Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 31 Januari 2015 | 23.17
Donations for a disabled pensioner who was mugged outside his home have reached more than £100,000.
After reading about the mugging of 67-year-old Alan Barnes, beautician Katie Cutler set up an online fundraising page that went viral and has raised more than 200 times its original £500 target in just two days.
Mr Barnes, who has disabilities from birth after his mother contracted German measles when she was pregnant, broke his collarbone when he was pushed over by his attacker.
People were moved to help after hearing that Mr Barnes was too afraid to return to his home in Low Fell, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear.
Following reports of the attack, which police described as "disgraceful", Ms Cutler set up the Help Alan Barnes online donation page on the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe.
She wrote: "I was so upset that anyone could target a disabled pensioner and be so cruel.
"We can't take away what has happened but with a little donation we can make the future a prettier one and help towards the cost of his new home. Thank you all."
One online contributor, Lorraine Susan, said: "I really hope this fund helps him get settled somewhere nice & safe.
"At least he knows there are literally thousands on his side."
Mr Barnes is a well-known figure in Low Fell and is renowned for being able to quickly calculate how many days old someone is from their date of birth.
Frontline police officers should be able to carry a Taser to combat attempted attacks on them by terrorists, according to the head of the organisation that represents them.
Police Federation chair Steve White said the stun guns, which can temporarily disable the target with two dart-like electrodes that carry a maximum 50,000-volt charge, should be made more widely available to uniformed officers.
He told The Guardian newspaper the move was needed because acts of terrorism could be carried out anywhere and officers needed protection.
Mr White said: "The terrorist ideal to get attention no longer relies on an attack being in a place of note.
"It could be in Cheam high street, in any town, in any part of the UK.
Video:Call For Police To Carry Tasers
"We know there are more dangerous people out there, preparing to attack police officers and we need to be able to respond to that threat."
Leaders at the Police Federation will vote next month on a proposal that every officer on the frontline should be offered training in how to use the weapons.
Mr White said: "Talking to them with a cup of tea and a biscuit is not going to work."
The murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby in Woolwich in 2013 showed "you don't need to have a gun to create terrorism", said Mr White, who rejected the notion the move amounted to arming officers.
"It is a defensive tool and a tactical option.
"We have a largely unarmed service and the service wants that to remain.
"The alternative is to have officers out there without anything at all. We have to do something."
But one police chief, speaking anonymously, told The Guardian the idea risked damaging public confidence in the police.
"The idea of arming every police officer with a Taser is alien to 200 years of police culture," they said.
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Gallery: Taser Device Explained
The most common device used by police is the X26 Taser, which has a peak voltage of 50,000 volts when discharged - this drops to 1,200 volts while travelling around the body
The Taser fires two small dart-like electrodes which stay connected to the main unit as they are propelled by small compressed nitrogen charges to the body similar to air gun or paintball marker propellants
A British military healthcare worker has been evacuated from Sierra Leone after being accidentally jabbed with a needle while treating Ebola patients.
The worker has returned to England for monitoring, according to Public Health England (PHE).
The woman was flown back to RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on Friday night and then transferred to an isolation ward at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, northwest London.
The worker's next of kin has been informed, according to PHE.
It is understood the person, whose identity has not been released, has probably been exposed to the virus but has not been diagnosed with Ebola and is not displaying symptoms.
Video:'Pop-Up' Ebola Hospital Open
The official announcement said the worker suffered a "needle-stick injury", which involves piercing of the skin.
The injuries typically involved needle points but may also be done by other sharp objects, and are considered an occupational health hazard by medical workers.
PHE director for health protection Professor Paul Cosford said: "Our thoughts are with this person, who has been courageous in helping those affected in West Africa, and in preventing the wider spread of Ebola.
Video:Ebola: Busting The Myths
"We have strict, well-tested protocols in place for this eventuality and we are confident that all appropriate actions have been taken to support the healthcare worker concerned and to protect the health of other people."
The medical evacuation was done as a precautionary measure after the worker was pricked by a needle at the Kerry Town clinic in the West African nation.
There are currently around 600 British military personnel working in Sierra Leone, with Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Argus stationed in the area.
Video:The True Horror Of The Ebola Crisis
The clinic was built on the outskirts of the capital Freetown to help treat patients infected by the virus, which has ravaged parts of West Africa.
It includes an 80-bed treatment centre managed by Save The Children charity and a 12-bed operated by British Army medical staff designed to treat international healthcare workers and staff working in the area.
London's Royal Free Hospital also treated British nurses Pauline Cafferkey and Will Pooley - both were diagnosed with the disease after returning from treating patients in Africa.
Video:July 2014: UK Ebola Treatment Plan
In a statement the hospital said: "We can confirm that a UK military healthcare worker has been admitted to the Royal Free Hospital today following a needlestick injury while treating a person with Ebola in Sierra Leone.
"The individual has been admitted to the Royal Free Hospital for assessment."
The patient will be monitored throughout the 21-day incubation period of Ebola.
Video:Argus Sets Sail For Sierra Leone
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Gallery: The Desperate Fight To Contain The Ebola Outbreak
A man rests outside the clinic.
A woman is comforted after medical officials remove her husband, who is suspected of having the disease.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have declined to publicly back a campaign that seeks to pardon tens of thousands of gay men prosecuted along with codebreaker Alan Turing.
Campaigners, including Benedict Cumberbatch and Stephen Fry, have called on Prince William and his wife Kate to "acknowledge this mark on our history and not allow it to stand".
Cumberbatch, who has been nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Turing in The Imitation Game, wants 49,000 other men convicted for their sexuality to be pardoned like the pioneering computer scientist.
The letter calls on Kate and William to back the campaign
Turing committed suicide in 1954, two years after being convicted of gross indecency for being gay.
In an open letter to the Government seeking action, campaigners call for the Royal Family to act and convince the Government to pardon those convicted.
Video:Nov: 'Turing Deserves Recognition'
But a spokesman for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge said that as this is a matter for government they would not make any public comment on the issue.
The letter, published in The Guardian newspaper, states: "The UK's homophobic laws made the lives of generations of gay and bisexual men intolerable.
"It is up to young leaders of today including The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to acknowledge this mark on our history and not allow it to stand.
"We call upon Her Majesty's Government to begin a discussion about the possibility of a pardoning all the men, alive or deceased, who like Alan Turing, were convicted."
Morten Tyldum, director of The Imitation Game, Turing's niece Rachel Barnes, gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell and Matthew Todd, editor of Attitude Magazine, are among the other signatories.
Video:Nov: Cumberbatch On Playing Turing
The letter continues: "Alan Turing was one of the greatest heroes of the 20th century, a man whose work on the machines that deciphered the Enigma codes helped win World War II and who was pivotal in the development of modern computers.
"Winston Churchill said Alan Turing 'made the single biggest contribution to the Allied victory in World War II'."
An "unequivocal apology" for his treatment was issued by then prime minister Gordon Brown in 2009.
The Queen gave Turing a posthumous pardon under the Royal Prerogative of Mercy in 2013.
Campaigners say this should now be extended to all of the men who fell foul of the law.
Video:Nov: Nephew On 'Awkward' Man
"The apology and pardon of Alan Turing are to be welcomed but ignores over 49,000 men who were convicted under the same law, many of whom took their own lives," the letter said.
"An estimated 15,000 men are believed to still be alive."
A petition calling for action has been signed by more than 40,000 people.
Sky's Joey Jones is travelling the country looking at the issues that matter to voters in some of the marginal constituencies.
Here he focuses on concerns about housing in Thurrock, Essex, one of the 150 seats that could play a deciding role in May's General Election.
THURROCK
There is a widespread assumption that in a general election campaign the parties deal with the issues that matter to people.
The economy, the cost of living... in the aftermath of a financial crisis these are issues in the forefronts of people's minds.
Video:Could Clegg Lose His Seat?
Immigration has been thrust to the top of the agenda as UKIP's success has demonstrated their competitors' failure to grasp the mood of the British people on the issue; the NHS, education and so on - central to the fabric of people's lives.
However, some issues that you might expect to feature strongly will not.
They will feature, but not as central themes. I have been looking at one example - housing.
The picture I found in Thurrock in Essex is typical for the South East of England in particular (though it is not exclusive to this region).
Video:Starting Pistol Fired in Campaign
There is concern about private rental costs and a lack of housing stock (in particular council housing).
Skyrocketing prices are a central preoccupation.
But the reality is that there is no real benefit for political parties in making housing central to the political battleground.
For one thing, it is all too difficult.
Video:Lib Dems Defying The Polls
No government has made particularly good progress in doing what all agree needs to be done - building more homes.
Beyond that though, housing is not a key "dividing line" issue.
Politicians like talking about things where they can say: "Look at the other lot - they would do it this way but they are wrong. We would do it differently and we would all be better off."
When it comes to a problem as intractable as housing, it is not too much of a caricature to say that Westminster orthodoxy is: "Isn't it all difficult? We will do our best. We'll do better than the other lot (and better than last time we had a crack at it)."
Video:Are The Greens A Flash In The Pan?
Thurrock is a dogfight between three parties (UKIP are mounting a fierce challenge to Labour and the Conservatives).
It is a place where you need to scrap for every vote.
That means choosing your ground carefully, fighting on issues where you are confident of landing meaningful blows.
Not surprisingly, then, the people I spoke to in Thurrock had no confidence that politicians could help improve the housing situation (with one exception - a man who felt that UKIP's desire to reduce immigration could free up accommodation).
Video:The Threat In Labour's Backyard
It is all very well that voters have no confidence politicians can sort out a single, admittedly important, issue.
The wider danger is that if MPs cannot deal with something that really does make a difference to people's lives, they will only find themselves confronted with further cynicism and disenchantment.
A fierce Arctic blast will sweep across Britain this weekend bringing more snow and freezing temperatures, forecasters say.
A Level 3, or severe weather warning, has been issued across the North and West of England lasting until next Thursday.
Sky weather producer Rebecca Yussuf says today's wind chill will "make it feel sub-zero in many places".
The General Offices in Ebbw Vale, South Wales. Pic: Angela Bendall
"Most places will have a cold and frosty start to Saturday, with icy stretches on untreated surfaces," she said.
"Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic will see frequent, blustery sleet and snow showers through the morning.
Video:Warning As Snow Spreads Across UK
"The heaviest snowfalls are expected across northern Scotland, where fresh accumulations are likely.
"Further south, it will be largely dry, but west Wales, south-west England and East Anglia will see a few wintry showers develop. Any snow that falls there is likely to be only temporary and melt quickly."
Yussuf added: "It will be cold everywhere, with temperatures peaking between 4C and 7C, but the wind chill will make it feel sub-zero in many places."
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Gallery: UK Freezes As More Snow Sweeps In
Britain's winter has brought a thick covering of snow and dangerous driving conditions to parts of the country. Here snow covers graves at St Joseph's Church in west Belfast
A horse stands against in a snow-covered field in Belfast
Deaths from liver disease have increased 400% in the last 40 years, according to the British Liver Trust, which is calling for screening to help combat the problem.
The organisation is warning that costs from the disease could rise above £1bn a year unless action is taken.
It has launched its fourth annual Love Your Liver campaign with a call for the Government to back universal liver health screening in primary care and a national liver health prevention campaign.
Andrew Langford, chief executive of the British Liver Trust, said: "The average age of death from liver disease is 57, that's over 20 years lower than deaths from cancer, stroke and heart disease - liver disease is now the third most common cause of premature death.
"Most people think that a glass of wine or pint of beer a night or a couple of takeaways a week won't do much harm - when in fact drinking even just a bit too much alcohol every day and eating unhealthy food are major contributing factors for liver damage.
Video:Dec: 'Zero Tolerance' To Drink Call
"We are all affected differently and the symptoms are almost undetectable in many cases until it is too late."
The trust says advanced liver disease is a "ticking time bomb the government cannot afford to ignore".
More investment into early diagnosis could save the NHS as much as £600m, it claims, and Mr Langford added this could also save more than one million lives.
Liver specialist Dr Jude Oben told Sky News screening would "make a huge difference".
Video:New Report On Drinking And Health
He said: "If 30% of the UK population is obese, how many of those patients are having their livers tested for the presence of liver disease?"
The British Liver Trust has an online screening tool that acts as an early warning system.
It takes five minutes to complete and helps people to understand if they are in danger of liver damage.
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Video:Diplomat's 'Unnatural' Sex Report
By Tom Parmenter, Sky News Correspondent
A top British diplomat was the focus of a secret government file about his "unnatural" sexual behaviour, Sky News can reveal.
The file, which has just been released to the National Archives, names the late Sir Peter Hayman as the subject of the document prepared for then-prime minister Margaret Thatcher.
It has now been transferred to the archives in Kew, south west London, under the title "PREM 19/588 SECURITY. Sir Peter Hayman: allegations against former public official of unnatural sexual proclivities; security aspects".
Sir Peter died in 1992 but during his career worked as a diplomat including as High Commissioner to Canada. He also worked for intelligence service MI6.
The National Archives has released the document
He was named as an abuser of children by the MP Geoffrey Dickens in the 1980s and also had links to the controversial Paedophile Information Exchange (PIE).
The files reveal for the first time that Mrs Thatcher was in regular correspondence over what she describes in one handwritten letter as the "Hayman matter".
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Gallery: Secret File On Claims Of 'Unnatural Sexual Behaviour' Of Top Diplomat
A letter from then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is among the file
The file contains the official "line" to take if questions were raised
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The document has now been transferred to the archives in Kew, south west London
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The diplomat regularly sent obscene material through the post and kept detailed records of his sexual activities and fantasies.
Two incidents that may have been significant are noted in the report: one while Sir Peter was working in Baghdad, the other in Ottawa, Canada. No details of what happened are included.
He had also been exposed as someone with links to paedophilia in Private Eye magazine and the file shows that the official response was that the claims were "generally accurate".
Thatcher's government advisers were also acutely concerned with how they would handle questions about the diplomat, with one briefing not highlighting the line to take for any interviews.
It said: "There has been no cover up."
The existence of the file in the National Archives catalogues was highlighted by Dr Chris Murphy, a lecturer at Salford University, who alerted Sky News.
Video:Labour MP: Abuse File 'Significant'
Dr Murphy said he was pleased at the decision to release the file.
He told Sky News: "I'm surprised - albeit pleasantly so - to see a decision to withhold a file under Section 3(4) of the Public Records Act reversed like this.
"In my experience this is quite unusual and I think it has to make us wonder about the decision to withhold it in the first place."
The file has been retained on grounds of national security and held by officials at the Cabinet Office, the department responsible for the smooth running of government.
Following the Sky News report the matter was raised in the House Of Commons, where MPs called for it to be made public.
MP John Mann, who campaigns on the issue of child abuse, said: "All of these files that have been classified need to be opened up.
Video:Abuse Victims' 'Broken Lives'
"This one is of great importance. There could well be some very significant information in it and it needs to be looked at."
Peter Wanless, chief executive of the NSPCC - who was commissioned last year by the Home Office to examine Government files that may be relevant to the abuse inquiries - told Sky News that to the best of his knowledge he did not see this specific file during his inquiries.
Tom Watson MP said on Friday: "Without Sky News revealing the existence of this document, it wouldn't have been made available for public scrutiny.
"What else was known about Hayman and his associates?"
Confirming the decision to release it, a Cabinet Office spokesman said: "This file was originally kept closed as it contained information from the security services and advice from the law officers.
"We have reviewed that decision and have now released the file into the National Archives."
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Secret 'Unnatural Sex' File Names Top Diplomat
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Video:Diplomat's 'Unnatural' Sex Report
By Tom Parmenter, Sky News Correspondent
A top British diplomat was the focus of a secret government file about his "unnatural" sexual behaviour, Sky News can reveal.
The file, which has just been released to the National Archives, names the late Sir Peter Hayman as the subject of the document prepared for then-prime minister Margaret Thatcher.
It has now been transferred to the archives in Kew, south west London, under the title "PREM 19/588 SECURITY. Sir Peter Hayman: allegations against former public official of unnatural sexual proclivities; security aspects".
Sir Peter died in 1992 but during his career worked as a diplomat including as High Commissioner to Canada. He also worked for intelligence service MI6.
The National Archives has released the document
He was named as an abuser of children by the MP Geoffrey Dickens in the 1980s and also had links to the controversial Paedophile Information Exchange (PIE).
The files reveal for the first time that Mrs Thatcher was in regular correspondence over what she describes in one handwritten letter as the "Hayman matter".
1/8
Gallery: Secret File On Claims Of 'Unnatural Sexual Behaviour' Of Top Diplomat
A letter from then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is among the file
The file contains the official "line" to take if questions were raised
]]>
The document has now been transferred to the archives in Kew, south west London
]]>
]]>
]]>
The diplomat regularly sent obscene material through the post and kept detailed records of his sexual activities and fantasies.
Two incidents that may have been significant are noted in the report: one while Sir Peter was working in Baghdad, the other in Ottawa, Canada. No details of what happened are included.
He had also been exposed as someone with links to paedophilia in Private Eye magazine and the file shows that the official response was that the claims were "generally accurate".
Thatcher's government advisers were also acutely concerned with how they would handle questions about the diplomat, with one briefing not highlighting the line to take for any interviews.
It said: "There has been no cover up."
The existence of the file in the National Archives catalogues was highlighted by Dr Chris Murphy, a lecturer at Salford University, who alerted Sky News.
Video:Labour MP: Abuse File 'Significant'
Dr Murphy said he was pleased at the decision to release the file.
He told Sky News: "I'm surprised - albeit pleasantly so - to see a decision to withhold a file under Section 3(4) of the Public Records Act reversed like this.
"In my experience this is quite unusual and I think it has to make us wonder about the decision to withhold it in the first place."
The file has been retained on grounds of national security and held by officials at the Cabinet Office, the department responsible for the smooth running of government.
Following the Sky News report the matter was raised in the House Of Commons, where MPs called for it to be made public.
MP John Mann, who campaigns on the issue of child abuse, said: "All of these files that have been classified need to be opened up.
Video:Abuse Victims' 'Broken Lives'
"This one is of great importance. There could well be some very significant information in it and it needs to be looked at."
Peter Wanless, chief executive of the NSPCC - who was commissioned last year by the Home Office to examine Government files that may be relevant to the abuse inquiries - told Sky News that to the best of his knowledge he did not see this specific file during his inquiries.
Tom Watson MP said on Friday: "Without Sky News revealing the existence of this document, it wouldn't have been made available for public scrutiny.
"What else was known about Hayman and his associates?"
Confirming the decision to release it, a Cabinet Office spokesman said: "This file was originally kept closed as it contained information from the security services and advice from the law officers.
"We have reviewed that decision and have now released the file into the National Archives."
The family of Manic Street Preachers guitarist Richey Edwards have spoken of their pain at still not having closure 20 years on from his disappearance.
The lyricist had been due to depart for a US tour on 1 February 1995 when he checked out of a London hotel never to be seen again.
His sister, Rachel Elias, has revealed how the family's agony became even more pronounced with the passing of her father Graham two years ago.
"It was difficult because he had to face up to that realisation - that we all may have to - we may not find out what happened to Richard," she said.
"It is very different. When someone dies… you can go to a crematorium, graveyard or place where you have scattered their ashes and remember.
"But when someone goes missing you are left with this ongoing uncertainty. Not knowing makes it worse.
"What you end up being left with is your imagination and you can construct everything in that."
Sister Rachel Elias is part of The Missing People Rock Choir
Though his car was found abandoned at a motorway service station two weeks after his disappearance, no trace of Edwards has been found.
The musician suffered from mental health problems in the years preceding his disappearance.
Mrs Elias, who is part of The Missing People Rock Choir who have released a fundraising single called I Miss You, said: "People said all sorts of things in the initial stages - that he was hiding out at a fan's house or that we knew where he was. It was just totally fabricated.
"That hampered the police's involvement, they had to explore statements like that rather than just be focused on the investigation.
"Also he was noted as a vulnerable adult on his missing person's file - because he had a recent hospital admission and prescribed anti-depressants.
"In retrospect, there wasn't that much active searching done. They would follow up leads if people contacted them, but they didn't actively try to find him.
"One officer even said he had a right to go missing. It was incredibly hurtful."
Mrs Elias, a mental health support worker, has campaigned with families of other missing people.
"Things have definitely improved," she said. "People have family liaison officers now and improvements have also been made in the way the police communicate with families of missing people."
The Missing People Rock Choir track can be downloaded for a donation of £1 via this website.
The British Army has formed a specialist unit of "creative" soldiers who will be tasked with fighting wars using unconventional methods.
Members of 77 Brigade have been trained to use guerrilla tactics and will be experts in psychological warfare operations.
The Army hopes the brigade will impact the traditional battlefield using non-lethal techniques including social media to reflect the digital age.
Using creative thinking it is hoped that 77 Brigade will influence the minds and shape the behaviour of the enemy and local populations.
This has led to the early nickname "Twitter troops" for the Brigade, which will be formally created on 1 April.
Video:Terrorists On Twitter
"The brigade consists of more than just traditional capabilities," the head of the Army, General Sir Nicholas Carter, said.
"It is an organisation that sits at the heart of trying to operate smarter."
The 77 Brigade has its origins in Orde Wingate's famous Chindits - a group of elite soldiers unleashed behind enemy lines during the Burma Campaign in World War II.
They were officially called the 77th Indian Infantry Brigade.
Video:Tech Used To Attract Army Recruits
The 77 Brigade will share the Chindits' "spirit of innovation and offensive spirit".
It will also display the same emblem - a golden Burmese dragon, worn on the arm.
Its members will support mainstream military tactics.
The 77 Brigade will be based in Hermitage, Berkshire, but small detachments will work across a wide range of sites.
Video:Are Army Jobs At Risk?
It will draw its members from the regular and reserve forces across the Army, Navy and RAF - with 42% reservists - and will also seek civilians with specialist skills to work alongside their military colleagues.
An Army spokesman said: "77 Brigade is being created to draw together a host of existing and developing capabilities essential to meet the challenges of modern conflict and warfare.
"It recognises that the actions of others in a modern battlefield can be affected in ways that are not necessarily violent and it draws heavily on important lessons from our commitments to operations in Afghanistan amongst others."
