Palace Seeks Housekeeper To Run Baths

Buckingham Palace is looking to appoint a housekeeping assistant who will be busy looking after guests of the Royal Family, according to the job description.

The advertisement, which appears on the Royal Household website, says the new recruit's duties will include personal maiding and valeting for guests, including taking care of the dry-cleaning, arranging tea and breakfast trays and looking after the Queen's jewellery.

The 40 hours-per-week job will also include running baths for guests and cleaning "internal glass", although its unclear whether that includes the palace's 760 windows.

The ad goes on to say that the Royal Household employee will be rubbing shoulders with members of the Royal Family and so must have an ability to "maintain confidentiality".

The job description for the housekeeping assistant

The successful applicant for the £14,400-a-year post will be "meticulous, with a close attention to detail" and be "committed to achieving exceptional standards of service provision", the ad says.

Although based at Buckingham Palace in London, the person who is taken on will also be required to work at other royal residences for up to three months each year.

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Trader Robin Clark Shot By Hitman In Essex

A City trader has been seriously injured after being shot by a hitman at an Essex railway station.

Police believe Robin Clark, 44, was "deliberately targeted" as he got out of his car in the car park at Shenfield station at 5.50am on Friday.

The gunman, who was wearing a balaclava, fled the scene in a vehicle parked nearby.

Robin Clark suffered serious injuries. Pic: Robin Clark/Twitter

Mr Clark, who lives in Essex, works for City brokerage firm RP Martin.

He was shot in the leg and is being treated at Basildon Hospital for his injuries, which are not life-threatening.

A British Transport Police spokesman said: "As he got out of the car he was approached by an unknown man and received a single gunshot to the leg."

Detective Superintendent Gary Richardson said: "At this stage we believe the victim of this assault was deliberately targeted.

"We do not believe this incident was gang-related and I would like to reassure the public that there is no reason for any undue concern.

"Inquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances, including the motive behind the attack."

A spokesman for RP Martin said: "We are aware of this morning's incident and are giving Robin all the support we can.

"It would not be appropriate to comment any further at this stage."

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Nida Ul-Naseer Missing: Family's Video Appeal

The family of a teenager missing for almost four weeks have pleaded for her to return home in a video appeal on the day before her 19th birthday.

Nida Ul-Naseer has not been seen since December 28, when she left her home in Newport, South Wales, to take out the rubbish.

Concerns for her safety continue to mount as the student was not wearing shoes when she disappeared from her home in Linton Street.

She also did not have her phone, money or coat when she vanished.

There has been an extensive search by police for the missing teen, and repeated appeals.

Nida was not wearing shoes and had no phone, cash or coat when she vanished

In the latest plea, two separate video clips have been posted on Gwent Police's YouTube channel from her father, mother, and sister Shamyla.

Her father said: "We are very worried about Nida. If anyone knows about Nida tell us. We just want her to come back."

In her 56-second appeal, Shamyla, 23, sitting next to her tearful mother, said: "Nida, if you are listening to me please come back home.

"We all worry about you Nida. We all love you Nida.

"You don't have to worry about anything. We are here for you."

Nida's family, who are originally from Pakistan, have been seeking asylum in Britain, but their application was turned down last year. They are appealing the decision.

On the night she disappeared Nida had been angry and upset that she could not go to university because her family are asylum seekers. Shamyla said she was "shouting and crying".

Police have described her disappearance as a "mystery".

Superintendent Mark Warrender said: "We are continuing to search CCTV and to look into any information that comes in, but we really haven't had anything that would lead us to the positive identification of Nida.

"We are keeping an open mind."

Nida is described as 5ft 3ins tall, and was last seen wearing blue jeans and a black top.

Her family has repeatedly denied claims that the teenager had run off with a secret boyfriend or that she was due to be involved in an arranged marriage.

Anyone with information is urged to contact police on 101.

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Dave Lee Travis 'Knew Savile Liked Young Girls'

By Nick Pisa, Sky News Reporter

Former DJ Dave Lee Travis told police investigating sex allegations against him that everyone "knew Jimmy Savile liked young girls," a court has heard.

Travis, 68, told officers from Operation Yewtree what he knew of the disgraced and now dead fellow broadcaster, when he was questioned during the inquiry against him.

He said he had thought "good luck to him", regarding Savile's attitude to young girls but did not realise they were under-age.

The jury at Southwark Crown Court heard Prosecutor Teresa Hay read out statements Travis made in a series of four interviews with police from November 2012 to September last year.

He was questioned by Metropolitan Police Detective Sergeant Gary Pankhurst, of Operation Yewtree, which is investigating Savile and others linked with him or independent of him.

Ms Hay said that in his statement, Travis said: "I saw Savile once or twice a year but I didn't know him. He put up a verbal wall, no one got any sense out of him and I never had a full conversation with him.

Dave Lee Travis arrives for Friday's Southwark Crown Court hearing

"We didn't keep in touch, he was a colleague but not a friend. People knew he liked young girls but not below the official age, when it came out, like others I was horrified.

"If had known I would have reported him. I was genuinely shocked."

In all his interviews Travis, who is appearing in court under his real name David Griffin, denied the allegations against him insisting they were "made up for money" although he admitted he could be tactile at times.

He said he would have been "insane" and a "complete moron" to assault his victims in the BBC studios as has been claimed earlier in the trial, adding that people in his industry "were now targets".

He told police he had been through "three months of hell" after the allegations were first made and asked why his victims had gone to the papers first and not the police, telling officers "it's a money grabbing culture".

Ms Hay said that in another interview Travis again strenuously denied all the allegations and said: "Stuff went on in the 70s, it was a different time. I didn't do drugs, unlike others back then, I'm scared of drugs. I'm no angel but this is just not on."

He told police he had a "rock solid marriage" and added that he "very young girls were not him." Of one allegation from a then 15-year-old girl he is accused of indecently assaulting in a trailer, he said: "She has an active imagination."

As the statements were read out Travis, sat in the dock, dressed in a blazer, white shirt and tie followed closely a copy that he had in his hands.

He denies 13 charges of indecent assault between 1976 and 2003 and a charge of sexual assault in 2008.

The trial at Southwark Crown Court continues with his defence due to begin on Monday.

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Older Cancer Patients Are Being 'Written Off'

Cancer Care: Experts' Opinions

Updated: 5:04pm UK, Friday 24 January 2014

Two experts give their view on treating older people who have cancer. Macmillan Cancer Support has claimed some patients are being "written off" for treatment because they are too old.

:: Professor Karol Sikora, Chief Medical Officer for Cancer Partners UK

Of course older people with cancer should be treated properly.

The Macmillan report and its interpretation by some of the media is in my view exaggerated. Doctors are not withholding treatment to try to reduce care costs.

Cancer treatment even with the latest drugs is a high risk business. The side effects are sometimes severe and often distressing.

Older people may have several other medical problems which mean we have to reduce the dose of drug. Also they may take longer to recover from the side effects.

So each case has to be assessed on its own merit. And there has to be a sense of balance - the quality of life has to be balanced against its length.

None of us are immortal and striving to prolong life may cause more pain and suffering. The art of good medicine is to make good decisions involving the wishes of the patient.

I've been an NHS consultant for 35 years and have seen massive changes. Above all older people are much healthier than ever before. Eighty is the new 60.

So the Macmillan report is a timely reminder that the actual age of a patient is no barrier to effective cancer treatment. But please don't blame the doctors for the capacity problems facing cancer care in our NHS. We are doing our best.

:: Tom Gentry, Health Policy Adviser for Age UK

The news today that people over 65 are surviving for 10 years or more following a diagnosis for cancer is a testament to both the improving health of older people and the incredible work of health and care professionals .

However, many older people are still unable to get the treatment they need and could benefit from.

It is often forgotten that people over 75 represent a third of all cancer diagnoses. But at the same time they represent a half of all cancer deaths.

People over 80 with the disease are the only age group in which mortality rates have got worse in the last 40 years.

Part of this will be because more of us are living beyond 80 and when we get there, we are more likely to live with a number of long-term conditions.

Some people may choose not to go through what could be highly aggressive treatments and value quality of life over how long they could live.

But such decisions are not always being made with the full facts.

People should be able to expect a care team to make a full assessment of their health and capacity to recover from treatment, i.e. your biological age.

Instead, health professionals too often make assumptions based on when you were born, i.e. your chronological age. This should never be a proxy for a person's health and fitness and is entirely out of step with the advances that continue to help all of us to live well for longer.

It is symptomatic of a health service that is not yet equipped to deliver fully equitable care for our ageing society. It is symptomatic of the fact that is has only been illegal to discriminate on the basis of age since October 2012.

Older people are the fastest growing group in our communities. All sections of society, particularly the care services they rely on, must do more to reflect this.

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Twitter Trolls Jailed For Sending Abusive Tweets

By Nick Pisa, Sky News Reporter

Two people who sent abusive and menacing tweets to banknote campaigner Caroline Criado-Perez and Labour MP Stella Creasy have been jailed.

Isabella Sorley, 23, and John Nimmo, 25, posted dozens of abusive tweets against both women before they were arrested.

Senior district judge Howard Riddle jailed Sorley for 12 weeks and Nimmo for eight weeks as well as ordering them to pay £400 compensation to each victim.

Earlier this month the pair pleaded guilty to sending the menacing tweets, admitting they were among the users of 86 separate Twitter accounts from which Ms Criado-Perez had received abusive messages.

Passing sentence at Westminster Magistrates Court, Judge Riddle said that both victims had suffered substantially as a result of the abuse.

He said Ms Criado-Perez had faced "panic, fear and horror" adding that she feared the "abusers would find her and carry out the threats. She felt hunted."

She responded to the sentencing on Twitter, saying: "I feel immensely relieved that the judge clearly has understood the severity of the impact this abuse has had on me." She said the compensation would be given to charity.

Of Ms Creasy the judge said: "She became concerned for her safety to the extent that she had to alter her behaviour. She had a panic button installed in her home."

As he passed sentence Sorley shook her head and looked to the floor while Nimmo stared straight ahead, showing no emotion.

Sean Caulfield, defending Sorley, told the court his client was "articulate and intelligent" and there was "disconnect" between her and the person that sent the messages.

He said they were sent in a half-hour window between 2.25am and 2.55am last July 30 when she was under the influence of alcohol and she was "horrified and appalled" at what she had done.

Nimmo and Sorley arrive separately at Westminster Magistrates Court

The court also heard how she had 25 previous convictions, mostly for being drunk and disorderly but she had also been convicted twice of assaulting police.

At the time of the Twitter abuse last summer Ms Criado-Perez was leading an ultimately successful campaign to have women featured on British banknotes.

Police launched an investigation after both she and Walthamstow MP Ms Creasy complained about the vile tweets.

Sorley used Twitter to tell Ms Criado-Perez to "f*** off and die you worthless piece of crap", "go kill yourself" and "rape is the last of your worries".

She also deluged Ms Criado-Perez with menacing messages claiming that she had just been released from prison, writing: "I will find you and you don't want to know what I will do when I do, you're pathetic, kill yourself before I do."

Sorley, from Newcastle upon Tyne, has a 2:1 degree in creative advertising from Leeds College of Art and was working in an Asda supermarket in Newcastle at the time. She has since lost her job.

Unemployed Nimmo told Ms Criado-Perez to "shut up bitch" and "Ya not that gd looking to rape u be fine" followed by "I will find you (smiley face)".

In an attack on Ms Creasy, Nimmo, from South Shields, said:"The things I cud do to u (smiley face)", calling her "Dumb blond bitch."

Ms Creasy responded to Nimmo's message of "Dumb blonde bitch" with the message "That's dumb Dr blonde bitch to you".

"Love it at least u can have a laugh," Nimmo responded, to which Ms Creasy said: "I'm not having a laugh, I'm cataloguing your vile conduct #takebacktwitter".

In court his solicitor Paul Kennedy described him as a "recluse and sad individual" adding that he had no previous convictions and was sorry for what he did.

Sorley's brother, who was in court with two holdalls carrying her belongings in the hope his sister would not be jailed, left without making any comment.

Before the early hearing, Sorley posted a picture of herself on her Twitter page posing outside Buckingham Palace with the message "just chilling at the queens".

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Hidden Camera Pen Catches Thief Red-Handed

A carer has been jailed after a surveillance camera hidden in a pen caught her stealing thousands of pounds from an elderly couple.

Lisa Mitchell, 38, helped herself to £35,000 in cash over four years when she worked for 81-year-old Sheila Read, who had dementia, at their home in Dereham, Norfolk.

But the couple's son, Allan Read, suspected money was disappearing so he set up the secret CCTV camera in the pen and strategically placed it in an office in the house, Norfolk Police said.

Mitchell was filmed on two occasions in the office, which she had no reason to be in.

Mitchell was sentenced to 18 months' jail

The footage showed her going through a desk and the elderly man's wallet.

Allan Read had made a note of serial numbers on the bank notes, which police used along with the images to prove the offence.

Mitchell, of Masefield Mews, Dereham, pleaded guilty to theft and was jailed for 18 months at Norwich Crown Court.

Detective Constable Gemma Weeks said Mitchell used the stolen cash to buy jewellery and designer handbags.

"Over four years Lisa Mitchell took advantage of an elderly couple whom she was trusted to care for," she said.

"She thought nothing of helping herself to their personal money and cash from their family business, which she spent on jewellery and designer handbags.

"Even when presented with CCTV evidence, Mitchell denied stealing from this vulnerable couple, and could not account for living beyond her means.

"Over and above the financial impact of her crime is the emotional one, particularly when it appeared that Mitchell was searching for money instead of caring for the elderly lady."

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Benefits Street Residents On Drug Charges

A number of people living in TV's Benefits Street have been charged with drug offences following a series of police raids.

Officers allegedly found class A and B drugs at properties in James Turner Street in Birmingham's Winson Green, where the documentary was filmed.

The Channel 4 show claims to reveal "the reality of life on benefits" on "one of Britain's most benefit-dependent streets".

A spokesman for West Midlands Police said the raids, which took place last June, were ordered after concerns were raised by local residents.

Following enquiries, seven people have been charged and bailed to appear before magistrates in Birmingham on February 6.

Samora Roberts, 32, was charged with conspiracy to supply a class B drug, conspiracy to supply a class A drug (crack cocaine), possession of a class A drug (diamorphine) and possession of ammunition for a firearm without a certificate.

Tina Thomas, 46, was charged with conspiracy to supply class B drugs (cannabis) and possession of ammunition without a certificate.

Charlene Wilson, 29, was charged with conspiracy to supply class A drugs (crack cocaine) and class B drugs (cannabis), as well as possession of diamorphine.

Monique Walker, 28, and Marvin Scott, 37, were charged with conspiracy to supply class A drugs (crack cocaine).

Omari George, 20, and Ian Wright, 38, are charged with the same offence, as well as conspiracy to supply class B drugs (cannabis).

All of those charged live in James Turner Street, except for George, who lives in Dora Road, Handsworth.

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Teenage Boy Held On Suspicion Of Girl's Murder

A 16-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a teenage girl in Surrey.

The 17-year-old victim was found dead at house in Amy Road, Oxted, at 5.20pm on Friday.

Police say they believe the pair were known to each other, although the investigation is still in the early stages.

A police spokeswoman said: "A murder investigation has been launched by the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team following the death of a 17-year-old girl in Oxted.

"Officers were called to an address on Amy Road at around 5.20pm on Friday, 24 January after the body of a girl was discovered at the property. Her next of kin has been informed.

"The investigation is still in the early stages but it is believed that the victim and the offender are known to each other.

"A 16-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is currently in police custody."

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Labour Would Restore 50p Top Rate Tax

Labour would restore the 50p top rate of tax if it gets into power at the next general election, the shadow chancellor has confirmed.

Ed Balls made the announcement in a pitch to run Britain's economy, during which he promised to balance the nation's books and cut national debt.

In his speech to the Fabian Society's annual conference in central London, he described Labour as the "party of radical economic change" and said it was "speaking up ... for working people" facing a "cost of living crisis".

He said the country is "crying out for real and lasting change" and claimed the Prime Minister and the Chancellor are "out of touch" with voters.

Mr Balls said: "When the deficit is still high, when tough times are now set to last well into the next parliament, when for ordinary families their real incomes are falling and taxes have risen, it cannot be right for David Cameron and George Osborne to have chosen to give the richest people in the country a huge tax cut.

"That's why, for the next parliament, the next Labour government will reverse this government's top rate tax cut so we can finish the job of getting the deficit down and do it fairly.

"For the next parliament, we will restore the 50p top rate ... reversing this unfair tax cut for the richest 1% of people in the country."

In his speech, Mr Balls said Labour would introduce a 10p starting rate of tax, which he claims would "help make work pay and cut taxes for 24 million people on middle and lower incomes".

He also announced Labour would create the British Investment Bank to support small businesses, commit to building 200,000 new homes a year by 2020 and expand free childcare for working parents to 25 hours a week.

"By supporting the long-term growth that will earn our way to higher living standards and help reduce the deficit, by rooting out waste in public spending, by making fairer choices on tax and benefit reform ... Labour can change Britain," he said.

The 50p - or 50% - "additional rate" tax, which is payable on income above £150,000, was cut to 45% on April 6 last year.

Mr Osborne abolished the higher rate, introduced by Labour in 2010, in his 2012 Budget, amid claims it raised just a third of the £3bn initially predicted.

"No Chancellor can justify a tax rate that damages our economy and raises next to nothing," the Chancellor said at the time.

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