Philip Hammond Unsure About F-35 Order

By David Bowden, Senior Correspondent

British operational military pilots have begun flying what is being touted as the world's most advanced stealth fighter jet, the F-35.

But even as they take to the skies, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond has given the clearest indication yet that the UK may not now buy all the jets it had planned. 

Speaking exclusively to Sky News, Mr Hammond pledged that the first 48 aircraft on order at a cost of around £100m each would be bought to service the new Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers from 2020.

But he would not commit to a further 90 planes, which had originally been proposed.

He said: "It's dependent on politics, money and the state of the world, but it's also dependent on what is not yet clearly known, what the mix between manned fighter jets and unmanned aircraft is going to be."

Mr Hammond said there were two trains of thought, one suggesting an 80/20 split of manned to unmanned aircraft in future, the other suggesting the exact opposite.

He said the final decision would determine how many manned F-35s the UK could buy.

The Defence Secretary interrupted a visit to Washington to meet his recently appointed US counterpart Chuck Hagel and fly to the Naval Air Station at Patuxent River in Maryland where the F-35, or the Lightning II as it will be known in Britain, is being tested.

Philip Hammond inspected the F-35 after meeting US counterpart Chuck Hagel

Mr Hammond looked on as former Harrier pilot Pete "Wizzer" Wilson, who now works for defence contractor Bae Systems, which is part of the project team for the F-35, demonstrated the 'B' variant of the aircraft, which is capable of a short take-off and vertical landing.

In Florida at Eglin Air Force Base in the northwest of the state, the first UK military operational pilots began flying the F-35B just six weeks ago.

There are only two of them - Lt Commander Ian "Tidders" Tidball from the Royal Navy and Squadron Leader Frankie Buchler from the RAF.

Both have vast experience on other types of fast jets - Tidball on Sea Harriers and F-18s, Bulcher on the Jaguar and latterly Typhoon aircraft.

After frustrating delays due to problems with the test aircraft and then the weather, both British pilots are now qualified to fly the F-35.

Lt Commander Tidball told me after his qualifying flight: "Having come back from the Harrier and F-18, the aircraft handles absolutely exceptionally, very responsive even in these bumpy conditions."

Squadron Leader Buchler is also a fan of the new jet, parts of which are still classified and Sky News was not allowed to film.

He said: "Its awesome, a boyhood dream. I've always wanted to fly the best fast jets in the world and here we are with a fantastic platform and I'm lucky enough to be one of the first guys from the UK flying it. It's better than working for a living."

The F-35B after its first landing on an Atlantic Ocean aircraft carrier

The British pilots fly two of the three UK jets so far delivered. But it will be another five years before the first squadron, based at RAF Marham, is set up on UK soil.

In the meantime 17 squadron will be the first UK unit to fly the F-35B out of Edwards Air Force base in California from next year.

The F-35 programme comprises three variants in all.

The A model is the "base" model and will be flown predominantly by the US Air Force, the B variant, which the UK is buying, will also be flown by the US Marine Corps, while the C or Carrier variant, is adapted with "cat and trap" equipment to fly on and off American aircraft carriers.

The bulk of the projected orders will come from the US - close to 2,500 planes - with the UK originally due to buy 138 in total and the other "partner" nations, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, Australia, Denmark and Norway, due to buy about 500 between them.

The projections from Lockheed Martin, the lead contractor, suggest that including sales to other "coalition" countries there will be 3,922 F-35s sold during its planned 30-year production run.

That's good news for the UK economy too, because 15% by value of each sale comes to these shores, largely through the contribution of Bae systems in Lancashire, where much of the tail of every F-35 is manufactured.

The biggest danger to the programme at the moment is the immense cost, estimated at £2.5bn so far, given that defence budgets across the world - particularly in the West - are being slashed.

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NHS 111: Patient Deaths Under Investigation

The deaths of three people are under investigation in connection with the NHS 111 non-emergency phone line, according to a report in the general practitioners trade magazine Pulse.

The magazine reported that at least 22 possible "serious untoward incidents" (or SUIs) related to NHS 111 have been reported since the launch of the service.

Those incidents included three where a patient died, the magazine has claimed.

Two of the deaths occurred in the East Midlands, and one in the West Midlands.

The deaths reportedly include the case of a 47-year-old who died from a suspected overdose.

That death occurred after relatives contacted NHS 111 requesting mental health assistance, Pulse reported. 

A further 19 possible SUIs have been recorded by providers or commissioners, the magazine added.

Rolled out across most of the country last month, the NHS 111 service is for people urgently seeking medical help or advice but who are not in a life-threatening situation.

The service was introduced to replace NHS Direct in England and is meant to ease pressure on emergency 999 call centres.

NHS England said they could not verify the data reported in Pulse, however they have issued a statement in response to the magazine's report.

"The safety of patients must be our paramount concern and NHS England will keep a careful eye on the situation to ensure NHS 111 provides not only a good service to the public, but one which is also safe," the statement read.

Earlier this week, NHS England announced a review of the 111 service.

A spokesman said: "The performance standards which have been introduced for NHS 111 represent a gold standard which the majority of NHS 111 services in England are now meeting, though in some areas performance is still unacceptable, especially at weekends.

"Some local providers of NHS 111 have not provided the prompt, reliable service the public need and want.

"NHS England's board is determined to ensure that the public have access to a gold standard NHS 111 service wherever they live in England."

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Derby: Body Found In Chimney Of Law Firm

The body of a man, believed to be a burglar, has been found in the chimney of a law firm.

Staff at Moody & Woolley Solicitors in St Mary's Gate, Derby, called police after being alerted to the body by the smell, the Derby Telegraph reported.

Officers were sent to the building on Thursday afternoon and sealed off the area while they removed the man.

Police are treating the death as unexplained.

Staff at the firm told the local paper they noticed a gap in the wall in an unused part of the building about a month ago and thought it looked as if someone had tried to break in.

Julie Marson, senior partner at Moody & Woolley, told the Derby Telegraph it appeared to be an "awful" tragedy.

She said: "It's such a dreadful way for anybody to die, regardless of what the chap was trying to do."

A Derbyshire Police spokesman said: "Officers are working to establish the identity of the man and inform his family.

"The death is being treated as unexplained."

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New Taskforce To Tackle Roadwork Woes

By Enda Brady, Sky Correspondent

A new taskforce has been set up to try to reduce the cost and the disruption caused by roadworks across Britain.

The latest research shows that £435m of taxpayers' money has been wasted over the past two years as a result of contractors poorly resurfacing trenches after digging up roads.

It is estimated that this amount of cash would fill in the equivalent of eight million potholes.

The taskforce - comprising councils, utility companies and business representatives - was formed after a roadworks summit called by the Local Government Association.

"Most roadworks are essential and in many cases carried out efficiently and to a good standard," said Cllr Peter Box, chairman of the LGA's Economy and Transport Board.

"However, all too often the rush to get on to the next job leaves in its wake patches of shoddy resurfacing.

Some 20% of roadworks last year were considered not up to standard

"Not only is the taxpayer left to foot the bill to do the resurfacing properly, it means needless frustration for motorists and thousands of pounds in lost trade for small businesses.

"For many years people have been complaining about these problems, but very little has changed. Hopefully now that the councils, utility companies and businesses have agreed to work together something will be done so the disruption and frustration of motorists and traders is kept to a minimum."

Last year 20% of their work was not up to standard meaning they had to be redone properly at the expense of local councils, causing more disruption and delays. This was up 3% on 2011.

Another problem is the same stretch of road being dug up by different companies in quick succession, rather than carrying out their work in the same trench.

The new taskforce will aim to use new technology to better coordinate projects and monitor the contractors' performance.

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Local Elections: Key Test Of Political Mood

By Adam Boulton, Political Editor

Local elections will be held today in England and Wales, with the contests set to provide a mid-term snapshot of the political mood.

The votes fall almost exactly two years before the next general election, due on May 7, 2015, and come three years into the coalition's term in power.

Close attention will be paid to the performance of the latest insurgent fourth party in English politics - the UK Independence Party (UKIP).

But the results will also be scrutinised carefully by the mainstream parties; Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.

Almost all of the councils with elections - 34 out of 35 - are in England, and the Conservatives currently control 29 of those.

A similar picture emerges from the parliamentary map of the areas concerned, with the Tories accounting for 202 of the 253 local MPs.

The other council being elected is Anglesey.

The vote is happening a year later than the rest of Wales because the Welsh Government sent in appointed commissioners to run local affairs after a series of scandals involving the old council.

The last time the English council seats were contested was 2009, when the political scene was very different.

At the time, Gordon Brown's Labour government was unpopular and both David Cameron and Nick Clegg were riding high.

The Conservatives therefore have to defend strong performances and the party is braced for significant losses.

Ahead of today's votes, the Tories hold 1452 of the total 2392 council seats in contention, the Liberal Democrats 481 and Labour just 245.

Local issues will dominate in many of the council battles but the parties have also campaigned strongly at national level, where the main issue has been the economy.

Only six of the 35 councils, and the South Shields by-election, will see votes counted overnight, meaning most of the results will not come in until Friday afternoon.

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Interest-Only Borrowers Face 'Wake-Up Call'

Homeowners with interest-only mortgages due to be paid before 2020 need to "act now" to ensure they have enough money to pay their loans back, a report says.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) fears that consumers are under-estimating the scale of the problem, with around 260,000 people thought to have no strategy in place for repaying their loan.

Consumer campaigners also raised concerns that a "significant" number of people claimed to be unaware how their loan was meant to be paid back when they took the product out and called for further work to make sure some borrowers were not mis-sold deals.

13% of borrowers were unaware they needed an interest-only repayment plan

Mortgage lenders have agreed to alert their most at-risk customers to help them avoid "payment shocks". Some of them could end up having to sell their home to pay the loan back if they do not take stronger control of their repayment planning.

Around 2.6 million interest-only mortgages are due for repayment over the next 30 years but research has revealed that one in 10 people on such a deal have no plan for paying the money back.

The report said it was not clear how well some borrowers understood the discussions about how the mortgage was meant to be repaid when they took the deal out.

Some 13% of interest-only borrowers said they were not aware when they took out the deal that they needed a plan in place to repay the whole amount borrowed, not just the interest - and a further 6% were unsure.

However, those who said they were unaware of the need for a repayment strategy were more likely to have taken out the deal longer ago and just one in 40 people (2.5%) who said they were unaware still has no repayment plan in place.

Richard Lloyd, executive director of consumer group Which?, said: "We're worried that a significant proportion of consumers say they did not know they needed a separate repayment plan on their interest-only mortgage."

The FCA said that the regulator is concentrating its efforts on making sure that the people whose interest-only mortgages are maturing will have a way of paying their loan back.

Mortgage lenders will contact homeowners considered most at risk

It is thought that despite the report's findings, there are no particular jumps in mortgage complaints figures to suggest that the way that interest-only mortgages were sold was a widespread problem.

A Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) spokeswoman said that the body's focus will be on helping those who still have no strategy in place for repaying their mortgage.

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Prestatyn Fire: Downstairs Neighbour Guilty

A woman has been convicted of starting a fire that killed five members of a family in Prestatyn, north Wales.

Melanie Smith, 43, was found guilty at Mold Crown Court of murdering two adults and three children after she started a fire following a row about a pram.

Smith, who had denied the charges, will be sentenced on May 8.

Sky News Correspondent Adele Robinson said Smith shouted "Oh my God, no!" as the verdict was being read out.

She then appeared to collapse into the security guard on her right.

Lee-Anna Shiers, 20, her four-year-old nephew, Bailey, and two-year-old niece, Skye, died in the arson attack at their home on October 19 last year.

Charlie Timbrell died in hospital

Firefighters managed to get Ms Shiers's 15-month-old son Charlie and his father Liam Timbrell, 23, from the first-floor flat, but they died later in hospital.

The jury returned the verdict after almost 15 hours of deliberations.

In addition to five counts of murder, Smith was also convicted of one count of making threats of arson.

Some relatives of the victims cried, while others shouted "Yes!" In the public gallery on a balcony above the courtroom there was also a short outburst of "No!"

Bailey and Skye Allen

Smith lived in the flat below the victims.

Prosecutors say she deliberately set fire to a push chair because she was angry that Ms Shiers had left it in their shared hallway.

The court was told she carried out the "terrible and wicked deed" because she was "drunk and angry", disillusioned with her boyfriend, very unhappy in her flat and jealous of the woman who lived upstairs.

During the trial, the court heard a harrowing 999 call made by Mr Timbrell from the burning building, during which he was heard shouting: "Oh my God, oh my God! We're going to die."

The house after the blaze

The jury also heard that Mr Timbrell told paramedics that "it was arson" and "it was Mel from downstairs".

Smith had "demonstrated anger and hostility" towards Ms Shiers and had threatened to set the house on fire following a series of rows, jurors heard.

Speaking outside court, Ms Shiers' parents, Joy and Peter Shiers, said they were "overjoyed" with the verdicts.

Mrs Shiers, who has attended every day of the trial, said: "I'm sorry for her (Smith's) family but for me and my family, we are so happy that we have got justice."

"There's no reason for what happened and we're never going to get a reason because she's still saying she's not done anything," she added.

Ms Shiers with Liam Timbrell

"Anna was such a lovely, bubbly girl and Liam a very caring dad.

"Both of them were heroes because we know they would have done everything to rescue the children.

"The three kiddies loved each other, they played together all the time. They were our angels. Really, really nice people that will be missed."

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Breast Implants 'Raise Cancer Death Risk'

Women who have breast implants and go on to develop breast cancer have a greater risk of dying from the disease than those without, a new study of 12 women suggests.

Researchers say that patients with cosmetic implants have a 38% higher risk of dying from breast cancer than women who do not have implants.

The small study, published on the British Medical Journal's website, also found that women with implants could be diagnosed with breast cancer at a later stage than those without.

Previous research has suggested that implants can make it more difficult to detect cancer at an early stage because they can create shadows on mammograms that obscure breast tissue.

The authors, based in Canada, examined data from 12 studies relating to the stage at which breast cancer is diagnosed in patients with and without breast augmentation.

They found that women with cosmetic breast implants had a 26% increased risk of being diagnosed at a later stage of cancer than women without implants.

They also looked at a further five studies and found that women with implants had a 38% greater risk of death from breast cancer.

Researchers stressed the study was too small to be conclusive

However, the authors stressed that the findings should be treated with caution because some of the studies did not adjust for other variables.

They called for further investigations into the long-term health effects of breast implants.

A statement released by the authors said: "The results show a higher risk of breast cancer-specific mortality among women with breast cancer who have implants compared with women with breast cancer without implants.

"Nevertheless, the overall estimate should still be interpreted with caution because this meta-analysis included a relatively small number of studies."

Fazel Fatah, president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, said: "As the authors themselves conclude, the results of this statistical analysis of previously published papers should be treated with caution.

"The study only demonstrates an association of reduced survival rate from non-localised (advanced) breast cancer in women with breast implants rather than a cause.

"Further studies are required to see if other forms of breast scanning, such as MRI, could be preferable to mammography in women who have breast implants."

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Motorway Death: Boy's Family 'Devastated'

Relatives of a 13-year-old who was found dead on a motorway have described him as a quiet boy who had a passion for bikes and loved his family.

Michael Easton was discovered in the early hours of Saturday on the westbound carriageway of the M9, between junction five and six at Grangemouth in Scotland.

Floral tributes have been left by friends and family

His family said in a statement that they were "utterly devastated".

"Michael was a quiet and well-behaved boy, who never caused any trouble and who would have helped anybody. He loved his family deeply," said the statement released through police in Forth Valley.

Forensic experts on the M9

"He was a popular young boy who had a keen interest in biking. One of his prized possessions was his scooter and he and his friends spent several hours each week riding around Grangemouth.

"It is difficult not knowing exactly what happened to Michael and we would ask that anyone who knows anything that can help the police with their investigation to pick up the phone."

Police say they are continuing to investigate the circumstances around Michael's death and have appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

He was last seen in Grangemouth town centre at around 9.50pm on Friday.

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Stephen Lawrence Murder: New Police Appeal

Police are launching a fresh bid to convict all those who may have been involved in the murder of teenager Stephen Lawrence.

The latest appeal comes in the wake of the 20th anniversary of the death of 18-year-old in Eltham on April 22 in 1993.

On the BBC programme Crimewatch later, Detective Chief Inspector Clive Driscoll will run viewers through the events of the night he died in a bid to jog the memory of anyone who may have seen anything suspicious.

The programme also features an interview with Stephen's mother, Doreen, who talks about why it remains so important for any outstanding witnesses to come forward.

Gary Dobson and David Norris were convicted of Stephen's murder in January 2012, but police still believe that others were involved.

They are particularly keen to speak to witnesses who they have been told were nearby at the time.

They include two men who got off a bus at a stop opposite where Stephen was attacked, another man who was walking towards the attack and anyone else in the area around the Coronet Cinema.

Stephen is thought to have been set upon by up to six white youths in an unprovoked racist attack as he waited at a bus stop at Well Hall Road.

Gary Dobson, left, and David Norris were convicted of murder last year

After an initial confrontation, he ran to Dickson Road where he was fatally stabbed. He managed to run another 130 yards before collapsing.

The suspects escaped down Dickson Road. Stephen was taken to Brook Hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

Police believe it is impossible that all those who saw what took place have come forward and spoken to them. As a result, they are asking people to come forward.

DCI Driscoll said: "Although two individuals are serving a life sentence in connection with this murder, we have always known there were other people involved in the attack.

"As such, this investigation remains open and my team is committed to pursuing all viable lines of inquiry available to us. It is hoped this appeal will assist with our inquiries.

"We believe there were people in the area that night who may have seen something. Not the murder itself necessarily but events or individuals leading up to the event.

"I am taking this opportunity to appeal directly to those people to come forward and speak to us.

"You may think you won't remember something from so long ago, but we would still implore you to come forward."

The teenager's death sparked a change in how race crimes are investigated

The initial investigation resulted in five suspects being arrested, but no one was convicted. In 1994, the Lawrence family took out a private prosecution, but were unsuccessful.

In 1997, at the inquest, all of the then five suspects refused to answer questions.

The same year, after extensive discussion of the case in the media, the Government instigated the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry, conducted by Sir William Macpherson, which rewrote how the police investigated racially motivated crime.

A cold review in 2006 resulted in new evidence being found. As a result, in 2011, a new trial was started which led to the conviction of Dobson and Norris in 2012.

Dobson was jailed for 15 years and two months and Norris received 14 years and three months.

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British Pilot Goes Missing Over Mediterranean

A light plane piloted by a 66-year-old Briton has gone missing over the Mediterranean Sea, French authorities have said.

The Tobago aircraft, with just the pilot on board, took off from Cannes in the south of France on Friday.

It was heading for Salerno in southern Italy.

Officials said: "The last radar signal indicated the plane was around 50km (31 miles) to the south of Cannes."

Despite efforts by French and Italian naval authorities, neither the pilot nor the plane have been detected since.

The pilot was flying a Tobago similar to this one (File picture: Huhu Uet)

Air searches were called off at 2pm local time on Saturday, but a ship remained in the area until the evening to continue the search.

The pilot has not been named.

Another pilot was killed on Saturday afternoon when a small aircraft crashed in a field at the Army Aviation Centre in Middle Wallop, Hampshire.

Hampshire police and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) are investigating.

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Kate Middleton: Duchess Makes Video Appeal

The Duchess of Cambridge has given her first ever video message to appeal for support for a campaign for children's hospices.

In the message, aired for the first time today, the Duchess urges people to support Children's Hospice Week.

The campaign, which runs until Friday, is run by UK children's palliative care charity Together for Short Lives.

In the video, which lasts just under two minutes, pregnant Kate, who is Royal Patron of East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH), says she has seen first-hand the "transformational" work done for children and their families.

Wearing a black dress with a white Peter Pan collar, she says: "As Patron of East Anglia's Children's Hospices I have been fortunate to see at first hand the remarkable work that they do for children and young people with life-limiting conditions, and their families. It is simply transformational.

"There are 49 children's hospice services across the UK, all providing similar invaluable and life-enhancing care to thousands of families.

"Children's Hospice Week is a time to recognise, celebrate and support the inspirational work of those hospices, and those who provide palliative care to these children and families.

"Children's hospices provide lifelines to families at a time of unimaginable pain. The support they give is vital.

The Duchess during a visit to a children's hospice in 2012.

Children's Hospice Week culminates with "Superhero Friday" - a special day of hero-inspired fundraising.

Barbara Gelb, chief executive of Together for Short Lives, welcomed the Duchess of Cambridge's support.

She said: "I know this extraordinary backing will mean so much to all the UK's 49,000 children with palliative care needs and their families and will really help raise awareness of what these families need, today and in the future.

EACH supports families and cares for children and young people with life-threatening conditions across Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk, providing care and support wherever families wish - in their own homes, in hospital or at one of its hospices.

It is just one of several charities of which Kate is a patron, and the video includes clips of her on visits to its hospices.

Chief executive Graham Butland said: "The Duchess of Cambridge in her role as Royal Patron has brought great benefits to EACH.

"Her Royal Highness's involvement helps us to celebrate and raise awareness of the care and support we provide to life-threatened children and their families across East Anglia.

"To have our work recognised in this way has also given a great boost to the families we support, as well as our staff, supporters and volunteers."

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