Caffeine-Packed Energy Mints Blamed For Death

A painter and decorator died from a huge caffeine overdose after eating mints bought from his local sweet shop, not knowing they were packed full of the stimulant.

John Jackson, 40, was found dead by relatives at his West Midlands flat after eating Hero Instant Energy Mints.

Just one of the sweets is said to contain more caffeine than a whole can of high-energy drink like Red Bull.

Coroner Robin Balmain told an inquest in Smethwick he would be writing to the Department of Health demanding answers over Mr Jackson's death.

He said: "This is a potentially very dangerous situation. The level of caffeine is enormous. I think it's as certain as it can be that Mr Jackson didn't know that he was going to expose himself to this sort of danger."

The mints are sold alongside other sweets, but makers Hero Energy Ltd, based in Birkenhead, stressed they had taken a series of measures to warn about the high caffeine content.

Mr Jackson was found dead by his estranged partner and stepdaughter at his flat in Darlaston on May 2.

The makers have warned about the high caffeine content in their mints

A post-mortem examination showed he had 155mg of caffeine per litre of blood in his system, and just 10mg would have been considered an overdose, according to pathologist Dr Dragana Cvijan.

She told the inquest: "The most important compound found in the post-mortem was caffeine. I must say this is the first time in my experience that I've come across a caffeine overdose."

She gave the medical cause of death as caffeine toxicity, but said Mr Jackson, a heavy drinker, also had cirrhosis of the liver, leaving him unable to absorb the stimulant properly.

Stepdaughter Rebecca Court, 23, from Tipton, said Mr Jackson had bought the mints from a local shop.

"On the box they said one tablet equals one can of energy drinks. A kid could go in and buy them and the same thing could happen to him," she said.

Paul Hayes and Steve Hones, the directors of Hero Energy Ltd, issued a statement saying they were "shocked and deeply concerned" at Mr Jackson's death.

Warnings about the mints are clearly marked on packaging, websites, and shelf displays, including the advice not to consumer more than five in 24 hours, they stressed.

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Daily Mail Editor Attacks Miliband 'Hysteria'

The editor of the Daily Mail has said the row between Ed Miliband and the newspaper over an article it printed about the Labour leader's late father shows why politicians "must not be allowed anywhere near press regulation".

Paul Dacre's comments - his first since the Mail published a story about Ralph Miliband's Marxist views under the headline "the man who hated Britain" - came after MPs agreed a series of changes to a draft royal charter.

Culture Secretary Maria Miller urged newspapers to sign up to the scheme but an industry steering group said the charter remains "written by politicians, imposed by politicians and controlled by politicians".

Writing in his own newspaper and the Guardian, Mr Dacre said the "collective hysteria" over the Miliband article showed why statutory regulation should not be introduced.

The newspaper's editor says MPs must not 'sit in judgment on the press'

"Some have argued that last week's brouhaha shows the need for statutory press regulation," he said. "I would argue the opposite.

"The febrile heat, hatred, irrationality and prejudice provoked by last week's row reveals why politicians must not be allowed anywhere near press regulation.

"And while the Mail does not agree with the Guardian over the stolen secret security files it published, I suggest that we can agree that the fury and recrimination the story is provoking reveals again why those who rule us - and who should be held to account by newspapers - cannot be allowed to sit in judgment on the press."

The Daily Mail has refused to apologise for the article about Mr Miliband, which Mr Dacre said did not suggest he was "evil".

Ed Miliband said he was 'appalled' at the Mail's 'character assassination'

"Yes, the headline was controversial, but popular newspapers have a long tradition of using provocative headlines to grab readers' attention," he said.

"In isolation that headline may indeed seem over the top, but read in conjunction with the article we believed it was justifiable."

The planned royal charter would establish a new self-regulatory body that would rule on complaints and decide whether to impose penalties.

Changes to the scheme, which were agreed following talks between the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats, include provision for a fee for use of a new arbitration service, intended to deter speculative claims, as well as a code of conduct for editors, to be approved by the independent regulator.

The proposals will now go forward to the Privy Council for final approval on October 30.

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Spider On Pillow Among 'Trivial' 999 Calls

Firefighters hoping to eliminate unnecessary 999 calls have released some their most "trivial" requests, including a spider crawling on a pillow and a squirrel wedged behind a wardrobe.

London Fire Brigade received around 100 non-emergency calls a week in the past year.

Animals and creepy crawlies featured prominently in the list of weird calls to its control room.

One person phoned in to report a fox in their garden and another to seek advice about a bat in their kitchen.

An elderly woman dialled 999 after throwing a glass of water containing her false teeth at fighting dogs, while another asked firefighters to help retrieve a shoe stuck on a roof.

Senior Officer Dave Brown said: "Our advice is simple - if it's not an emergency, don't ring 999.

"If you're calling because you have a serious phobia, then arrange for a housemate, friend or neighbour to help you.

"If you're calling because there's an unexpected animal in your home, call the RSPCA.

"Firefighters are here (to help) but we can't be on speed dial when something trivial happens.

"We are here to respond to real emergencies, so if you do find a squirrel in your kitchen or you lose your keys down the toilet, don't dial 999."

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Red Cross To Give Food To Hard-Up UK Families

The Red Cross is to begin distributing food to British families for the first time since the Second World War, as thousands face cuts to their household budgets.

The British branch of the charity said it is about to launch a campaign in supermarket foyers asking shoppers to donate food which is then given to the most needy through the charity FareShare.

The hike in basic food prices and soaring utility bills has put a further squeeze on UK families, with more than five million people living in deep poverty.

Nearly 500,000 people in the UK needed support from food banks last year, according to figures from the Trussell Trust.

Juliet Mountford, head of UK service development, said the Red Cross agreed to assist FareShare on the basis of "strong evidence of an increased need for support on food poverty issues".

"For British Red Cross it's a toe in the water. It's the first step in considering whether we ought to be doing more on today's food poverty challenge."

Food banks across the country have been facing increasing levels of demand, with Birmingham's moving to bigger premises to cope.

Volunteers say since they opened two years ago the number of people needing them has trebled - with between 130 and 150 people requiring help every week.

Increasing numbers of Britons have been forced to use foodbanks

For one single mother, who did not want to be identified, it was her first time here.

"My pride has gone, my confidence, self-esteem has gone, you feel like you're at the bottom of everything looking for a rope to climb up," she told Sky News.

"I had nothing in the fridge, my kids had to go to school just with a cup of tea."

Last month a report shed light on the chronic throw-away culture affecting the food industry, where up to two-fifths of a crop of fruit or vegetables can be wasted because it is "ugly".

Produce grown in the UK that does not meet retailer standards on size or shape or is blemished is often used for animal feed or simply ploughed back into the ground even though it is edible, with as much as 40% of a crop rejected.

The report, commissioned by the UK's global food security programme, also showed that the average household throws away more than 5kg (11lb) of food per week, and nearly two-thirds of that is avoidable.

The waste is equivalent to £480 a year per household on average, and £680 per family.

Households throw away a fifth of the food they buy, wasting it for reasons ranging from cooking and preparing too much to not using it before it goes off, the study showed.

Consumption and initial production are the areas where the majority of food is wasted in the UK, the study said.

The British Red Cross dates back to the 1870s, formed out of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement that began in Switzerland less than a decade earlier.

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Human Remains Found In Mansfield Garden

Police have found the remains of two people in a garden near Mansfield.

The discovery was made by officers in the back garden of a property in Blenheim Close, Forest Town, on Thursday, according to Nottinghamshire Police.

A spokesman said it is believed the remains had been there for some time.

Police were led to the address after information came to light about an "incident" alleged to have taken place in the late 1990s.

The remains have yet to be formally identified, and according to police it could take weeks or even months for this to be completed.

Forensics teams could be seen entering the garden, and the scene has been cordoned off while examinations were carried out.

A white police tent and a digger, along with piles of soil, were also visible, and two officers were stood outside the property.

A neighbour, who did not want to be named, said she knew of an elderly couple who used to live at the house in the 1990s.

Police officers on guard outside of the property in Mansfield

The 51-year-old said: "I only saw the man a few times. I never saw the lady or any family.

"I never saw anyone coming or going. My friend and I always used to say 'I wonder what happened to that couple'.

"They just disappeared. We thought they had emigrated."

She said she believed the house then stood empty until the present occupiers moved in around seven years ago.

Post-mortem examinations to establish the cause of death are due to take place today.

Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Mark Webster, said the two bodies had been removed from the address.

He said: "As a result of information we received in force last week we commenced a search at premises on Blenheim Close in the Forest Town area of Mansfield and yesterday we uncovered the bodies of two people.

"Forensic tests are taking place at this moment to identify who they are formally."

The current residents of the house are not being investigated by police

The officer said the current tenant and the owner of the property had been "extremely helpful" and did not feature in their investigation at this time.

Insp Webster refused to comment any further on the information they had received last week.

Asked whether they had made any arrests, the officer answered: "No, we haven't at the moment."

Appealing for anyone with information to come forward, Mr Webster said: "If anyone in the Mansfield or surrounding areas knows anything that could help the police we'd be very grateful for anything that anyone can give to us.

"It's a historical inquiry because of the length of time the people have been there."

Reassuring the local community, the officer added: "We don't believe that there is any risk of any harm coming to the community.

"People are clearly going to be concerned when an incident of this nature happens and we would like to reassure them and we'd like to thank people particularly the local neighbours on Blenheim Close they've been really helpful to us."

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Brain Implant 'Could Stop Parkinson's Growth'

By Rhiannon Mills, Sky News Correspondent

A hi-tech brain implant could transform the lives of people living with Parkinson's disease.

Scientists in Bristol have developed a system of tubes and catheters that allows them to pump protein therapy deep into patients' brains.

It is hoped the technique will encourage cells damaged by the disease to grow again.

The protein, known as glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), is injected once a month through a port just behind the ear and pushed through the tubes and catheters by an external pump.

Doctors at Frenchay Hospital, Bristol, have trialled the system on six patients and are now looking for another 36 to continue the research.

Dr Kieran Breen, director of research and innovation at Parkinson's UK, said: "For years, the potential of GDNF as a treatment for Parkinson's has remained one of the great unanswered research questions.

Protein passed through the implant could encourage the regrowth of cells

"This new study will take us one step closer to finally answering this question once and for all.

"We believe GDNF could have the potential to unlock a new approach for treating Parkinson's that may be able to slow down and ultimately stop the progression of the condition all together.

"Currently there are very few treatments available for people with Parkinson's and none capable of stopping the condition from advancing."

Parkinson's, which affects more than 127,000 people in the UK, develops when a lack of a chemical called dopamine causes nerve cells within the brain to die.

This in turn causes symptoms such as stiffness, slowness of movement and tremors.

Previous research studies have suggested GDNF has the potential to encourage these cells to grow again - in effect stopping the progression of Parkinson's.

Scientists hope the technique will encourage cells regrowth

Tom Phipps, from Bristol, who was diagnosed with the condition eight years ago at the age of 50, was the first patient in the world to be fitted with the port system.

"I have a hope it will make a difference, if not by halting the progress of my condition then at least (allowing me to) lead a much more active life for a little bit longer," he said.

"If it doesn't affect me, it may affect, and positively affect, someone else at a later stage."

Professor Steven Gill, from Frenchay Hospital, told Sky News the equipment could be used to treat a variety of conditions.

"If this technology proves to be safe and reliable ... it has huge applications across neurological diseases, not only for treating neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's but also brain tumours and other conditions," he said.

The £2m project is funded by Parkinson's UK with support from The Cure Parkinson's Trust.

A foundation set up by actor Michael J Fox, who has the condition, also made a large donation.

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Hammond Hits Back Over £2bn MoD Underspend

By Vincent McAviney, Sky News Political Producer

The Defence Secretary has hit back at criticism of a £2bn underspend by the Government department he oversees, saying the money will be spent on future kit for soldiers.

Philip Hammond reacted angrily to claims he had been "overzealous" in pursuit of an austerity drive that will see thousands of soldiers lose their jobs.

They were made in a Daily Telegraph article which suggested the underspend at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) was partly down to cuts in military personnel and equipment.

Mr Hammond said: "These retired 'senior military figures' (quoted by the newspaper) are presumably the same people who presided over an out of control defence budget that led to the previous Government sending troops into battle without the proper equipment needed to protect them.

Mr Hammond is overseeing a major cost-cutting exercise at the MoD

"They clearly have no idea how the defence budget now works.

"Instead of having to delay and cancel programmes as in the past, we now budget prudently and then roll forward any underspend to future years, allowing us to place new equipment orders."

Mr Hammond's comments came as a Sky News investigation revealed Government departments have spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on calls to directory inquiries numbers since the last election.

The MoD alone made 158,640 calls to 118 lines between May 1, 2010, and August 31, 2013 - the equivalent of 186 calls per day - at a cost of £271,000.

A spokesman said the number of calls made from fixed phone lines had fallen by more than three-quarters in the last four years.

However, the expenditure is equivalent to the annual salaries of 15 squaddies or nine junior officers, or around 270 sets of Osprey body armour.

The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) made 97,265 calls between May 2010 and August 2013 at a cost of £72,387.

This was despite the department barring staff from calling 118 numbers in March 2011 and Secretary of State Iain Duncan Smith pledging to cut costs to help fund police and the forces.

The MoD says it has cut the number of directory inquiry calls it makes

Robert Oxley, campaign director of the TaxPayers' Alliance, added: "It's astonishing that so much taxpayers' money has been wasted needlessly dialling these services, especially in the internet age.

"Sadly, a blase attitude over who is picking up the phone bill is all too common in some corners of the civil service."

It is the second time in as many months the MoD's spending on phone calls has been brought into question, and comes at a time when the military is undergoing a massive cost-reduction programme which includes thousands of redundancies.

In August, the department revealed it had run up a £40,000 bill on calls to the speaking clock.

The MoD has said this was partly down to a "technical error" in one of its systems which meant the number was being dialled automatically.

Thousands of soldiers are losing their jobs as the MoD cuts costs

However, Sky News now understands that between May 1, 2010, and August 31, 2013, 99,887 calls were in fact made by departmental staff to the speaking clock at a cost of £39,845.

The faulty automated system placed an additional 28,663 calls to the number but the £12,355 cost of these calls is being repaid by the company which installed it.

A spokesman for the MoD said: "Calls to directory inquiries from the majority of the 260,000 MoD fixed phone lines are banned but some staff working in isolated locations, who do not have access to a military phone network or the internet, are able to call directory enquiries to obtain contact details."

A spokesman for the DWP added: "118 numbers are banned, except where they are used by jobseekers or their advisers when looking for work.

"The costs of these calls have been cut by more than two-thirds since 2010, as more of the 1.4 million claimants we support move online for their job searches."

Freedom of Information Act requests were submitted to all government departments, although some departments including the Home Office and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs refused to provide the information.

Several other departments said they had barred 118 calls, instructing staff to use internet search engines to obtain contact details.

Labour shadow minister Jon Ashworth told Sky News: "This is yet another example of the Government's failure to tackle waste.

"David Cameron and his ministers need to act now to stop allowing thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money being squandered on these costly calls."

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Digital Boom Divides Music Industry

By Angela Barnes, Sky News Producer

The digitisation of music has helped revolutionise the entertainment business, but frustrations between the music and tech industries are still rife - with streaming and the future of record labels at the forefront of the debate.

Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke renewed his attack on online music streaming service Spotify this week, describing the company as the "last desperate fart of a dying corpse", and condemning its relationship with the major labels.

Many rights holders have held back their music, including Yorke, and argue they lose out from streaming services as they get far less per song than if it was downloaded.

However, in its defence, Spotify points to the money it pays out to rights holders and told TechRadar that by the end of the year it will have given $1bn (£630m) back to the music industry.

Thom Yorke is not a fan of popular streaming service Spotify

It also said piracy had been reduced by 25% since it launched in Sweden just over five years ago.

British band Keane, who are 10 years into their career and set to release a Best Of album, don't see streaming as a problem.

Lead singer Tom Chaplin told Sky News: "That's just the world we live in. I think people like to cherrypick music. I do it, I make playlists all the time from different albums that I love."

Keane pianist Tim Rice-Oxley is not too worried either, saying: "I think playing live is still the most precious thing about music - it's something that can't be replicated whatever happens in technology.

"If you can put tracks up online, even though you are giving away your music, hopefully you are drawing people to come and see you live."

Keane's frontman says the live aspect of music will never die out

Despite the ongoing challenges, many in the music industry argue digital advancements are more constructive than they are destructive, enabling talented new artists to get off the ground without the backing of a major label - flattening the traditional hierarchical structure.

Echotape, who refer to themselves as the DIY Band, have been making a name for themselves with the help of social media, free apps and self-distribution platforms.

Their first video was filmed for £50 and their latest effort was all done on their smartphones.

"When we started out we realised we were going to have to do everything ourselves because we were not going to get straight away the major label backing and financial help," drummer Mike Burford told Sky.

'DIY band' Echotape made a music video for £50 uisng their phones

"So we all saved up. We bought an iMac, we got UADs (cards for running audio plugins), Genelec speakers, that get you the top quality sound that we need for recordings. We don't have to keep paying out for going to studios."

Bass player Dan Morris added: "For our most recent video we did all our filming on an iPhone, so we can just plug it straight into a computer and put it into Final Cut to edit out.

"In the past we've taken photos from Instagram, projected those onto us, filmed that with our phone then edited it together.

"It's so easy and so cheap. All you need is your phone and some software to edit on your computer, then you can whack it straight on YouTube or put clips on Instagram or Vine."

With more and more artists recording at home and using self-distribution platforms to share their music directly with fans, many are asking what the future holds for labels and whether bands can make it without them.

Universal's head of digital says traditional labels can still help artists

Paul Smernicki, director of digital at Universal Music UK, told Sky News there's still a lot the labels can add.

"There's no doubt that it was extremely destructive for our business. We had something that was easy to copy immediately and distribute vastly at the flick of a switch," he admitted.

"No doubt it was damaging for a while, but we're in a position now where I think it's a really exciting place to work.

He added: "We're definitely not dead. I think there is still a huge amount that we add, there's the whole A&R (artists and repertoire) process - you can get your song on iTunes, but can you get your song on radio?

"There's skills and things we can bring to the table.

"I think artists would vote with their feet if we were redundant and not required, and it's a very healthy competitive landscape for signing acts."

In order to compete with the self-distribution platforms giving artists direct access to iTunes and consumers, Mr Smernicki said Universal had launched its own service in Sweden, enabling artists to be "streamed into the label network" too.

With major labels joining the revolution rather than fighting it, there's little doubt that the traditional roles of manufacturing, distribution and retail will continue to be debated and redefined.

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Refinery Bosses Say Strike Could 'Shut Scotland'

Owners of the Grangemouth oil refinery have urged workers not to go ahead with industrial action, saying a strike "could effectively shut much of Scotland".

Unite members at the site in Scotland will walk out for 48 hours from 7am on October 20 in a dispute over the treatment of union convenor Stephen Deans.

The site's owners Ineos have launched an internal investigation into Mr Deans, who was involved in the dispute over the selection of a Labour candidate in Falkirk.

Mr Deans, who is chairman of Labour's constituency party, was suspended by Ineos, then reinstated.

Unite accused Ineos of refusing to take the dispute to the conciliation service.

Unite's Scottish Secretary Pat Rafferty said: "Unite has made every effort to pull Ineos back from the brink but at every opportunity this company has kicked our proposals for peace into touch.

"We have pleaded with Government ministers in Westminster and Holyrood and the joint owners of the Grangemouth refinery Petrochina to help reign in this reckless company before it's too late.

"A damaging strike may shut down the Grangemouth site, with serious ramifications for fuel production and supply throughout Scotland and the North of England."

Ineos said it will immediately start putting its safety procedures in place to ensure the site can be safely shut down and will redouble its attempts to negotiate an end to the dispute.

Chairman Calum MacLean said: "Unite's decision to strike is completely irresponsible. Unite could effectively shut much of Scotland. Discussions have certainly not been exhausted.

"We told them that we would be willing to go to Acas at the appropriate time but rather than negotiate they prefer to strike.

"We will do all we can to minimise the harm this Unite strike does to the people of Scotland and the North of England. We have high fuel stocks in the refinery and a contingency plan to use the site as an import terminal to bring additional fuel in by sea if necessary."

Ineos recently launched a survival plan for Grangemouth, warning that the site will close by 2017 without investment and reduced costs.

The company said it was losing £10m a month.

Officials said the investigation into Mr Deans will be completed by October 25.

Unite received an overwhelming mandate for strike action from the workforce, with 81.4% voting for walkouts and 90% for other forms of industrial action, on an 86% turnout.

A work to rule and overtime ban has been in place this week.

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Somerset Rally Car Crashes Into Dad And Sons

A man and his two sons have been injured by a rally car which left a track and careered into spectators.

A South Western Ambulance Service Trust spokeswoman said the two boys sustained injuries to their legs which were not thought to be serious.

Their father was airlifted to the Bath Royal United Hospital along with them.

The spokeswoman said: "Our officer at the scene said this had the potential to be much more serious than fortunately it turned out to be."

A fourth person was treated and discharged at the scene.

The incident happened just before midday at Royal Bath and West Showground in Shepton Mallet, Somerset.

An eyewitness told the Shepton Mallet Journal the car, thought to have been a Subaru Impreza, skidded across the grass as it attempted to take a corner.

"Although the crowd was probably 20 to 30 metres away from the track the car carried on going its way into a young family, two young lads, eight or nine years old, and their dad," they said.

"I saw the young lads fly up into the air the dad flew over the top of the car and then it came to a stop and the driver was in a bit of a state, psychologically, kicking the car, he was very upset about what had happened."

The one-day Regency Stages Rally, featuring 55 miles of tarmac rallying across 10 stages, was being held at the venue.

A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police said the condition of the rally driver involved in the crash is unknown.

"There is a joint investigation involving the police and the Health and Safety Executive into the incident," he said.

The event is organised by the Weston-super-Mare Motor Club, which was unavailable for comment about the crash.

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