and Reading Festivals

Melvin Benn, organiser of the Leeds and Reading Festivals, said: "We were happy to fall in line with the Home Office request and not allow these legal highs to be sold on site.

"No one really knows what effects these things have, and of course people are still going to take them. But they won't be buying them from retailers at any of my festivals."

Mr Scott and his family used to make annual visits to the Reading Festival.

Although delighted that the festival has banned the drugs, Mr Scott's father believes more needs to be done.

"The Government needs to really seriously rethink what it's doing with this concept of legal highs. Just the word 'legal' is making everyone think it's ok to do it, that it's fine. It's not," he said.

"I'm never going get my son back. I only had one son and I'm never going to get him back."

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Four Dead In Helicopter Crash Are Named

Police have named the four people who died after a helicopter carrying oil workers ditched into the North Sea.

The victims are: Duncan Munro, 46, from Bishop Auckland; Sarah Darnley, 45, from Elgin; Gary McCrossan , 59, from Inverness; and George Allison, 57, from Winchester.

The Super Puma L2 aircraft went down at 6.20pm on Friday around two miles west of Sumburgh airport as it was returning to Shetland from the Borgsten Dolphin platform.

The helicopter was carrying 16 workers and two crew.

One of the rescued workers is moved on a stretcher

"The bodies of three people have been recovered and work is underway to recover the body of the fourth person," Police Scotland said in a statement.

All the families have been informed.

A search operation involving coastguard, police, RAF and local lifeboats was able to rescue 14 people from the sea, including the two crew. They were taken to Gilbert Bain Hospital in Lerwick for treatment.

"Five were discharged and nine detained overnight either for observation or suffering from exposure," the statement said.

Some of those rescued were able to walk unaided after the rescue

The helicopter is reported to be in several pieces but the wreckage has now been secured by the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution).

Helicopter operator CHC, which operates in 30 countries, said on its website that it was suspending all Super Puma L2 flights worldwide as a precaution.

It said it did not know the cause of the accident, and promised that a "full investigation" would be carried out.

"Also, in deference to the incident and the investigation, we are suspending all flights Saturday by our UK operations," the company said in a statement.

An RNLI spokesman said two of the dead were recovered by a lifeboat crew from Lerwick, Shetland.

A coastguard boat searches the North Sea

"Obviously this is the news that everyone, included our lifeboat volunteers, dreaded - our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of those concerned.

"We can also confirm that one of our lifeboats has also been involved in reclaiming wreckage from the scene as part of the operation."

Amanda Smith, the mother of one of the workers Sam Smith, said her son had telephoned her from hospital after suffering cuts in the crash.

She told Sky News: "He said it seemed to lose power and there was no time to brace, they just dropped into the sea.

"He was by the window so he was able to escape that way as it rolled over.

Several helicopters have been involved in the search operation

"He said he had come off better than a lot of people. It didn't seem real, I would say two hours later it's just beginning to sink in."

CHC said it was flying for oil company Total and that the aircraft lost communication as it approached the airport on the southern tip of Shetland's main island.

A spokesman said: "The aircraft was on approach to Sumburgh Airport at approximately 6.20pm when contact was lost with air traffic control.

Investigators from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch were travelling to the scene.

Jim Nicholson, RNLI rescue co-ordinator, said that the weather was not "particularly good" at the time of the incident.

He said: "There was a fresh wind, not overly strong, visibility is not particularly good and it was misty in the area but I doubt if that would have had any impact on causing whatever happened to the helicopter.

Last year, two Super Puma helicopters ditched in the North Sea only six months apart.

All passengers and crew were rescued in both incidents, which were found to be caused by gearbox problems.

However, the latest incident is the fourth in four years involving Super Puma aircraft.

In April 2009, 16 people died when a helicopter returning from BP's Miller platform crashed 11 miles from Peterhead after a "catastrophic failure" in part of its main gearbox.

The Unite union's Scottish Secretary, Pat Rafferty, has called for an urgent investigation.

"It's unacceptable and it can't go on," he said.

"A full investigation must now take place and the industry's helicopter operators must use every means at their disposal to demonstrate that its fleet is fit for purpose."

:: CHC has set up a helpline for concerned relatives on 01224 296 866.

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Dave Lee Travis In Court On Assault Charges

Veteran DJ Dave Lee Travis has arrived at Westminster Magistrates Court charged with 12 counts of sexual offences.

The 68-year-old, whose real name is David Patrick Griffin, is accused of committing the offences between 1977 and 2007 against alleged victims aged between 15 and 29.

Travis, from Mentmore in Bedfordshire, has denied any wrongdoing since he was first arrested on suspicion of sexual offences in November last year.

When prosecutors announced the charges, his lawyer Martin Bale released a statement to say: "Mr Travis is naturally disappointed that charges have been preferred and we will be taking stock of the position in the coming weeks once we have full details of the prosecution case.

"Mr Travis denies the allegations and looks forward to having the opportunity to clear his name."

He was charged as part of Operation Yewtree, the police investigation prompted by the Jimmy Savile abuse scandal, but the accusations against Travis have no connection to the disgraced television presenter.

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One In 10 Five-Year-Olds Has A Mobile Phone

Nearly one in 10 children has a mobile phone by the time they are five years old, according to a new study.

On average, youngsters are bought their first handset at the age of 11, soon after starting secondary school.

However, some 9% of parents said they bought their children a phone when they were five.

The study by comparison site uSwitch.com also found that mums and dads spend an average £125 on their children's gadgets - and around £246 on their own mobiles.

But despite the cost, 42% said they did not pay close attention to their children's phone bills.

Only a quarter capped their youngster's contracts, while just 3% said they disabled the data function on their phones so that they could only be used for making calls or sending text messages.

Children spend an average £11 per month on their mobiles - less than parents who spend £19.

However, more than one in 10 (11%) of youngsters spends more than their mother or father, the research showed.

The study - of 1,420 parents with children aged under 16 - also revealed that parents were likely to spend more money on their first-born's phone and bills than on those of any younger siblings.

Ernest Doku, a telecoms expert at uSwitch.com, said: "As well as arming kids with mobiles for emergencies and peace of mind, I'd imagine that many parents have bought their kids smartphones just to stop them commandeering their own when bored."

He suggested parents cap their children's mobile bills, adding: "Make sure that when they're at home, your kids are browsing the web using wi-fi instead of consuming data by connecting to the internet via 3G or 4G."

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Bin Bag Stuffed With Cash Found On Doorstep

A bin bag stuffed with thousands of pounds of cash has been left on the doorstep of a former vicarage.

North Yorkshire Police will not reveal the exact amount of money in the sack that was handed in to officers on Tuesday.

A spokesman said Tuesday was bin collection day in that part of the city.

Officers are appealing for the public's help to work out what has happened.

Detective Inspector Andrea Kell, of York CID, said: "This is a very unusual find which remains unexplained and we would like to find out where the money came from and rule out any criminal connection."

Det Insp Kell said the bag was found outside the former vicarage at 10am and she believes it was left at some point during that morning.

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Millions To Share £1.3bn Bank Compensation

Regulators have confirmed a compensation fund of £1.3bn for up to seven million victims of another insurance mis-selling scandal.

The announcement, which was made 12 hours after Sky News was handed details of the Financial Conduct Authority's agreement with banks, outlined how Card Protection Plan Limited (CPP) and 13 high street banks and credit card issuers would pay.

The FCA said the mis-selling centred on CPP's Card Protection and Identity Protection policies between 2005 and 2011 - with many people not even needing the cover.

York-based CPP - which has already been fined £10.5m for its behaviour - was brought to the brink of bankruptcy by the case but secured a new £36m financing deal with its lenders last month to assure its future.

The FCA said today: "Customers were given misleading and unclear information about the policies so that they bought cover that either was not needed, or to cover risks that had been greatly exaggerated.

CPP needed new funding to survive the mis-selling scandal

"As well as CPP selling directly to customers, high street banks and credit card issuers introduced millions of customers to CPP," the regulator said.

It named those institutions as Bank of Scotland, Barclays, Canada Square Operations (formerly Egg), Capital One, Clydesdale, Home Retail Group Insurance Services, HSBC, MBNA, Morgan Stanley, Nationwide Building Society, Santander UK, The Royal Bank of Scotland and Tesco Personal Finance.

The scandal - while already in the public domain - marks another round of compensation by banks for their past behaviour in the wake of the mis-selling of Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) which may eventually cost UK banks a total of £20bn.

This means redress itself is not expected to be paid out until Spring 2014. The time between now and then will be spent seeking Court approval of the Scheme and ensuring CPP customers' voices are heard.

The compensation scheme must be approved by victims

Martin Wheatley, chief executive of the FCA, commented: "We have been encouraged that, working closely with the FCA and despite their different business needs, a large number of firms have voluntarily come together to create a redress scheme that will provide a fair outcome for customers.

"This kind of collaborative and responsible approach is a good example of how firms are taking more responsibility and helping - step by step - to rebuild trust.

"We believe this will be a good outcome for customers who may have been mis-sold the card and identity protection policies.

"Subject to CPP's customers approving the scheme, these policy holders will be able to claim a full refund of premiums with interest."

The FCA added that if the scheme were approved, it could start making payments to victims from spring 2014.

A CPP spokesperson added: "Our priority is to achieve the best outcome for customers affected by these historic issues and ensure customers receive a fair and high quality end-to-end service."

Shares in the company plunged more than 20% today at one stage as investors balked at the cost of the redress scheme.

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GCSE Results: Record Fall In Top Grades

The proportion of GCSEs awarded at least a C grade has suffered its biggest fall in the exam's 25-year history.

For the second year in a row. the number of pupils given an A*-C grade has dropped - down 1.3% on last year to 68.1%.

The number of A* grades awarded was also lower, falling 0.5% on last year from 7.3 to 6.8%, according to official figures.

The figures show that the overall A*-G pass rate also fell slightly this year, to 98.8% compared to 99% last year.

In contrast to last week's A-level results, girls are still outperforming boys at GCSE and achieved better results at A*-C across every subject.

The national picture emerged as hundreds of thousands of teenagers across England, Wales and Northern Ireland received their results.

The fall in top grades comes amid major upheaval in the exam system.

It is thought a huge rise in entries among 15-year-olds, changes in science and an increase in those doing international GCSEs led to the dip.

The number of 15-year-olds taking the exam has rocketed by 91,000 in just a year.

In maths, thousands of pupils also sat the exam more than once. Almost 90,000 were entered for at least three and two sat it eight times.

Major overhaul: Michael Gove

More children took exams in languages and humanities subjects with the overall number of GCSEs taken up 4.2% on last year.

But there was a fall in the number scoring at least a C in key subjects, including English, maths and science.

In English, 63.6% achieved a C or higher, down from 64.1% in 2012, as 61,000 more entries were recorded in the subject - more than two-fifths were from pupils aged 15.

The Joint Council of Qualifications (JCQ) said there had been "significant early and repeated entries" in maths, with more than half a million before the summer exams.

Results for 16-year-olds were "virtually unchanged" but those for 15-year-olds showed a decline. Overall, 57.6% of entries scored A*-C - down from 58.4%.

Moves by Ofqual to toughen up qualifications prompted a 7.6% fall in the number of entries achieving a top grade in science.

This is the first summer results have been given for the revamped GCSEs, which were changed after a 2009 report by the regulator found they were too easy.

There was a "dramatic" rise in entry levels for modern languages, with French up 15.5%, German up 9.4% and Spanish up 25.8%.

This could be due to the introduction of the English Baccalaureate, which is awarded to pupils with at least a C in English, maths, science, history or geography and a foreign language.

JCQ director Michael Turner said: "This year's upturn in languages will be welcomed across the education sector and beyond. Not since 2008 have there been this many entries in languages.

"However, it remains to be seen if this is the start of a trend and if more students decide to continue to study a language at A-level."

Experts raised concerns about the number of 15-year-olds taking the exams.

Andrew Hall of the exam board AQA asked: "Why oh why do we now got a significant increase in 15-year-olds taking GCSE?" and said it "needs to be looked at".

Mark Dawe, from another exam board OCR added: "Early entry does not benefit the students. The results are far lower for 15-year-olds.

"These qualifications are designed for 16-year-olds. Students should be left to learn for those two years and that is what we would encourage."

Mr Hall said pupils taking repeat and multiple entries was "really damaging education in this country".

Some schools have already reported record grades.

King's College School in Wimbledon, a private boys' school, said 96% of its entries had scored an A* or A, with 35 pupils each gaining 12 or more A* grades in their GCSEs and IGCSEs.

At Wellington College in Berkshire, half of results were at A*, with 82% of entries gaining an A* or A grade.

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Prison Guard Siege: Three Inmates Charged

Three prisoners will be charged with allegedly taking a guard hostage after an investigation by counter-terror police.

Feroz Khan, Fuad Awale and David Watson, who were all inmates at HMP Full Sutton in North Yorkshire, are accused of false imprisonment on May 26 when they are said to have held a prison officer against his will.

Khan and Awale are also accused of threatening to kill the officer, and Khan will be charged with grievous bodily harm on the guard, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm on a second officer.

Rakesh Sarin, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Following an investigation by the police's north east counter terrorism unit, the Crown Prosecution Service has authorised charges against three men currently detained in prison.

"It is alleged that on May 26 2013 Feroz Khan, Fuad Awale and David Watson, all of whom were at that time prisoners at HMP Full Sutton, unlawfully imprisoned a prison officer and detained him against his will. They will be jointly charged with one count of false imprisonment, contrary to common law.

"A number of demands were made during the incident which resulted in the case being handled by counter-terrorism officers and specialist prosecutors."

All three men are due to appear by videolink at Westminster Magistrates' Court.

Mr Sarin said: "Feroz Khan will also be charged with making a threat to kill the prison officer, and one charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm on him. He will further be charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm on a second prison officer.

"Fuad Awale will also be charged with making a threat to kill the first prison officer.

"All these offences are alleged to have taken place during the same incident on May 26 this year."

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Skin Cancer Death Rates 70% Higher Among Men

Hundreds more men die from the most serious form of skin cancer than women - despite similar numbers being diagnosed with the disease each year.

Latest figures from Cancer Research UK show death rates from malignant melanoma are 3.4 per 100,000 men - 70% higher than the 2.0 figure for women.

Incidence rates are similar, with 17.2 men per 100,000 diagnosed compared with 17.3 women.

The figures mean that, of the 6,200 men who develop melanoma each year, 1,300 die from the disease, while 900 of the 6,600 women who develop it die.

Experts say that since the early 1970s, death rates in men have increased by 185% compared to a rise of only 55% in women.

And Professor Julia Newton-Bishop, a Cancer Research UK dermatologist, said key risk factors for melanoma included excessive exposure to UV from sunlight or sunbeds, pale skin colour and a high number of moles, and a family or personal history of the disease.

"Research has suggested the difference between the sexes could be in part because men are more likely to be diagnosed when melanoma is at a more advanced stage," she said.

"But there also seem to be strong biological reasons behind the differences and we're working on research to better understand why men and women's bodies deal with their melanomas in different ways.

"We also know that men and women tend to develop melanoma in different places - more often on the back and chest for men and on the arms and legs for women. If melanoma does develop on your back then it may be more difficult to spot - asking your partner to check your back is a good idea."

Sara Hiom, director of early diagnosis at Cancer Research UK, said: "One of the reasons for the difference may be attitudes towards seeing a doctor. We tend to be reluctant to 'waste the doctor's time - men are especially likely to put it off.

"If something goes wrong with the car then you sort it out straight away. The same should go for you - if you, or your partner, notice any unusual or persistent changes then see your GP. The key thing is to get to know your skin and what's normal for you so you're more likely to notice something out of the ordinary.

"It's also essential to take care not to burn, particularly given the sunny weather we've had this summer. Sunburn is a clear sign that the DNA in your skin cells has been damaged and, over time, this can lead to skin cancer.

"When the sun is strong, pop on a t-shirt, spend some time in the shade and use a sunscreen with at least SPF15 and good UVA protection - the higher the star rating, the better.

"These habits are particularly important for young men and women, because it's far better to prevent skin cancer in the first place. That means avoiding sunbeds, as well as taking care in the sun. Research has shown that using sunbeds for the first time before 35 can increase your risk of malignant melanoma by nearly 60%."

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