Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 11 April 2015 | 10.19
The driver of a stolen ambulance has been killed after the vehicle crashed into a double-decker bus near York, according to Sky sources.
The person driving the ambulance - who police believe was not a paramedic or a member of ambulance staff - was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the bus and five of its 16 passengers were taken to hospital after the collision on the A64, near the Flaxton junction, about 8.30pm.
Their injuries were not life-threatening.
Another person, travelling in a Toyota Yaris with one other, was taken to hospital as a precaution.
Motorists have been asked to stay away from the area.
North Yorkshire Police tweeted: "The A64 at #York, near the Flaxton junction, is closed in both directions due to a serious collision. Please avoid the area."
Police have urged anyone who witnessed the crash or saw either of the vehicles beforehand to contact police and quote reference number 556 of 10 April.
David Cameron has pledged to protect the NHS by meeting its funding needs "in full" and Labour is to announce plans to provide an extra 3,000 midwives to guarantee one-to-one maternity care.
While the countdown to the too close-to-call general election continues, the main parties are trying to win over crucial undecided voters for whom the NHS is a key issue.
The Prime Minister has promised to fund the five-year reform plan put forward by NHS chief executive Simon Stevens by pumping at least an extra £8bn a year into the health service by 2020.
This will mean that over-75s will be guaranteed same-day access to GPs, patients will be able to see doctors out of regular office hours and the NHS will provide a full range of services seven days a week, according to Mr Cameron.
Mr Stevens predicted in a report in October that, if health spending rose only at the rate of inflation, growing demand for care would leave the NHS in England with a £30bn funding gap by 2020.
Video:A&E Waiting Times On The Rise
He said around £22bn of that could be met through "efficiencies", but the remainder would have to come from government funds.
Up to now only the Liberal Democrats had committed to finding the extra money.
Mr Cameron said his track record showed he could be trusted to protect the NHS, with annual spending up £7.3bn in real terms but he did not say where the extra funding needed would come from.
Speaking about his severely disabled son Ivan, who died in 2009, Mr Cameron added: "As someone who's been supported by the NHS at the most difficult time in my life, I'm utterly committed to ensuring it is there for everyone when they need it too.
"That's why I'm backing the NHS's own plan with the cash required to ensure it can continue to deliver an amazing service to patients and their families in the future."
Video:Row Over Tory Record On GPs
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said a strong economy was needed to support a strong NHS.
He added: "We need to do much more to ensure our vulnerable elderly can be treated in the community.
"That is why we are building on our decision to bring back named GPs for the over 75s, by ensuring that as a part of this they are guaranteed a same day GP service when they need it.
"This means family doctors can focus on giving elderly people the care they need and prevent unnecessary trips to hospital."
But a Labour Party spokesman said: "The Tories are briefing the same story they've done five times before. There is still no firm commitment, still no idea where the money coming from - and they still can't be trusted on NHS."
Video:Tories Try To 'Pull Wool Over Eyes'
And a Lib Dem spokesman said: "The Conservative ideological obsession with cutting the size of the state means they cannot afford this unfunded spending commitment.
"The Liberal Democrats are the only party who has committed to giving the NHS the £8bn it needs and have set out how we will pay for it.
"Tory spending plans will not help the NHS but rather destroy vital public service and decimate basic entitlements."
Labour will publish a mini-manifesto later including a new right to a dedicated midwife before and after childbirth.
Joining Mr Cameron in seeking to highlight his own personal experience of the NHS, Labour leader Ed Miliband told of the "brilliant care" he and wife Justine received when their sons Samuel and Daniel were born.
Video:Miliband Makes NHS His Battleground
Evoking the popular 1950s-set TV programme, he said: "Call The Midwife shouldn't just be a TV programme from the past but part of our NHS future too.
"We need to ensure the NHS can offer every woman the personalised one-to-one care we expect from a modern and thriving health service.
"Our fully-funded plan will provide the extra staff including midwives needed to give them the time to care. Because it is time to care for our NHS."
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Written By Unknown on Jumat, 10 April 2015 | 10.18
Former Metropolitan Police chief Lord Stevens is being investigated over claims he failed to disclose information to the Macpherson inquiry into the Stephen Lawrence murder probe.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) confirmed it was investigating the peer following a referral from the London force.
The probe was launched by the watchdog after a complaint by the murdered teenager's father Neville Lawrence last October.
The Met said the complaint was in relation to Lord Stevens' role when he was deputy commissioner and disclosure to the Macpherson Inquiry 17 years ago.
Sky' crime correspondent Martin Brunt said: "The accusation is when he was deputy commissioner in 1998 he had told Lord Macpherson in the course of his inquiry that no officer or former officer involved in giving evidence to that inquiry had been under investigation for corruption."
Brunt added he spoken to someone very close to Lord Stevens and he was "very angry he was subject to this investigation".
The Macpherson Inquiry into Scotland Yard's handling of the killing of the black teenager found evidence of "institutional racism" within the Met.
Stephen Lawrence was aged 18 when he was killed at a bus stop in 1993
Imran Khan, the solicitor for Stephen's mother Doreen, told Sky News: "Corruption was a very important issue as far as the inquiry was concerned.
"There was suspicion that the reason that suspects were not arrested as they should have been in time was because there was concern there was corruption amongst the police and suspects involved."
He added: "Had information come to the inquiry at that time, which led to those questions being answered, then it may be that Sir William Macpherson would have come to the conclusion that corruption played a part in the failure of the investigation as well as institutional racism."
Mr Lawrence reportedly asked the IPCC to examine whether senior officers provide "full, frank and truthful" information to the inquiry.
He also requested the IPCC look into claims that hundreds of files on past major police corruption probes were shredded, it was reported.
A complaint has been made by Stephen Lawrence's father Neville
Mr Lawrence told Channel 4 News: "I'm glad that they're actually doing what they were supposed to do because this is not the first time that we've asked them to look into it and they've come back with a negative result.
"I'm hoping that this time they're going to come back this time with a result that can help us to get further into the truth of what was happening during the investigation into Stephen's death."
Sky's Martin Brunt said a source close to Lord Stevens pointed out that an inquiry into similar accusations three years ago - the so-called Ellison Inquiry - had effectively cleared Lord Stevens of the allegations.
Stephen Lawrence was 18 when he was stabbed to death by a group of up to six white youths in an unprovoked racist attack at a bus stop in Eltham, south-east London, in April 1993.
A Met Police statement said: "Following the receipt of a public complaint in relation to Lord John Stevens, former Commissioner, the MPS [Metropolitan Police Service] made a referral to the Independent Police Complaints Commission on Tuesday, 4 November 2014.
"The complaint has been made in relation to Lord Stevens' role as the then Deputy Commissioner and disclosure to the Macpherson Inquiry.
"This issue was raised in the Stephen Lawrence Independent Review by Mark Ellison QC, published on 6 March, where he concluded there were defects in the level of information that the MPS revealed to the Inquiry."
The elderly and people with health problems have been warned to avoid strenuous activity because of harmful levels of air pollution expected to blanket parts of the UK.
The warning comes as forecasters say Britain could enjoy the hottest day of the year so far, with parts of eastern England predicted to reach highs of 22C (71.6F).
Eastern, central and southern England are forecast to be affected by "high" pollution today.
Parts of East Sussex and West Kent are expected to reach "very high" levels, according to the Government's UK-Air monitoring service.
Air pollution maps released by Defra
The high levels are due to domestic soot particulates, combined with dirty air from the Continent and some Saharan dust.
With the fine, settled weather conditions the pollution will be trapped over the UK for several hours.
Video:The Latest Weather Forecast
Dr Sotiris Vardoulakis, head of the air pollution group at Public Health England, said: "While most people will not be affected by short term peaks of air pollution, some individuals, particularly those with existing heart or lung conditions, may experience increased symptoms."
Dr Vadoulakis said in areas with very high pollution levels people should reduce physical exertion if they develop a cough or sore throat.
He added: "Adults and children with lung problems, adults with heart problems, and older people should avoid strenuous physical activity.
1/10
Gallery: Top Ten UK Cities For Air Pollution
Nottingham is joint top of the list, with a PM10 level of 25. The WHO say most cities across the world are failing to meet safe levels for outdoor pollution
Written By Unknown on Kamis, 09 April 2015 | 10.18
Detectives from the Counter Terrorism Command are investigating the death of a Syrian preacher in north-west London.
Abdul Hadi Arwani, 48, was found in his Volkswagen Passat in Wembley with a gunshot wound to the chest on Tuesday morning.
Mr Arwani, a British national born in Syria, was living in west London and was a preacher at the An-Noor Mosque in Acton.
Officers from the Counter Terrorism Command unit have taken the lead in the investigation because of their "expertise in the management of investigations with international dimensions and an established liaison network abroad", Scotland Yard said in a statement.
Mr Arwani was found in Greenhill on Tuesday morning
The force said: "The investigation remains in its very early stages and officers remain open-minded about the motive."
A post-mortem examination into Mr Arwani's death will take place on Thursday. Formal identification has not yet taken place.
Mr Arwani is said to be a staunch critic of the Bashar al Assad regime in Syria. His is reported to have six children.
His son Morhaf Arwani, 20, said: "We are at a loss to understand what is behind this. At the moment we know as much as you do."
An-Noor Mosque has previously hosted the son of radical preacher Abu Hamza, and was the location for the November 2013 escape of terror suspect Mohammed Ahmed Mohamed, who dressed himself in a burka.
A statement posted on the wall at the mosque said: "We have with great sadness heard of the unfortunate death of Shaykh Abdulhadi Arwani who was the former Imam of the An Noor Cultural and Community Centre who served from 2005 to 2011.
"He will be sadly missed."
Mr Arwani is thought to have fled Syria as a teenager in 1982 after surviving the Hama massacre. He is believed to have attended protests against Assad outside the Syrian embassy in 2012.
:: Anyone with information should contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Some of the UK's top footballers could be among the victims of the Hatton Garden safe deposit raid.
Jewellers who store gems at the diamond centre in Holborn, central London, do commission work for a number of Premier League stars, a source told Sky News.
They work on high-priced orders for wives and girlfriends and for the footballers themselves.
"Players have almost unlimited spending power and love to outdo each other with extravagant purchases, especially where jewellery is concerned," said the source.
"It's only natural they would go to the renowned craftsmen of Hatton Garden to place their orders."
Video:Raid: How Thieves Gained Entry
The players affected are likely to play for the top London clubs, but it is thought stars of other clubs visit the dozens of jewellers in Hatton Garden when they are playing or partying in London.
Flying squad detectives said up to 70 safe deposit boxes were broken open, but they had not informed the victims because forensic work was still going on.
:: More on Europe's most notorious jewel heists
The raiders are believed to have broken into the building through the roof and abseiled down a lift shaft.
Video:Raid: 'Shock To The Trade'
Heavy cutting equipment was then used get into a vault, believed to be reinforced with thick metal and concrete doors, up to 2ft thick.
The stolen jewellery and precious stones, which could be worth millions of pounds, will already be out of the country, former Flying Squad chief Barry Phillips believes.
He described the heist as "sophisticated" and "highly organised" and said it would have been carried out by a "professional team".
Questions have been raised about security at the premises amid reports guards responded to an alarm on Friday, but left without checking inside.
Video:Raid: 'What's Going On?'
Safe deposit box owner Gerry Landon said he found the break-in "unbelievable".
"Apparently, as you may have read, the alarm went off at one o'clock on Friday and the security guards came down," Mr Landon said.
"They more or less looked through the window to see that there was no activity there - and then they left."
Neil Duttson, a diamond dealer who buys stones for private clients, said tracing gems stolen in the heist would be nearly impossible.
Video:Vault Customer's 'Shock' At Raid
"Once diamonds have been re-cut and polished there is no geological map," he said.
"I imagine they will be sat on for six months. You can expect some cheap diamonds will be coming on the market soon."
Police have not put a value on the goods stolen, but estimates vary widely from hundreds of thousands of pounds to £200m.
The families of two teenage boys believed to have travelled to Syria have said they are "in a state of profound shock" and are exrtremely concerned for their safety.
The seventeen-year-olds, named as Hassan Munshi and Talha Asmal, are thought to have fled to the country after travelling to Turkey on 31 March.
The pair, from Dewsbury, were last seen by their families on the day they are thought to have flown from Manchester airport to Dalaman.
A statement released on behalf of the two families said: "Our number one priority is to get Hassan and Talha back home ... and we implore anyone who may have any information whatsoever to get in contact with the police.
Kadiza Sultana, Shamima Begum and Amira Abase are thought to be in Raqqa
"These were just two ordinary Yorkshire lads who enjoyed the things that all young people enjoy at their age - both Hassan and Talha had a promising future as an apprentice and an A-level student respectively, and we are praying they will be back with us soon and are able to realise that future."
The statement added: "We would implore all parents to be extra vigilant, although as we found, it's near impossible to know your children have been groomed and brainwashed.
Video:IS Threat Gets Closer To Damascus
"Syria is a frightening war-torn place and we need to urgently educate our young children about the dangers posed by those who prey on impressionable teenagers."
Hassan is believed to be related to Hammaad Munshi, who was arrested by counter-terrorism police in 2006 at the age of 15 and later convicted over his role in a plot to murder non-Muslims, The Times newspaper reported.
West Midlands Police says it has been supporting the two families and carrying out extensive inquiries alongside the North East Counter Terrorism Unit.
Assistant Chief Constable Mark Milsom said: "Syria is an extremely dangerous place and the public will be aware of the dangers these boys may face.
"The choice of returning home from Syria is often taken away from those that come under the control of Islamic State, leaving their families in the UK devastated and with very few options to secure their safe return."
Video:May 2013 - Yarmouk Refugees
He urged anyone concerned that a friend or relative may be contemplating travelling to Syria to contact police or local safeguarding units.
The two teenagers are believed to have travelled on a Thomas Cook Airlines flight out of Manchester.
A spokesman for the company said: "Whilst we cannot confirm the names of any of our passengers who travel with us, we can reassure all our customers that we work closely with all authorities to ensure the safety of our flights in and out of the UK."
UK security services believe around 600 Britons have travelled to Syria and Iraq to join militant groups, with around half now back in the UK.
They include three teenage girls from East London, who are now thought to be in the Syrian city of Raqqa, an Islamic State stronghold.
Video:Feb 2014 - Inside Yarmouk
Shamima Begum, Amira Abase and Kadiza Sultana were last seen on CCTV at a bus station in Istanbul on 17 February.
Last week, nine Britons were arrested allegedly trying to cross into Syria from Turkey illegally.
Anyone with information is urged to call police on 101 or the confidential Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321.
New border checks are being introduced today which will require every passport to be thoroughly verified before a person can leave the UK.
The checks are being introduced at seaports, airports and tunnels which provide exit points from the British Isles.
The changes are expected to particularly affect cross-Channel and Channel tunnel travellers, who will now need to have their passports scanned.
As airlines currently gather passengers' information ahead of time, there is unlikely to be a noticeable difference in queues for passengers.
But there are fears of delays at peak travelling times while the changes are implemented.
Until now, many people have been able to leave the country without having their passport scrutinised.
The Home Office says the changes will strengthen Britain's border security, adding that the implementation of the checks will be staggered at sites across the country.
The changes have led to fears of delays for some travellers
For the first month all passports will be scanned, but only 25% of passport holders will have their details verified.
In the second month 50% will be checked. By the middle of June, 100% of passports will be fully checked.
Security and immigration minister James Brokenshire said: "It is right that we have an immigration system that is fair, that tackles immigration and that clamps down on anyone who tries to cheat the system by staying here when they have no right to do so.
"Exit checks will provide us with vital information that confirms a person's exit from the UK.
"Port and travel operators are experts in their business and know their customers best, which is why we've supported them to design and trial the systems for collecting data in a way that will minimise the impact on customers."
More staff have been brought in to cope with the new measures, but whether the changes will have a detrimental impact on passengers will not be known until peak travelling times, such as the summer months.
A P&O spokesperson said: "They have picked a quiet day for the introduction of the checks.
"The actual scanning of passports is quick, it's the verification that takes longer. We are hoping there will be a fairly seamless transition to the new system."
Written By Unknown on Selasa, 07 April 2015 | 10.18
The cheap package holiday boom of the 1960s and 70s means pensioners are now seven times more likely to develop the deadliest form of skin cancer.
New figures from Cancer Research UK show that men aged 65 and over are 10 times more likely to be diagnosed with malignant melanoma than their parents' generation.
Older women are around five times more likely to develop the disease.
Each year, some 5,700 pensioners are now diagnosed with melanoma each year in the UK compared with 600 in the mid-1970s.
Older women are around five times more likely to develop the disease
Age is a big risk for melanoma, but the increase is blamed on package holidays which became popular in the 1960s.
Getting sunburnt once every two years can triple a person's risk of developing the disease.
Professor Richard Marais, Cancer Research UK's skin cancer expert based in Manchester, said: "It's important for people to keep an eye on their skin and seek medical opinion if they see any changes to their moles, or even to normal areas of skin.
"Melanoma is often detected on men's backs and women's legs but can appear on any part of the body."
Malignant melanoma is the country's fifth most common cancer overall and the second most common cancer in young adults aged 15 to 34.
Each year, 2,100 Britons die from the disease.
Dr Julie Sharp, Cancer Research UK's head of health information, said: "Sun damage accumulates over time so avoiding sunburn - and sunbeds - is key, as well as getting to know your skin type so you don't overdo it on the beach or even in the garden."
Retired teacher Sue Deans, 69, from Croydon, south London, was diagnosed with malignant melanoma in 2000 after having a mole removed.
She said: "I was part of the generation where package holidays became affordable and you could go abroad nearly every year.
"I don't think there was much understanding at the time about the impact that too much sun can have on your risk of getting skin cancer."
The warm Easter weather looks set to continue into the week.
Temperatures could reach 21C (70F) in some places, when the average UK temperature for April is 11.4C (52F) and for England is 12.4C, according to the Met Office.
Two Great White Pelicans in London's St James Park
Despite many holidaymakers expected to return from the Easter break on Monday the continued high pressure will ensure conditions in most areas will remain settled for the rest of the week.
The South and South West of England will see the best of the warm weather while in northeast Scotland it will be sunniest while northwest Scotland could see some cloud developing.
Most of Northern Ireland, particularly the east coast, will also enjoy spells of sunshine.
Sky's weather presenter Nazaneen Ghaffar said: "Most places will continue with the dry and sunny conditions - however, eastern coastal regions and Irish sea coasts may be affected by sea fog.
"It will feel warm in the sunshine today, with top temperatures of 12-18C (54-64F)."
Police are hunting for a driver who left a 93-year-old woman lying in the middle of the road after a hit-and-run crash.
They have issued a CCTV image of the silver Chrysler Voyager thought to have struck Isobel Rawes in Shirley, West Midlands.
The pensioner is still in hospital being treated for the serious injuries she suffered.
Police said she was hit as she crossed Stratford Road at around 11.50am on 24 March.
A spokeswoman said: "The driver failed to stop at the scene and left the victim lying in the carriageway before driving away in the direction of the M42.
Police believe this car hit the 93-year-old
"Following extensive CCTV inquiries, police have identified the car as a silver-coloured Chrysler Voyager.
"It is believed that the vehicle will have damage to the front passenger side."
Sergeant Adam Green, from the Regional Collision Investigation Unit, said: "I would urge anyone that has seen a Chrysler Voyager with damage to the front passenger side to come forward.
"It may be that the driver has confided in a friend or family member or a neighbour has noticed recent damage.
"It is important that we speak to the driver in order to understand the reasons for the collision and the subsequent driving away from the scene to provide answers to the family of Mrs Rawes."
Anyone with information can contact the collision investigation unit on 101.
Written By Unknown on Minggu, 05 April 2015 | 10.18
The UK will get its first three proton beam therapy centres from next year in what experts say is a significant breakthrough for cancer treatment.
The first centre will be opened in Cardiff by local company Proton Partners International Ltd, with two others to follow in London and Northumberland by 2017.
The centres will be available for NHS patients from England, Scotland and Wales, as well as self-paying patients and those with private medical insurance.
Currently patients must head overseas for this type of treatment.
Life sciences entrepreneur Professor Sir Chris Evans says there are more than 150,000 people treated for cancer each year and that demand for treatment is growing.
Video:Ashya Finishes Proton Treatment
Health insurer Bupa has estimated that by 2021 the UK's ageing population is likely to see a 20% rise in the number of new cancers and a 62% rise in the cost of treatment - to £15.3bn.
Proton beam therapy is a targeted type of radiotherapy that can treat hard-to-reach cancers, such as spinal tumours, with a lower risk of damaging the surrounding tissue or causing side effects.
The announcement comes just weeks after the parents of brain cancer survivor Ashya King told how the five-year-old made a "miracle" recovery after receiving proton beam therapy in Prague in the Czech Republic.
Video:Sept: Inside The Proton Beam Centre
The treatment was not available for him on the NHS, although the health service later agreed to fund it.
Professor Gordon McVie, senior consultant at the European Institute of Oncology, who has been appointed chairman of Proton Partners International, says the development is "exciting and important".
He added: "As things stand, patients who can benefit from this treatment have to go abroad for treatment, often at great expense to the NHS.
Video:How Proton Beam Therapy Works
"The creation of these centres will go a long way to ensuring the very best of treatment is available in the UK."
There were reportedly concerns about the behaviour of a British man in the months before he was arrested for allegedly trying to cross illegally into Syria.
Waheed Ahmed, 21, was among nine members of the same family who were detained in Turkey on Wednesday and are set to be deported.
British police have been searching the home of his father Shakil Ahmed, who is a Labour councillor in Rochdale.
They have also searched four other properties - two in Heywood and two in Rochdale. Two of the searches are ongoing.
Mohammed Shafiq, who is a friend of Shakil Ahmed, said of Waheed: "There were concerns in the last six months to a year about a change in his behaviour.
Video:Britons Arrested In Turkey
"And a change in his attitude towards various different issues."
He also told Sky News: "That was causing concern for people in the community and his family."
Waheed Ahmed was with his aunt, two cousins and the wife of one of his cousins when they were stopped by authorities in southern Turkey, near the Syrian border. They had also taken four children with them.
The 21-year-old is due to be sent back to the UK along with Zareeda Bi, 47, Maboob Yasin, 22, Habib Yasin, 24, and Samia Bi, 22, and the youngsters aged one, three, eight and 11.
They are understood to have been kept in a police station in Turkey on Thursday night.
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: "It remains the case that we are not aware of any time scale for the potential return of the nine individuals."
Most of the group flew from Manchester on 27 March and Waheed Ahmed joined them three days later on a flight from Birmingham.
Shakil Ahmed, who represents the Kingsway ward on Rochdale Borough Council, said the group were on holiday but he had thought his son was on a work placement in Birmingham.
"My son is a good Muslim and his loyalties belong to Britain, so I don't understand what he's doing there.
"If I thought for a second that he was in danger of being radicalised, I would have reported him to the authorities.
"I just want to speak to my son and get him home as soon as possible so I can find out what's going on."
Video:Manchester Police Statement
Usman Nawaz, who went to the same school as Waheed Ahmed in Rochdale, said mosques and his school in Rochdale were not to blame for Waheed's actions.
The 25-year-old, a former member of the Young Muslims' Advisory Group and mentor to young Muslims through Rochdale's Youth Council, said: "For some it's an adventure but for some they think that they are doing something noble.
"The ideology which is peddled, this very hardcore understanding of the faith, one which is state sponsored by Saudi Arabia, that has to be challenged and it's quite difficult to challenge it in a coherent manner when the Saudi ideology has the backing of petrodollars."
A friend of Waheed Ahmed believes he could have travelled for humanitarian reasons.
Bassat Yussu said: "We used to talk about Palestine and Syria and what was going on around there and sometimes he used to collect charity money."
Neighbour Mohammed Sharif said he "never had suspicion about the family" and remembered Waheed as a "nice quiet young lad" who would "speak to you with respect".
Officers are trying to establish their reason for travelling to the Syrian border.
Assistant Chief Constable Ian Wiggett said: "What is obviously concerning is why a family were seemingly attempting to take very young and vulnerable children into a war zone.
"Such a volatile and dangerous environment is no place for them whatsoever."
The Metropolitan Police believe around 600 Britons have travelled to Syria and Iraq since the conflict began, while around half are thought to have returned to the UK.
