Mum's Plea After Teen Was Denied Cancer Drugs

By Liz Lane, Sky Reporter

The family of a teenage girl who died from a rare form of bone cancer is calling for the relaxation of rules governing who is eligible to take part in potentially life-saving drugs trials.

Despite the pleas of her parents, doctors and politicians, Chloe Drury was refused access to treatment being trialled by American pharmaceutical company BioMarin.

Her family says she was told last September, when she was 17, that she was too young to take part, and that her participation could "jeopardise [her] safety and the integrity of the trial data".

Chloe, from Purley in Surrey, died in February, a month after her 18th birthday. She had finally been allowed on the course to treat her Ewing's Sarcoma, but the cancer had progressed aggressively and it was too late.

Her mother, Debbie Binner, says she felt totally impotent.

Chloe's mum, Debbie, wants age restrictions for drugs trials to be lifted

"We were just sitting there watching our beautiful 17-year-old daughter get weaker and weaker, knowing there is something out there she could have had and it just seems totally wrong to me, and not a world that I want to live in that treats young people like that."

BioMarin said in a statement: "Our deepest sympathy goes out to the parents who are grieving the loss of their child. It is precisely because of patients who suffer from devastating rare genetic diseases that BioMarin develops therapies where there are few, if any, options.

"Ewings Sarcoma is a terrible, aggressive disease, and we hope to make a difference in this type of outcome. We are conducting a Phase 1/2 trial in several genetically defined cancers. Not only is this an early stage trial, but it is the first clinical trial that we have ever done with this therapy. It is premature to know if it is safe or effective."

The family wants age restrictions for clinical trials to be lifted. Currently fewer than 20% of 15 to 24-year-olds who have cancer are on one.

Cancer Research UK's clinical research director Kate Law admits the criteria, which sometimes stop teenagers taking part, are not always logical.

Chloe seen meeting Prince William and the Duchess Of Cambridge

"Actually for many trials I think there is no good reason. They could either go down, and join the children's trial, or they could go up and join an adult trial. And in fact the committee that I'm responsible for specifically looks at the age range for each new application. So I think we've taken on board some of the concerns that pre-dated even this sad case."

Concerns about the potential compromising of the integrity of a trial is one of the reasons drugs companies are reluctant to bend the rules, as is the fear of being sued if something goes wrong.

Les Halpin, from Tetbury in Gloucestershire, who suffers from motor neurone disease, wants experimental drugs to be available in return for terminally ill patients giving up the right to take legal action if they experience side effects.

He believes such a move would benefit not just the patient.

"The numbers of trials are very low because of the cost of having them and the current regulations put a lot of risk into drug trials which will slow the whole process down. The protocol will allow willing patients to force the pace of drug discovery and bring it much more in line with the pace of technological science."

23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

Police 'Taser Fireball' Death Investigation

A man who had covered himself in petrol became a human fireball after police shot him with a Taser.

A police watchdog will investigate whether firing the weapon at Andrew Pimlott, 32, caused fatal burns.

Mr Pimlott suffered serious injuries in the incident in on the evening of April 18.

He was taken to hospital and subsequently transferred to the specialist burns unit at Frenchay Hospital in Bristol where he died five days later.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said two Devon and Cornwall Police officers responded to a 999 call from a caller who said that Mr Pimlott was in a garden with a can of flammable liquid.

Shortly after the police arrived he sustained serious burn injuries and an ambulance was called.

An officer deployed a Taser during the incident in Honicknowle, Plymouth, the watchdog said.

IPCC Commissioner Sarah Green said: "My condolences go to Andrew's family and friends for their loss.

"This must be a very difficult time for them and we have appointed a family liaison manager who is ensuring the family are kept informed.

A Taser gun similar to that used in the fatal incident

"Our investigators have already carried out a number of actions, including interviewing the two police officers who attended the incident and ensuring relevant evidence has been secured.

"A post-mortem was carried out yesterday and further forensic analysis will be carried out.

"The IPCC had informed the coroner of our investigation and we will share our report in due course.

"Our investigation will be looking at what information was known to the officers attending the scene, the officer's rationale for discharging a Taser on a person known to be doused in flammable liquid, whether the discharge of the Taser caused the fuel to ignite and we will look at training and policies."

In separate statements, Mr Pimlott's family paid tribute.

His parents wrote: "Dear darling son Andrew, you were a fantastic son to us, you will always be in our hearts and thoughts.

"We will never forget you. Be in our heart forever and always, we send a million kisses up to heaven.

"All our love Mum and Dad. xxx"

23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hay Fever Sufferers Set For Tough Spring

By Emma Birchley, East Of England Correspondent

Hay fever sufferers could be set for the toughest spring and summer in decades as scientists predict a possible pollen surge in the coming weeks.

Trees, crops and even the grass are playing catch-up after a long and extremely cold winter.

And it is feared the delayed growing season could cause them to release pollen simultaneously, making hay fever symptoms much worse than usual.

Beverley Adams-Groom, a pollen forecaster at the University of Worcester's National Pollen and Aerobiology Research Unit, said: "We've got a late start to the birch pollen season which means people have had a little bit of relief initially.

"But what that means is the birch pollen season is going to run into the beginning of the grass pollen season. People who are allergic to both those types won't get any relief - they won't have a gap.

"And then if we get good weather in June we'll get some very high grass pollen levels - so it could be a long period of time for people to suffer."

Hay fever is caused by an allergic reaction to the fine powder released by plants as part of their reproductive cycle.

The Met Office has latest pollen reports

One in five people in the UK suffers from it.

Ciaran Chapman, who is 14, knows exactly what it is like. He is allergic to at least six different types of pollen.

He said: "If I don't take my medication my eyes would also swell up pretty big and so would my skin because I would scratch the pollen in as would be itchy and it would swell up as well."

Ciaran has six different types of medication for when hay fever is at its worst, and he will be relying on it when it comes to his first GCSEs in a few weeks.

His father, Dr John Chapman, is a paediatric consultant who runs an allergy clinic at the James Paget Hospital in Gorleston, Norfolk.

He expects to see many new patients, particularly teenagers, suffering from hay fever for the first time, once they have been referred by their GP.

Dr Chapman said: "It blocks their noses, which means they can't sleep properly, which means they can't think properly in the day, which is particularly bad at this time of year when children are doing exams and studying."

:: See Met Office pollen reports

23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

Screwdriver Attack: Man Appears In Court

A man has been remanded in custody charged with the attempted murder of a headteacher who was stabbed with a screwdriver outside her home.

Gillian Kay, 39, head of Propps Hall Primary School in Failsworth, Oldham, received injuries to her face and neck in the assault in Rochdale on Thursday afternoon.

Mark Pierson, 48, of Belfield Old Road, Rochdale, appeared before Bury and Rochdale Magistrates in a brief hearing.

He will next appear at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court on May 17 for a preliminary hearing.

Ms Kay was airlifted to hospital but has been released. Pic: I Love Royton

Ms Kay was attacked as she got out of her car in Shaw Road, Thornham, just after 5pm.

Police were called to the scene following reports she been stabbed three times.

The court heard on Saturday she had received treatment for nine stab wounds.

The headteacher was airlifted to hospital and was in a serious condition but has since been released from hospital.

23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

Marlon King: Birmingham City Player Arrested

Birmingham City striker Marlon King has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving after three cars were involved in a crash which left a man with serious injuries.

The 33-year-old Championship footballer was released on police bail on Friday night pending further enquiries into the smash in Winthorpe, near Newark, Nottinghamshire.

A Porsche, a Volkswagen Polo and a Vauxhall Astra were involved in the collision, which happened on the Lincoln-bound carriageway of the A46/A17 interchange at 2.50pm on Friday.

A 35-year-old man was airlifted to Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre.

The road was closed for two-and-a-half hours following the crash, which also left other occupants of the cars suffering from whiplash injuries.

King, whose previous clubs include Watford, Middlesbrough and Coventry City, underwent knee surgery last month.

A spokesman for Birmingham City said: "We are aware of a road traffic accident involving our player and the matter is now being investigated by the police."

23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

Last Surviving Bee Gee Honours His Brothers

Barry Gibb, the last surviving Bee Gee, says his plans to go back on the road for a UK tour will be a celebration of life with his brothers.

The 66-year-old singer/songwriter saw his entertainer brother Andy, who was not part of the group, die of a heart complaint in 1988, aged 30.

Bee Gee Maurice died due to complications during surgery in 2003, aged 53, and his twin Robin succumbed to cancer last May.

Barry played in Australia earlier this year and will entertain audiences in Birmingham, Manchester, London and Dublin in the autumn.

"On stage is hard. One minute you feel they're right with you, the next you know you've got to pull something off yourself," he told The Sun.

"The audiences have been incredible, they've been so supportive. They're finding closure as well."

Gibb said his wife Linda, with whom he has five children, had told him to stop moping around the house.

"She told me to get off my backside and stop going along with the whole idea that everything was finished for me.

Barry Gibb places a rose on the grave at Robin's funeral last year

"She said, 'You've got music, so make music!' That was her kicking me, so I decided to jump right in."

The absence of his brothers is eased by having his eldest son Stephen on guitar, and Maurice's daughter Sam singing with him.

He said: "We created this show that really celebrates everything we ever did, or as much as we could put in to a show. I feel good. I felt a lot worse last year with all the stress over Robin.

"Personally, I think Robin knew he was dying. I knew he was ill for a long time, it wasn't just the last couple of years.

"It's a hard reality, but we will all see it at some stage. That's the lesson, it's not unique to any person."

The brothers were born on the Isle of Man before the family moved to Australia in 1958.

Their mother, Barbara, was at every one of Barry's Australian shows last year, aged 92.

23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

Demo Against UK's Use Of Armed Drones

Anti-war demonstrators have marched from Lincoln to an RAF base to voice their opposition to the UK's use of armed drones in Afghanistan.

Members of the Stop The War Coalition, CND, The Drone Campaign Network and War on Want are taking part in the mass rally outside RAF Waddington.

The RAF began remotely operating its Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles deployed to Afghanistan from the Lincolnshire airbase earlier this week.

Previously operated from a US Air Force base in Nevada, the aircraft are used to support coalition ground forces in Afghanistan.

Drone missions over Afghanistan from British soil began this week

The hi-tech Reaper drones are primarily used to gather intelligence on enemy activity on the ground, but they also carry 500lb bombs and Hellfire missiles for precision strikes on insurgents.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the RAF said it had commenced supporting the International Security Assistance Force and Afghan ground troops with "armed intelligence and surveillance missions" remotely piloted from RAF Waddington.

The organisers of the protest march and rally are calling on the Government to abandon the use of drones, claiming they make it easier for politicians to launch military interventions, and have increased civilian casualties.

Commenting ahead of the protest, War on Want senior campaigns officer Rafeef Ziadah said: "Drones, controlled far away from conflict zones, ease politicians' decisions to launch military strikes and order extrajudicial assassinations, without democratic oversight or accountability to the public.

"Now is the time to ban killer drones - before it is too late."

Remote pilots can operate the drones and fire missiles

Chris Nineham, vice-chairman of the Stop the War Coalition, claimed drones were being used to continue the "deeply unpopular War on Terror" with no public scrutiny.

Calling for armed drones to be banned, Mr Nineham said: "They're using them to fight wars behind our backs."

The Ministry of Defence has defended its use of drones in Afghanistan, which it says have saved the lives of countless military personnel and civilians.

An MoD spokesman said: "UK Reaper aircraft are piloted by highly trained professional military pilots who adhere strictly to the same laws of armed conflict and are bound by the same clearly defined rules of engagement which apply to traditionally manned RAF aircraft."

Lincolnshire Police have held talks with the organisers of the protest to minimise disruption to the local community.

The route of the march from South Common along the A15 to the peace camp site opposite RAF Waddington will see the road closed in phases to limit inconvenience to drivers.

23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

Late Tax Returns Mean HMRC Fines For Many

By Pete Norman, Sky News Online

More than half a million taxpayers are set to be hit with daily fines after failing to file their tax returns, Sky News has learned.

An estimated 650,000 to 850,000 self-assessment taxpayers still have not given HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) annual returns for the 2011-12 financial year.

The Tax Office cut-off date for the returns was January 31.

HMRC sent out automatic £100 penalties to around 850,000 people by February 20, boosting tax coffers by some £85m.

The defaulting taxpayers were then given three months to file their accounts.

However, it is believed that hundreds of thousands have still to complete their forms.

On May 1, three months after the January deadline, a new daily fine will be levied on those who have not processed the form.

In addition to the earlier £100 penalty they will be hit with the daily £10 fine, up to a maximum of £900.

An HMRC spokesman told Sky News: "Anyone who hasn't yet sent their 2011-12 tax return to HMRC will have already incurred a £100 late-filing penalty.

"Non-filers have to file to avoid further penalties or contact us to ask to be taken out of self-assessment, and provided they meet the criteria, we will take them out of SA and cull any penalties incurred."

Those who allow the filing delay to extend beyond six months are handed another £300 fine or 5% of the tax due, whichever is higher.

HMRC is then entitled to give those who fail to file within 12 months a tax demand up to 100% of the tax due instead.

23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

M62 Crash: Hen Party Minibus Victim Named

A woman who died when a minibus collided with a lorry on the M62 has been named as 18-year-old Bethany Jones.

Ms Jones, from Pontefract, died at the scene of the crash about 11.30am on Friday.

On Saturday her family released a statement saying that she would never be forgotten.

"Beth was a fun and bubbly girl who was caring and considerate to everyone she met. She was the apple of her grandad's eye and she will never be forgotten and sadly missed by everyone."

Her uncle, Anthony Jones, posted a message on Facebook in the wake of his niece's death.

The minibus collied with a Farmfoods lorry on the westbound carriage

"Thanking everyone on Facebook for there thoughts sympathy and condolences for the tragic of my niece Bethany Jones rip beth uncle tomy and family and all that new you god bless angle xxx xxx xxx".

Twenty-one people remain in hospital after the collision, which occurred as the minibus travelled to Liverpool for a hen party.

Among the injured is the bride-to-be, who has been named locally as Stefanie Firth.

Seven of those wounded in the collision are suffering serious injuries.

Also among those injured is Ashleigh Warner, who posted a photograph on Facebook with Ms Firth.

Ms Jones, from Pontefract, died at the scene of the crash

Before the accident, Ms Firth's friends had posted excited comments about the upcoming hen-do.

On Friday morning, Ms Warner wrote on Facebook: "Jumping on the Liverpool status bandwagon ......... Cos I'm sooooooo excited had my tshirt on since 8 this morning:))) hope Stefanie Firth has the best time xxxx".

The group had set off from South Elmsall, near Pontefract, West Yorkshire, when their vehicle collided with a Farmfoods lorry at junction 32 of the westbound carriage of the M62.

The driver of the lorry, a local man, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving but has since been released on bail.

In total 21 of the women were injured in the crash, which left the minibus on its side across a carriageway and luggage strewn across the motorway.

The collision occurred on Junction 32 of the M62

Six air ambulances were called to the scene, and four took casualties to hospitals nearby.

Firefighters called the crash "the worst they had seen in a number of years", Dave Walton, assistant chief fire officer at West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said.

One patient, a woman in her 40s, suffered suspected serious chest injuries and was anaesthetised before being transported, while another was airlifted to hospital also with chest injuries.

Doncaster firefighter John Nichol was passing the scene of the accident as a passenger in his father's car.

Mr Nichol said: "I got out to see if I could help, and realised there was only me there.

"First I saw a lady at the back of the minibus and realised her leg was severely broken. Then I put my head through the roof and just saw a mass of bodies.

"I think there were 11 or 12 in there, with various injuries, and around five people were out of the vehicle, hobbling around.

"I tried to calm people down and, although a bystander had called 999, I called them back to say this was a major incident and that several resources and air ambulances would be needed."

Dr David Macklin, from Yorkshire Ambulance Service, said that crews were faced with "a very difficult scene with multiple seriously injured people", but he praised their "excellent and professional response".

Chartered accountant Pritpal Singh, 28, from Leeds, was travelling back to his office on the M62 westbound when the accident happened.

He said by 2.30pm everyone going in the same direction as the crash had got out of their cars and started walking around on the road.

"I was about a third of a mile back from where the accident was, I got out and walked up to the scene," he said.

"I could see a minibus which was on its side. It had quite a severe amount of damage on the right hand side.

"The lorry which had collided with it was on the main motorway."

23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

Max Clifford: Publicist Vows To Clear Name

Publicist Max Clifford has vowed again to clear his name - after being charged with 11 alleged indecent assaults, including one against a girl of 14.

Clifford stands accused of sexually assaulting seven women, all teenagers, between 1966 and 1985.

The publicist has denied the allegations, dismissing them as "nonsense" and "completely false" and insisting he has never indecently assaulted anyone in his life.

Clifford said on Saturday it had been "horrible" for his wife and daughter, but added he was grateful for the support he says he has been receiving from his clients and the public.

"I find it hard to accept that women, 30 to 40-odd years later, can make complaints like this and they remain anonymous," Clifford told Sky News outside his home.

"And, of course, you have got to prove that you're innocent."

Clifford says he has been living a 'nightmare' over the allegations

He noted his lawyers will now have access to all information about the claimants and said: "If nothing but the truth comes out, I will be absolutely fine."

Clifford's initial arrest in December 2012 was carried out as part of Operation Yewtree, which was set up to investigate allegations of sex abuse carried out by the late BBC host Jimmy Savile.

There is no suggestion that his alleged offences are connected with Savile's.

Clifford is accused of allegedly abusing the first girl, who was 14, in 1966.

A further three females, aged between 15 and 18, allegedly suffered five offences between 1974 and 1978.

Clifford is also accused of assaulting another three females, aged between 16 and 19, between 1981 and 1985.

He is due to appear in court on May 28.

Until then, the 70-year-old says he will try to live as normal a life as possible, keeping up his work and going to the children's hospices he is a patron of.

"I've had tremendous support from everywhere, not just people who know me and did know me, but my clients and also people I meet everywhere I go," Clifford said.

"All of my clients have remained loyal and I'm working with all of my clients on a regular daily basis," he said.

"That support is as strong as it has ever been, which I'm very grateful for."

Prosecutors said on Friday that they had concluded there was sufficient evidence for Clifford to be charged with 11 offences of indecent assault relating to seven complainants.

There were three more allegations but prosecutors said there was insufficient evidence to authorise charges.

23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More