Third Family Member Contracts Sars-Like Virus

A second relative of a UK patient who contracted a potentially fatal Sars-like virus has become infected with the disease, taking the total to three within the family.

On Monday, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) said one person who had recently travelled to the Middle East and Pakistan was being treated in an intensive care unit at a Manchester hospital after becoming infected with a new type of coronavirus.

On Wednesday, a relative of the patient who had no recent travel history became infected and now the HPA has said a third person, who has also not travelled recently, is infected.

But the HPA said the risk associated with novel coronavirus to the UK population remained low.

The newest patient is recovering from a mild respiratory illness and is currently well. This latest case brings the total number of confirmed cases globally to 12.

The second family member has an existing medical condition that might have made them more susceptible to respiratory infections, the HPA has said.

Professor John Watson, head of the respiratory diseases department at the HPA, said: "Although this (third) patient had a mild form of respiratory illness, as a precaution the HPA is advising that the patient self-isolate and limit contact with non-household members.

"Follow up of other household members and contacts of this case is currently under way.

"Although this case appears to be due to person-to-person transmission, the risk of infection in contacts in most circumstances is still considered to be low."

Last year British health officials identified another case of the novel coronavirus.

A 49-year-old Qatari man was treated at St Thomas' Hospital in London after becoming infected.

Five patients have died as a result of the infectious disease, none in the UK.

Infected patients have presented with serious respiratory illness with fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.

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Footballer Breaks Neck In 'Klinsmann Slide'

An amateur footballer was almost paralysed when he broke his neck doing a "Klinsmann" celebration after scoring a winning goal.

Sunday league captain Dennis Swales, 27, had beaten four players and cracked a shot from 20 yards on to the underside of the bar and in to the back of the net to secure a vital win for the Catholic Club in Hartlepool.

The centre forward then dived into a puddle and slid in triumph, but he immediately knew his celebration had gone drastically wrong, even before team-mates piled on top of him.

Mr Swales, a head chef, said: "In elation I ran towards the manager and out of the corner of my eye I saw a puddle.

"I did my Jurgen Klinsmann celebration, but instead of flying through the mud, I got my face stuck in the grass and my full body weight went through my neck.

"I cracked two vertebrae and had four damaged discs which have had to be replaced with plastic ones."

Jurgen Klinsmann in action for Germany during the Olympic Games in 1988

It was feared he might never walk again when he went in for surgery following the accident six weeks ago.

But the six-hour operation at the University Hospital of North Tees went well enough for Mr Swales to avoid having to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

He takes nine tablets a day, will need two years of physio, and will never play competitively again.

He said: "I'm devastated. At 27 years old I am just hitting my prime. I was having the season of my life and that celebration took it all away from me.

"I have done it so many times before, when it's raining everyone loves a slide in the mud. It was a freak accident."

Mr Swales realised he could have been paralysed and thanked everyone for their help.

For six minutes he lay motionless on the pitch, unable to move, and he thought about not being able to play with his children, aged 12 to four, again.

"I have a second chance in life," he said. "I have to make the most of it."

Team manager Derek Brown said: "His enthusiasm for the game is second to none. It's a tragedy what has happened to this young man. He is a really nice kid."

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Home Ownership '£1,440 Cheaper' Than Renting

The cost of buying a home has become £1,440 a year cheaper than renting, according to new research.

Halifax found the average monthly costs associated with buying a three-bedroomed house stood at £621 in December, which is £120 cheaper than the typical monthly rent of £741 on a similar property.

The latest figures are an about-turn from December 2008, when buying a home was £217 a month more expensive than renting.

In recent years the gap has widened amid house price falls and record low interest rates which have made borrowing cheaper for those who can get access to a mortgage.

Meanwhile, increased demand in the rental sector from those struggling to raise a deposit or meet lenders' borrowing criteria has pushed up rental costs.

Home buying costs have declined by one third (34%) over the past four years, while average monthly rents have been pushed up by 14%, the study found.

The gap between buying and renting has widened by £21 a month over the past year. At the end of 2011, the monthly cost of home buying was £99 lower than renting.

Buying was found to be more affordable than renting in every UK region.

Buying is most affordable compared with renting in London, where the monthly difference is £193, while in Yorkshire and the Humber buying is just £1 a month cheaper than renting, Halifax found.

Martin Ellis, housing economist at Halifax, said that while the "financial attractiveness" of buying a home has improved in recent years, the tough economy is still holding would-be home buyers back.

He said: "Concerns over job security and raising a deposit are the main obstacles to people buying their own home. However, it is worth noting that once home buyers are on the first rung of the ladder, their monthly costs are notably lower."

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Osborne Plays Down Talk Of RBS Share Giveaway

By Katie Stallard, Moscow correspondent

George Osborne has played down claims he plans to give British taxpayers up to £400 in Royal Bank of Scotland shares before the next election.

The Chancellor, speaking to Sky News at a G20 meeting in Moscow, said it was too early to consider handing out shares and returning the bailed out bank to the private sector.

His intervention came after reports that Economic Secretary to the Treasury Sajid Javid was exploring plans to sell the Government's stake by 2015.

The Chancellor insisted a sell-off could not happen soon because it would mean a huge loss to the taxpayer, but he notably did not rule out such a move.

Mr Osborne said: "It is just a premature discussion about what to do with the shares when we get to the point where they are worth what the country paid for them.

"Gordon Brown bought them at a price that they are not worth today and we have got to get the Royal Bank of Scotland to a point where it is worth what the taxpayer paid.

"Then we can have a no doubt big national discussion about what to do with the shares and how to return it to the private sector."

RBS was bailed out with £45bn in public funds in 2008 at the height of the financial crisis and is now 81% owned by the state.

Royal Bank of Scotland is 81% state-owned after a £45bn bailout

In Moscow for the finance ministers' meeting, Mr Osborne also renewed his call for a global tax crackdown and issued a warning about international "currency wars".

There is increasing concern about competitive devaluations between major exporting economies as they struggle to recover from the global downturn.

Japan has been criticised for weakening the Yen, which is down 15% against the dollar since September, to give its exporters a price advantage in the short term.

"These so-called currency wars are what in previous decades have led to huge problems in the international economy," the Chancellor said.

"I think people will be pleasantly surprised by the strong statement that you'll see from the G20 today that currency is not a tool of economic warfare.

"What we want to do in our own countries is put our own houses in order and make our economies competitive and our currencies will reflect that rather than being used as a weapon to achieve it."

On tax, Mr Osborne said current rules are out of date and that Britain would lead efforts to stop companies shifting their profits around the globe to avoid large bills.

"The international rules on taxes haven't kept pace with changes in the world economy, changes in the way we shop online and use the internet so we're taking action with countries like France, Germany, and the United States," he said.

"Britain is leading the way in getting a set of rules that mean that businesses can come to Britain, and Britain is one of the best places to do business, but also when they come to Britain  - they pay their taxes.

"It means that big international companies that may have their headquarters in one country, their shops in many other countries, may locate their so-called intellectual property in another country altogether, perhaps a low tax place like Bermuda or the Cayman Islands.

"They'll find that a more difficult arrangement because the international tax rules will change and they will have to pay taxes much more where the profits are generated - that's the objective."

But he acknowledged  that Britain could not act alone and that they needed global consensus to make it happen.

Just getting agreement on the need for a crackdown from the 20 countries represented in Moscow on Saturday would represent significant progress in itself.

Mr Osborne said: "There is no single law Britain can pass that will make this happen.

"This has to be done internationally and so we are working with other countries to make sure it does happen and that the tax laws which were actually created about a 100 years ago are appropriate for an economy of the 21st century rather than the 20th century."

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Backpacker: Brit Teen Drank Urine To Survive

A British backpacker missing in the scorching Australian outback for three days drank his own urine and contact lens solution to survive, his mother has said.

Sam Woodhead, 18, became lost after he set out for a jog from the remote Queensland cattle station where he had worked for less than two weeks.

But the chance discovery of packets of lenses in his rucksack - put there by his father, Peter - helped to keep him going for 72 hours in blistering temperatures of around 40C (104F).

Sam Woodhead was a keen long distance runner

The former Brighton College student, from Richmond upon Thames, London, was found about three miles away from the ranch by rescuers in a helicopter.

His mother, Claire Derry, has visited him in hospital in Longreach, about 50 miles away from where he was discovered. She said he had lost weight and his kidneys were not working properly due to dehydration.

She added: "He looks fantastic, he's suntanned, his mouth isn't blistered, he looks great, he's thinner and questionably a lot thinner than when I last saw him.

"The only concern is that his kidneys are not quite functioning normally and his blood's not normal. But that, the doctor says, is completely typical of somebody who's been completely dehydrated."

Ms Derry went on: "He  tried to drink his own urine. He said he'd run out of the contact lens fluid and the contact lens capsules said they were 69% water. But they'd all gone so the urine had become very, very concentrated.

"So he said he couldn't stomach it, so he had nothing, he had nothing to keep him going, by the time the helicopter crew got to him."

Mr Woodhead with his mother and sister Rebacca before the ordeal

She told Sky News: "Sam is an amazingly cool guy and he said 'hi mum' and I said 'Sam I didn't think I would be holding you in my arms again frankly'.

"But he didn't cry and didn't show very much emotion at all. He just said I'm really happy to see you."

Mr Woodhead, who is set on joining the Armed Forces and is a keen long distance runner, is expected to leave hospital on Sunday.

Mike Curtin from Queensland State Police said: "He was quite disorientated but, you know, his body seemed to bounce back fairly quickly once he knew that obviously he was located and so forth and he was quite happy of the fact that someone had found him."

Mr Curtin warned of the harsh Australian climate and called on young people to be careful when travelling or working in the remote Australian Outback.

He said: "It's one of those things and I think there's a lesson to be learned here from any of these young fellows who do take, or young boys and girls, who take jobs in areas like this isolated part of the state, to be careful, to be safe, and prepare.

"And never take the harshest Australian environment and our climatic conditions here for granted."

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Child Killer's Neck Broken In Jail Attack

Two serving prisoners have appeared in court charged with murdering a convicted child killer, who died in jail after his neck was broken.

Gary David Smith, 47, and Lee William Newell, 44, are accused of killing Subhan Anwar, who was found dead by prison officers on Thursday evening.

The defendants are inmates at Long Lartin jail near Evesham in Worcestershire, where Anwar was serving a minimum of 23 years for murdering a two-year-old girl.

Smith and Newell appeared before Worcester Magistrates and were remanded in custody to appear at Worcester Crown Court on Tuesday February 19.

Following Anwar's death, the pair were arrested at the scene and taken into police custody. They were later charged.

A post-mortem found that Anwar's neck had been broken.

Sanam Navsarka was killed by Subhan Anwar

The 25-year-old prisoner was in jail for the torture and murder of his partner's daughter in 2009.

Two-year-old Sanam Navsarka suffered 107 injuries at his hands during weeks of torture.

Anwar's partner Zahbeena Navsarka was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to nine years in jail.

Sentencing the couple in 2009, Judge Peter Thornton QC condemned their cruel and selfish treatment of Sanam and added that "humanity had let her down".

The pair, both from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, tried to claim the little girl had stopped breathing after they left her alone in the bath for 10 minutes.

However, the child's hand prints and bloodstains were found inside cupboards at the couple's home in Huddersfield and at a former property in Batley, West Yorkshire.

Anwar also put Sanam in a tumble dryer, and dumped her in the bin as her mother looked on.

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Footballer Nani In Crash With Police Car

Manchester United star Nani has been involved in a car crash with an unmarked police car.

The Premier League player's Bentley Continental was in collision with a police Ford Mondeo which was responding to an emergency call on Friday night in Stockport, Cheshire.

Neither drivers were hurt but the passenger in the police car, a special constable, received minor injuries, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said.

In line with normal procedure after an accident the police driver has been suspended until an investigation is carried out.

The force said only minor damage was caused to the police car and Nani's Bentley - which cost up to £180,000.

The midfielder, a Portuguese international signed by Manchester United in 2007 for £25.5m, was reportedly still in his training kit and returning home when the collision happened.

A spokeswoman for GMP said: "An unmarked police car responding to an emergency call was travelling along Gatley Road at the junction with Kingsway, Stockport.

"As the police car entered the junction it collided with a Bentley Continental.

"The passenger in the police car received minor injuries and only minor damage was caused to both vehicles.

"The police driver has been suspended from driving duties in line with normal procedure.

"Anyone with information should call police on 0161 856 4741."

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Horsemeat: Three Arrested Released On Bail

Three men who were arrested by police investigating the horsemeat scandal have been released on bail, as political pressure mounts over the speed of the Government's response.

Dafydd Raw-Rees, 64, the owner of Farmbox Meats near Aberystwyth, a 42-year-old man from Wales and a 63-year-old man from the Peter Boddy Slaughterhouse in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, have been released from custody pending further inquiries.

All were arrested on Thursday on suspicion of offences under the Fraud Act and have been told they will answer police bail at a later date.

The time it has taken for all the meat considered at risk of being contaminated with horse DNA to be tested as led to criticism of the Government's response.

Ed Miliband told Sky News that the Government had not been as 'sure footed' as it could have been.

He said: "I think they've been too slow to get a grip on this situation ... we want this resolved quickly."

FSA tests have so far found around 1% of all products checked around the country contained a significant amount of horse meat.

Environment Secretary Owen Patterson said he wants all other tests to be completed by the end of next week.

"It's up to the food businesses to carry out the tests, to organise their businesses and to provide quality products," Mr Patterson told Sky News.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) said it has passed on evidence from two premises in north London and one in Yorkshire to Europol - the European Union's law enforcement agency - after it emerged they were raided on Thursday.

Dinos & Sons Continental Foods was raided in Tottenham it has emerged.

The two sites in Tottenham, North London, and one in Hull, Yorkshire, were searched by Food Standards Agency officials, who removed computer equipment and took away meat samples to be analysed.

The FSA has conceded it is unlikely the exact number of people in the UK who have unwittingly eaten horse meat will ever be known.

Farmers, meanwhile, have advertised in national newspapers urging people to buy British.

The National Farmers Union (NFU) has taken out adverts in 10 national newspapers, saying it is championing British produce as a direct response to the contamination and mislabelling of some beef products.

According to NFU President, Peter Kendall, British farmers feel let down.

"Farmers are very proud of what they produce and are, quite rightly, furious about this current situation. They feel let down by what looks like a criminal element in an isolated part of the food chain," he said.

One of the businesses being investigated by the FSA in Tottenh am is Dinos & Sons Continental Foods.

The company released a statement saying it is co-operating with officials, adding: "At no time has Dinos & Sons produced or manufactured anything that is under investigation or is the subject of any possible contamination or mislabelling."

The arrests of the men in Wales and Todmorden took place after plants were inspected on Tuesday by the FSA.

The problem has gone beyond supermarket bought burgers and lasagnes - hotels, restaurants and pubs have also been affected after confirmation from Whitbread, which owns Premier Inn, Beefeater Grill and Brewers Fayre, that horse DNA has been found in its food.

Cottage pie served to children at 47 schools in Lancashire has also tested positive and has now been removed from menus.

Tesco and other retailers have gone on the defensive this weekend by placing adverts in national newspapers and placing videos on Youtube in an attempt to tell consumers what they are doing to tackle the issue.

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More IVF For Gay Couples And Older Women

More gay couples and women over the age of 40 could be given fertility treatment on the NHS under an overhaul of clinical advice.

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice) is expected to recommend that lesbian couples be offered several cycles of fertility treatment.

Their new recommendations, last updated in 2004, would reportedly be for six cycles of articifical insemination, with in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) an option if that fails.

The plans would also include extra provision for women up to the age of 42, raising the current bar on NHS treatment for those over 40.

According to The Daily Telegraph, women between 40 and 42 would be offered one cycle of IVF if they cannot conceive naturally and have not previously had treatment.

The new guidelines are also said to suggest that the waiting period before treatment can begin for couples trying for a baby be cut from three years to two.

Where there is a known fertility problem, this would not apply and couples could be referred for treatment straightaway.

To avoid the complications of multiple births, most women would only be able to have one embryo implanted - with a limit of two for older women with less chance of success.

There will be fears that the new recommendations will stretch NHS funding further as the health service battles to make major savings.

But the higher age threshold will be a relief to many women who increasingly delay because of their careers, only to struggle to conceive.

Sky Political Correspondent Sophy Ridge said: "When Nice looks at revising the guidelines, they don't have to take budgets into account.

"We may see the postcode lottery that already exists for fertility services becoming more pronounced."

Professor Yakoub Khalaf, director of the Assisted Conception Unit at Guy's Hospital in London, told the newspaper: "We see women aged 40 or 42 day-in and day-out funding their own treatment when their own next door neighbour, aged 39, might be having NHS-funded treatment. That is wrong.

"The chances of success for these women are improving and even if we can offer them a one in five chance of a baby, that is important."

A Department of Health spokesman said: "The NHS decides locally on the funding of fertility treatments such as IVF based on the health priorities of their local population.

"However, we believe that all PCTs - and in the future, Clinical Commissioning Groups - should take account of National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidelines for fertility treatment."

Just under 48,000 women received fertility treatment in 2011 - of which 19,911 paid for private treatment, according to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.

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Scotland Car Rally Crash: Woman Dies

A 50-year-old woman has died after a car collided with spectators during a rally in the Scottish Highlands, police say.

An eight-year-old boy was hurt in the collision and is being treated at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness. His condition was not believed to be life-threatening.

Neither the driver nor the co-driver of the vehicle was injured, and no other spectators were hurt, Northern Constabulary said.

The collision took place during the first stage of the Highland Car Club Snowman Rally.

The event, in Glenurquhart Forest, near Loch Ness, has now been abandoned.

Officers will carry out a full road collision investigation and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.

The race is the opening round of the 2013 Scottish Rally Championship (SRC).

Dave Robson, chairman of the championship, said: "The management committee, competitors and officials of the SRC extend their condolences to the families of those involved in today's incident on Special Stage One of the Snowman Rally.

"We offer our committed support to Highland Car Club and all those affected at this difficult time."

A statement from Highland Car Club said: "The club extends its sympathies to the families of those involved."

Northern Constabulary said: "Following an earlier collision between a rally car and spectators during Stage One of the Highland Car Club Snowman Rally, police can confirm that a 50-year-old woman has sustained fatal injuries and an eight-year-old boy has been taken to Raigmore Hospital for treatment.

"The boy's condition is not believed to be life-threatening. Neither the driver or the co-driver of the vehicle was injured as a result of the incident. No other spectators were injured."

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