Cruise Ship Passengers Catch Sickness Bug

Dozens of passengers on board a luxury 12-night cruise have fallen ill with a sickness and diarrhoea bug.

Around 130 people contracted a gastroenteritis-type illness on the Fred Olsen-operated Black Watch which sailed from Fife to Scandinavia and the Russian city of St Petersburg.

The cruise started on September 8 with 778 passengers, and 29 people were still ill when it returned to Rosyth on Friday.

Specialist cleaners and health inspectors have been on board to check and clean the ship.

A spokeswoman for Fred Olsen said: "Representatives from the local health authorities and Rosyth Port Health have been on board the ship this morning and have confirmed that they are satisfied with the containment and preventative measures being undertaken by the ship.

"It is frustrating that even with the extra preventative and containment measures that were put in place, a number of guests on board suffered from this illness which is common in hospitals, schools, hotels, cruise ships and other areas where people are in close proximity.

"Symptoms of the illness include a sudden onset of vomiting and or diarrhoea.

"Some people may have a temperature, headache and stomach cramps.

"The sickness usually abates within one or two days and there are no long-term effects.

"The health, safety and well-being of all our guests is paramount and we believe that our systems for preventing the spread of illness on board our ships are amongst the best within the industry."

Fred Olsen said passengers were due to set off on the Black Watch for an Iberian cruise on Friday night and have been informed of the situation.

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Buying A House 'Cheaper Than Renting'

Home buyers are almost £900 better off a year than those who rent - but an upturn in house prices means the gap has narrowed in recent months, a report has found.

Research by Halifax, which based its calculations on its own database as well as official figures, found that people buying a three-bedroom house face typical costs of £672 a month, which is £73 less than the average £745 a month cost of renting.

Five years ago, renting was considered much more financially attractive than buying, but home buying costs have since fallen by more than a third, meaning that buying has become cheaper than renting.

Falls in house prices following the economic downturn combined with low mortgage rates in the low interest rate environment have all contributed to the about-turn.

Meanwhile, rental costs have been pushed higher by strong demand in the sector, as many renters have struggled to get on to the property ladder.

But a return to activity in the housing market has pushed house prices up, which means that the gap between buying and renting costs has narrowed from a difference of £78 a month one year ago.

Halifax recently reported that prices nationally have risen by 5% over the last year. Other reports have recently put prices in London at around 10% higher than they were a year ago.

People living in London and Northern Ireland have the most to gain from buying rather than renting, the research suggested. The gap in percentage terms is biggest in Northern Ireland, at 11%. Buying in Northern Ireland costs £369 a month on average, while renting costs £415.

In cash terms, Londoners have the most to gain from being on the property ladder, with a saving of almost £100 a month.

Wales and Yorkshire and the Humber were the only areas of the UK where renting was found to be more affordable than buying. In Scotland, buying was found to work out £27 a month cheaper than renting.

Martin Ellis, housing economist at Halifax, said: "A combination of lower mortgage rates and declining house prices has substantially reduced the cost of buying over the past six years.

"Nevertheless, the number of home buyers in the 12 months to June 2013 was nearly half of that in 2008, which will have been constrained by worries over job security."

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Durham Murder: Two Men Due In Court

Two men are due in court later charged with the murder of a man whose body was discovered by a dog walker.

John Anthony Hall's remains were found in Mark's Lane, in the West Rainton area of Durham at around 7pm on Sunday.

Northumbria Police said a post-mortem examination found the 46-year-old died from multiple injuries.

Two men, aged 45 and 48, will appear before magistrates in Sunderland, police said.

A statement from Mr Hall's family, of Shiney Row, Tyne and Wear, described him as a "gentle man".

Mr Hall was reported missing from his home in Burn Terrace on Monday.

Three other men have also been arrested on suspicion of his murder.

Two men, aged 43 and 32, have been bailed pending further inquiries, while a 34-year-old man remains in custody.

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Online Daters 'Need Protection' From Stalkers

By Adele Robinson, Sky News Correspondent

Online dating sites are not doing enough to protect women from being targeted by stalkers and violent men, according to an anti-stalking charity.

Paladin, which was set up two months ago, says it has been contacted by people who have been abused by men after meeting them on the internet.

Lack of regulation has meant those with a violent past have been able to join dating sites.

But a new code of conduct and a kitemarking system is to be introduced to the industry to help boost client confidence.

Laura Richards, from Paladin, is urging more websites to join up to the code.

She said: "I think there's a lot of them that are not taking it seriously enough, currently, and certainly with regards to stalking and other serious offences that may be committed by predatory individuals who are using these sites because they know that there are a pool of victims for them to fish within.

"I think the code of practice is definitely a step forward that the public know there is a standard that has to be met."

Sarah, not her real name, met her former boyfriend on a dating website but was unaware he had two previous convictions for violence.

She said: "He threatened me, followed me, made unwanted contact with me, it was extremely terrifying.

"When I finally left the relationship the harassment continued in an email sense."

Her ex-boyfriend was eventually convicted but Sarah said there was no interest when she initially tried to contact the dating website.

"They supposedly had buttons on there to report an abuser, block an abuser but they are not easy to find, and they generate these automatic responses.

"There was no help or assistance available at a time when I was completely frustrated and panicking about the whole situation."

Recent YouGov surveys show one in five relationships in the UK begin online with around nine million people using dating websites in total.

Figures from consumer website Which? reveal that two in five people using dating sites have discovered fake profiles.

So far 13 online dating sites have signed up to the new Online Dating Association including eHarmony, The Dating Lab, Oasis, Match, My Single Friend, Guardian Soulmates, Love and Friends, Dating Factory, Christian Connection, Muddy Matches, Lovestruck, FreeDating and The Single Solution.

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Plane Diverts To Stansted: Pair Arrested

Two men have been arrested after a plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Stansted Airport.

The Sri Lankan Airlines A330 Airbus, which was carrying 267 passengers and crew, was due to land at Heathrow but was diverted to the Essex airport just after 7.30pm on Friday.

Police officers boarded the plane, which had departed from Colombo, and arrested the pair on suspicion of endangering an aircraft.

However, Essex Police said their investigation was a criminal matter rather than a terrorism inquiry.

Both arrested men, aged 49 and 57, are British nationals, the force said.

The 49-year-old is being treated for a medical condition, not an injury, in hospital.

Essex Police added: "The 49-year-old is currently receiving medical treatment in hospital and the other is in custody at Harlow police station.

"They will be interviewed by detectives. The incident is being treated as a criminal investigation."

All of the passengers on board the aircraft left safely and have since travelled to Heathrow by coach.

A spokesman for Stansted confirmed the airport remained open, with all flights arriving and departing as normal.

In May this year, two men were arrested on board a plane from Pakistan carrying 297 passengers that was intercepted and diverted to Stansted by RAF typhoon jets.

Police later said the incident in May was being treated as criminal rather than terrorism-related.

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Grand Theft Auto V Stabbing: Three Charged

Three teenagers have been charged over the stabbing and robbery of a man who had just bought the blockbuster video game Grand Theft Auto V.

The 23-year-old victim was attacked just 80 minutes after he picked up the notoriously violent game at a midnight launch on Tuesday.

Scotland Yard said he was hit with a brick, stabbed and stripped of his mobile phone, watch and his copy of the game during the attack on Princes Avenue in Colindale, north London.

And a Metropolitan Police spokesman said three teenagers, aged 14, 15, and 17 had now been charged with robbery and grievous bodily harm with intent.

They were due to appear before magistrates in Hendon, north London, on Saturday morning.

Three other teenagers, aged 15, 17 and 18, have been released on bail until October.

It comes as it was revealed Grand Theft Auto V had sold more than $1bn (£624m) worth of copies in just three days since its global launch.

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Labour Pledge To Tackle 'Cost Of Living Crisis'

Labour leader Ed Miliband has declared he will fight to tackle what he described as Britain's "cost of living crisis", as he set out his party's plans to help struggling households.

Taking to the streets of Brighton on the eve of his party's conference, he said if in power Labour would strengthen the national minimum wage and provide "childcare for parents who need it".

He also confirmed his promise to abolish the "bedroom tax" cut to housing benefit, and pledged an "economy that works for working people".

Mr Miliband addresses the crowd in Brighton

Mr Miliband accused David Cameron's Government of only standing up for the "privileged few", and promised those gathered for his street rally "a government that fights for you".

Addressing the crowd from a small platform, he said it was "wrong that millions of people in our country are going out to work unable to afford to bring up their families".

He attacked the Government for failing to take steps to help people struggling to cope with rising prices.

"Right across the country, from all walks of life, people are facing this cost of living crisis," he said.

"Living standards falling month after month after month. Gas and electric bills, train fares, petrol prices, the weekly food shop and a Prime Minister who refuses to act.

"Why does he refuse to act? He refuses to act because of who he stands for, he stands for just a privileged few at the top."

He went on: "The way a country succeeds is not just with a few at the top it's with what I call the forgotten wealth creators.

"The people who put in the hours, who do the work, who do two jobs, who do the shifts.

"They are the people we should be supporting in this country.

"That's how we tackle the cost of living crisis, that's how we have an economy that works for working people again in our country."

Labour is proposing to give the parents of primary school children guaranteed access to childcare between 8am to 6pm under its plans to help working families.

The initiative, which Labour is expected to say can he be paid for through existing central government funds, is one of several cost of living issues which are to be the focus of its conference.

Other policy pledges include strengthening the minimum wage in specific sectors such as retail and catering, as well as fresh action to crack down on energy bills.

Mr McBride (far left) with Gordon Brown

Mr Miliband has appointed Alan Buckle, deputy chairman at accountants KPMG, to investigate how the role and powers of the Low Pay Commission could be extended to strengthen the minimum wage.

Mr Buckle will consult widely with employers and employee groups on ways to restore the value of the minimum wage so that it catches up with where it was in 2010.

He will also look at which particular sectors can afford to pay more.

Earlier, Mr Miliband, took a stroll along Brighton seafront with his wife Justine and children Daniel and Samuel.

Sky's Sophy Ridge, in Brighton, said: "I think this all does feed into the image that Ed Miliband wants to project of himself - somebody who's a family man, someone who's sticking up for hard-working people and the cost of living - particularly trying to appeal to female voters, who have become really crucial in the next election."

The conference comes as Mr Miliband has been forced to deny any involvement in attempts to smear opponents amid claims that "damaging" emails could have been sent by him to one of the key figures in a plot to attack senior Tories.

The potential link between Mr Miliband and Derek Draper, who was behind a proposed Labour-supporting political gossip website, is among the latest allegations in a memoir from Gordon Brown's former spin doctor.

The drip-feed of claims from Damian McBride threatens to overshadow the Labour Party conference despite Mr Miliband's efforts to seize the initiative by announcing he would scrap the "bedroom tax" if he wins the 2015 General Election.

In the latest extracts from Mr McBride's memoir Power Trip, being serialised in the Daily Mail, the former member of the Brown inner circle suggests Mr Miliband could "have problems" if any emails to Mr Draper became public.

Labour sources denied that Mr Miliband had any involvement in the proposed Red Rag website, which ultimately brought about the downfall of Mr McBride.

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Pelka 'Failings' Boss Quits Top Children's Job

A children's services boss criticised for failings by his former council over murdered schoolboy Daniel Pelka has stepped down from his new post.

Tower Hamlets Council said Colin Green had decided to withdraw from the role of chairman of the Local Safeguarding Children Board "with immediate effect".

Mr Green took up the post at the London borough council after retiring from his role as director of children's services at Coventry City Council last month.

His departure followed revelations about failings by his department over the four-year-old's death.

A serious case review found key opportunities were missed to intervene in his case by the city's children's services team, health professionals, school staff, police and other child protection agencies.

Luczak and Krezolek were jailed for a minimum of 30 years

Geoffrey Robinson, Labour MP for the area of Coventry where Daniel and his family lived, had condemned Mr Green's move to the Tower Hamlets position, claiming it was "an affront to public opinion".

"Like myself, I am sure the whole of Coventry will be stunned to learn that Colin Green, former director of children's services at Coventry City Council, has gone off to become chair of the safeguarding children board at Tower Hamlets," he said.

"This is a clear example of senior civil servants operating their own network for the benefit of themselves, at the expense of front-line staff who have faced the real challenges on a daily basis.

"The appointment is an affront to public opinion and confirms that I was right to call for a wholly independent inquiry. These boards are not truly independent."

A spokesman for Tower Hamlets Council said: "The new chair of Tower Hamlets Local Safeguarding Children Board, Colin Green, has decided to withdraw from the post with immediate effect."

The London borough council said Mr Green had been appointed by a multi-agency panel in June with all such decisions "based on the merits of each applicant".

Daniel died of a head injury in March 2012, after a systematic campaign of emotional and physical abuse by his mother Magdelena Luczak and stepfather, former soldier Mariusz Krezolek, both originally from Poland.

The pair were jailed for a minimum of 30 years each.

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Barclays £1.3m Cyber Raid: Two Men In Court

Two alleged cyber plotters accused of stealing £1.3m from a high street bank by taking control of its computer system have appeared in court.

Darius Bolder, 34, and Tony Colston-Hayter, 47, are alleged to have set up a sophisticated system to siphon off cash from accounts after gaining access to a Barclays branch computer in Swiss Cottage, north London, in April using a planted keyboard video mouse.

They appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court accused of conspiracy to steal.

Romanian national Bolder, of Ebury Bridge Road in Chelsea, London, and Colston-Harper, who gave his address as Ilminster in Somerset, did not enter pleas to the charges.

The pair were remanded in custody until their next appearance at Southwark Crown Court next month.

Bolder is also accused of conspiring to commit fraud by false representation, alongside two other defendants.

Lewis Murphy, 29, also of Ebury Bridge Road, and Michael Harper, 26, of Kiln Place in Hampstead, northwest London, are charged with credit card fraud linked to up-market retailer Selfridges.

They also entered no plea and were remanded in custody.

It follows the arrest of eight men by police on Friday.

The other four have been bailed to a central London police station on dates in late November pending further inquiries.

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Scottish Independence: Yes Campaigners March

By James Matthews, Scotland Correspondent

Supporters of Scottish independence have staged a march and rally through the streets of Edinburgh.

Several thousand people joined SNP leader Alex Salmond and other leading members of the independence campaign for the event with a year to go until Scotland's referendum.

Blair Jenkins, chief executive of the 'Yes' campaign, which backs independence, told the gathering: "The biggest prize from a Yes next year is not that we will never again have Tory governments we didn't vote for - important though that is for the well-being of our society.

"Instead it is having the ability to make Scotland's great wealth, talent and resources work better for the people who live here.

"We all know that and independent Scotland has got what it takes to be a successful, prosperous and fairer country.

"All we need is the self-confidence to grab this wonderful, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, to realise our potential as a great nation and to give everybody in Scotland a chance to share in our enormous wealth as part of an inclusive, outward-looking, proud and more socially-just country."

The event took place against a backdrop of opinion polls which have shown support for Scottish independence flatlining, with a comfortable majority in favour of Scotland staying in the United Kingdom.

Scots will vote in an independence referendum on September 18, 2014.

They'll be asked to give a Yes/No answer to the question: "Should Scotland be an independent country?"

Sheila Gilmore MP, a member of Better Together, the group campaigning for Scotland to remain within the United Kingdom, told Sky News: "We're certainly not going to say 'it's in the bag'. 

"I think there's a lot of people who are genuinely unsure of how they're going to vote and I think both sides in this campaign are going to do their best to engage with that debate."

"It's best for the people if Scotland that we stay together as part of the UK and that's certainly what we'll be campaigning for. 

"I've talked to a lot of people in my constituency and that's the view I'm getting - obviously, not from everybody - but from a large number of people."

"We take strength from being part of a larger entity.  You can share economic disadvantages as well as the advantages and I think that's important to people."

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