Flooding Fear As More Heavy Rain Forecast

Heavy rain has fallen in parts of Britain for the second night, bringing with it the risk of flooding to some areas.

By Friday afternoon, a band of rain that hit the South West had swept across Wales, the Midlands, East Anglia and southern England.

Up to 35mm of rain fell in some areas of the South, leading the Environment Agency to issue more than 30 flood alerts for the South West.

Sky News weather forecaster Isobel Lang said: "Last night's (Friday) heavy rain has cleared the South now with the cloud breaking to bring a fine day for most places.

"Flooding concerns are likely to increase again late on Sunday and into Monday as a frontal system sweeps in across southwest Britain, bringing heavy rain.

"As a result, the Environment Agency has now issued seven flood warnings across the southwest region.

"Fortunately, the weather forecast is a positive one for most of this weekend with sunny spells for many, but expect cold mornings with some patchy frost and fog".

The Environment Agency has said Sunday's expected deluges could result in significant disruption.

In a statement, the agency said: "We're warning communities across South West England and southern Wales to be vigilant and alert for flooding as heavy rain is set to return on Sunday afternoon and into Monday."

A man was also killed when a falling tree hit his car near Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire, hitting two cars, a Ford Mondeo and a Mini, at about 2.45pm on Friday.

The driver of the Mondeo, a 64-year-old man from Sheffield, was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

A front seat passenger in the car, a woman, was also taken to hospital for treatment. Her injuries are not believed to be serious. A woman from the mini has been taken to Frimley Park Hospital for treatment after being freed from the vehicle by the fire service.

Her condition is not believed to be life threatening. In total, more than 500 homes and businesses were flooded across England and Wales.

Parts of the UK were left devastated by heavy floods last week. Yorkshire was the area worst hit as more than the average rainfall for September fell in just a few days in many areas.

A couple drowned in a swollen river in Wales and a block of townhouses in Newburn, Newcastle, were condemned to be knocked down after floodwater gouged out the earth under their foundations.

23.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Michael Gove Plans A-Level Shake-Up

Education Secretary Michael Gove is planning a major shake-up of A-levels as the latest stage of his radical exam reforms, it has been revealed.

Officials are developing an Advanced Baccalaureate (A-Baccs) which would include a mix of subjects, a 5,000-word essay and voluntary work, according to The Times.

Modular courses are also expected to be scrapped with pupils in England studying over two years instead and taking exams at the end.

AS-levels would be kept but as a separate qualification from the new A-Baccs.

The move comes after proposals to scrap GCSEs in core subjects and replace them with tougher exams called an English Baccalaureate Certificate (EBacc) were announced.

It means that the entire secondary school exam system is set to be overhauled in the next three years.

Under the new A-Bacc, pupils could be obliged to select "contrasting" subjects, to counter criticism that there is currently too much specialisation at the age of 16.

This would mean that a candidate studying maths, further maths and physics would have to pick a humanities subject like history.

One option apparently being considered is to limit the A-Bacc to teenagers who choose at least two "traditional" A-levels from a list generated by top universities.

Under the current system, pupils study four subjects at AS for a year and receive grades at that point before continuing with three subjects for a final year, turning each into a full A-level.

A Department for Education spokesman said: "A-levels will not be replaced under any circumstances. There are public consultations about reforming A and AS levels.

"There are also numerous suggestions about new A-Bacc league table measures but no decisions have been made."

Shadow education secretary Stephen Twigg said: "We support the concept of an A-Bacc, however Labour would ensure it includes a broad range of subjects and sits alongside our proposed Tech Bacc for vocational courses.

"If these changes include community work, an extended project and a wider range of courses, then that is welcome.

"Unfortunately, Michael Gove seems to be ignoring important subjects like computing and engineering which are critical for the modern economy.

"The Government must address the big challenges to ensure a One Nation education system - ensuring a gold standard route for vocational education and every pupil studying English and Maths until the age of 18."

23.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

England Fans To Get Refund After Poland Farce

The Polish FA says it will refund England fans who were unable to attend the rescheduled World Cup qualifier in Warsaw.

The game was called off after about eight hours of torrential rain left the pitch waterlogged. Officials had decided not to close the £400m Warsaw national stadium's sliding roof.

Around 2,500 England fans travelled to Poland for Tuesday's match - but many were unable to stay on for the rescheduled 4pm kick-off on Wednesday because they could not change their travel arrangements.

They will be able to claim back the cost of any unused tickets through the FA - but it is unclear if they will get any help with money spent on transport and accommodation.

One returning fan told Sky News: "The whole thing is just horrendous. This is an international fixture, a World Cup qualifier, and it's been rained off in a ground that has got a roof. I can't get my head round that."

The FA's Adrian Bevington said compensation for fans who had spent money on the trip was something that was being "looked into".

England's players are to part-fund a £50,000 scheme with the FA to refund the price of tickets to those fans who did stay on for the delayed game.

Captain Steven Gerrard said: "We know that fans have spent money and taken time off work to travel to Poland and we don't take it for granted."

Former England manager Graham Taylor, who was in Poland for the match, said the treatment of supporters had been "disgraceful".

He said: "I thought this was a prime example of how supporters are treated with such disrespect.

England fans take down flags after the match is called off

"What I mean by that is that it was pretty obvious from the moment the ref came on the pitch for the very first time that this pitch was not playable.

"You could see that, yet it was two-and-a-quarter hours later before supporters were actually told it wasn't on.

"Now they have reasons for not having the stadium roof shut, but don't you get weather forecasts in this country?

"Then when all the supporters had left their seats, when they decided the game was eventually off, an announcement came asking all England fans to remain in their seats for the next 15 minutes.

"Hold on a minute, there was no-one else in the stadium. It was very poor how this game was eventually postponed."

Kick-off had been delayed by 45 minutes to allow for two pitch inspections, but referee Gianluca Rocchi finally decided to postpone the match as the playing surface remained badly waterlogged.

Mark Perryman, from the England Supporters' Club, said: "There was one announcement. The lack of information for the fans was absolutely appalling."

Officials said the retractable roof on the National Stadium - a key venue for Euro 2012 - could not be closed because the wind and rain was too intense.

It was the first time an England match has been called off due to the weather since 1979 and the decision was greeted with jeers by fans.

It is believed the England players had changed out of their kit and were ready to leave as long as 30 minutes before the official decision was announced.

Knowing rain was forecast, the FA asked on arrival on Monday whether it was going to be closed but were told it was going to remain open.

By the time it became obvious the heavy rain that began falling at lunchtime was not going to stop, it was too late.

"The FIFA delegate made the decision tonight to close the roof as quickly as possible but we could not do it because the rain already on it was too heavy," Polish FA spokesperson Agnieszka Olejkowska said.

With a number of their squad due to play league matches on Friday, the Polish Federation were reluctant to agree to today's game and suggested a November encounter instead.

However, with Fifa regulations stipulating the game should be rearranged for Wednesday and England already having a lucrative friendly in Gothenburg next month as part of the centenary celebrations of the Swedish Football Association, the FA stood firm.

England boss Roy Hodgson said: "It's a disaster for the Polish Federation - I had no idea quite how bad the conditions were going to be."

23.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Gatwick Airport Planning Second Runway

Gatwick Airport bosses have started to draw up detailed options for a new runway which could help resolve the UK's air capacity crisis.

But Gatwick said it would honour a 1979 legal agreement that states no runway can be built at the West Sussex airport before 2019.

The options, to be submitted to a Government-appointed aviation commission, will assess the environmental and economic impacts of a new runway.

The chief executive of Gatwick, which serves 197 destinations and handles around 34 million passengers a year, said a new runway would benefit passengers.

"I believe a new runway at Gatwick could be affordable, practical and give passengers a greater choice of routes to key markets," Stewart Wingate said.

"We have the space, capability and access to financial resources."

London's busiest airport, Heathrow, is operating close to full capacity after the Government blocked a third runway because of the resulting increase in planes flying over the city.

Mr Wingate said a new runway at Gatwick had "clear practical advantages" over expansion at Heathrow.

"When compared with a third runway at Heathrow, we would have a significantly lower environmental impact whilst adding significantly more capacity," he said.

He added that it would also be preferable to other London alternatives.

"Stansted is half empty today, we already have much better surface transport links and feel our business case will be much stronger," he said.

"As for the Estuary airport concepts, there are major questions on affordability, environmental issues and whether they are deliverable."

But the Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign has always been opposed to a second runway at the airport on environmental grounds.

"We have had massive support from across Surrey, Sussex and west Kent," Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign's chairman, Brendon Sewill, said following the announcement.

"We have been supported by all the local MPs and all the county, district and parish councils in a wide area.

"If necessary, we will resume the battle."

Gatwick has safeguarded the land that would be required for a new runway since it was bought by Global Infrastructure Partners in 2009.

It estimates that for the rest of this decade, London's airports will be relying on their existing physical capacity.

As such, its submission to the commission will evaluate how the capacity of its existing runway can be maximised.

It will also argue that a second runway would help ensure that London's airports provide the South East and the rest of UK with the connectivity needed in the future.

The commission, led by the former head of the Financial Services Authority Sir Howard Davies, will make its full report into the South East's airport capacity in 2015.

23.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Savile's Aide 'Lost For Words' Over Claims

A woman who worked for the late Jimmy Savile for more than 30 years has said she is "lost for words" at the accusations against him.

Janet Cope, 70, said initially she could not believe what was being said about the former TV presenter - but now believes even she may have been duped.

In an interview with the Daily Mirror, Ms Cope admitted her former employer believed he was "untouchable" and was hugely controlling.

"Never risk being caught out," he explained. "Always ensure that you're in total control of any situation."

Ms Cope, who was Savile's PA for 32 years until she was sacked by him in 2001, described him as "eccentric and manipulative".

"He was always photographed with what he called dolly birds because he was terrified of growing old or being seen as old," the former PA went on.

Jimmy Savile at his prime as a Top Of The Pops presenter

"Image was vital to him. He was like Peter Pan, forever surrounding himself with youngsters. It was his elixir.

"On the face of it Jim led a celibate, nomadic and simple life which may have disguised a more sordid double life. I don't know, but he was clever enough to believe he'd get away with it and, if he did, he fooled me and many others.

Ms Cope - who learned she was losing her job when Savile abruptly said publicly at a meeting with Stoke Mandeville doctors "She's out" - still has trouble believing the TV star could have done the things he was accused of.

"He was a very, very clever man and if he could keep something like that covered up, he was even more clever than I gave him credit for.

"And it bothers me now because we rubbed along together for so many years, getting things done together."

Ms Cope did recall his terrible temper, suggesting he had used it to frighten and control everyone from hospital staff to fundraisers. Answering him back, she explained, would have been "more than my life was worth".

"I was frightened to death of him and I wasn't the only one. He loved the power he had over people.

"He didn't care if he upset people. Jim had no feeling, no emotions at all. He was a little distressed when his mother died, but that was the only time I ever saw any emotion. Nothing could hurt him."

A former barrister has been brought in to oversee the investigations into Savile at Stoke Mandeville, Broadmoor and Leeds General Infirmary.

Kate Lampard will provide "independent oversight" of the inquiries, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said on Wednesday.

The former deputy chair of the Financial Ombudsman Service was appointed by the Department of Health to keep a check on the three investigations.

A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "The Health Secretary has appointed Kate Lampard - a former practising barrister and former deputy chair of the Financial Ombudsman Service - to oversee the Department of Health's, and three NHS Trusts' input into the ongoing inquiries relating to Jimmy Savile's involvement with the NHS.

"She will provide oversight of the Stoke Mandeville, Leeds General Infirmary and Broadmoor inquiries as well as the Department of Health's inquiries into the appointment and role Savile held at Broadmoor Hospital.

"All relevant information from these inquiries will be passed to the police."

23.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Missing Woman And Four Children Found

A mother and her four children have been found safe after a judge ordered a nationwide search for them.

The hunt for Jennifer Jones and her children Jessica, 14, Tomas, 12, Eva, nine, and David Palacin Jones, eight, was sparked after she failed to obey a court order for the youngsters to be returned to their father in Spain.

All five were found at around 11am today in Gwent - more than 50 miles away from her home in Llanelli, Wales.

After losing a legal battle in the High Court against her divorced Spanish husband Tomas Palacin Cambra, Ms Jones left London and is thought to have travelled home.

She and her children were not at the property when police and social services called, prompting a judge to release their details and launch an appeal for information.

Dyfed Powys Police said the family had been found and Mr Palacin Cambra was "overjoyed" with the news.

A Gwent police spokeswoman said: "I can confirm that the four children missing from the Llanelli area were found in the Gwent area just after 11am this morning.

"Police and local authority are now working together with family members to ensure the ongoing safety of the children."

Judge Mr Justice Roderic Wood, who asked on Tuesday for the public's help finding Miss Jones and the children, is due to analyse developments at a High Court hearing in London later.

Lawyers representing Mr Palacin Cambra updated the judge at a private hearing earlier before Ms Jones was found.

23.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

April Cops: 'We'll Search Until Christmas'

The search for missing April Jones could continue until Christmas and beyond, police have said.

Major search efforts to find the five-year-old schoolgirl are ongoing, and Dyfed Powys Police say the hunt may not end for months.

"We said goodbye to 150 officers this morning and they've been replaced by another 150 specialists," Superintendent Ian John said, speaking from April's home town of Machynlleth.

"Numbers may fluctuate a bit on a daily basis, but whilst we still have viable lines of inquiry, we will continue to search.

"We could still be here at Christmas or the new year, we could be finished in two weeks."

He added: "The numbers involved in searching are always under review.

"Hopefully we will find April soon. We are not going anywhere until we have done our job.

"We are here for the long-term if we need to be."

He said that specialist searches from 16 separate police forces were helping in the ongoing hunt for April.

They were backed up by fire service urban area search and rescue teams, hazardous area search teams and teams from the ambulance service.

Mountain rescue teams were brought back in over the weekend as different terrain was encountered and closely searched.

Specialists capable of working in confined areas such as pot holes, caves ana mine shafts are used when needed.

Hazards for which the experts need to be prepared include encountering gases such as methane which have built up.

While a myriad of tunnels and shafts are explored underground, commercial volunteers are helping with aerial searches.

Private planes full of technology otherwise unavailable to the police have been helping to spot promising areas to search.

Sonar technology and specialist equipment which can pinpoint heat signatures from the air are being used. The data it produces is closely examined and used to target specific areas to search.

April was last seen on October 1 on the Bryn-y-Gog estate where she lived.

The youngster, who suffers from cerebral palsy, was out late on her bike as a treat for getting a good school report earlier that day.

Mark Bridger, 46, from Machynlleth, has been charged with April's murder and abduction.

23.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Frankie Boyle: 'Characters Are Racist, Not Me'

Frankie Boyle has told a High Court jury that while the characters in his jokes might express racist views, he does not.

The 40-year-old was giving evidence on the third day of a trial in London, after complaining that the Daily Mirror libelled him in an article published last July.

He was labelled a "racist comedian" in the report but says the newspaper "misunderstood" his jokes and that he has "actively campaigned" against racism.

Mr Boyle answered questions put to him by Ronald Thwaites, a barrister for Mirror Group Newspapers, which publishes the Daily Mirror.

He was asked about a joke he made about US President Barack Obama, which it was claimed made "gratuitous use of a well-known black man".

"You are punctuating your programme with racist references that some people will find clever and others will find normal and acceptable," Mr Thwaites said.

Mr Boyle denied the allegation and said he was playing characters who were "dressed up".

He added: "These are phrases that a racist will use. There is no way they are an endorsement of racist terminology. It is the absolute opposite of that.

"If I dressed up as Godzilla, people would not accuse me of wanting to crush Tokyo myself."

The hearing continues.

23.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Blind Man Tasered As Cops Mistake Stick For Sword

A "terrified" blind man was hit with a 50,000 volt Taser gun after police mistook his white stick for a samurai sword.

Stroke victim Colin Farmer, 61, collapsed to the ground in shock after he was hit in the back with the gun while walking down the street in Chorley, Lancashire.

Police had received reports of a man walking through the town armed with the deadly martial arts weapon and raced to the scene to hunt down the offender.

Meanwhile Mr Farmer, who has suffered two strokes and walks at a "snail's pace", was on his way to the pub to meet friends for a drink and was unaware of the reports.

He had no idea a police officer had mistaken his thin white stick for a weapon and ordered him to stop before pulling the trigger on the Taser gun.

Mr Farmer cried out, "I'm blind! I'm blind!" while collapsed on the floor but was still handcuffed by the officer from Lancashire Police.

"The whole thing was like being trapped in a nightmare," he told the Chorley Guardian.

Mr Farmer said he heard shouting on the street but did not know what it was about and thought he was about to be "attacked by some hooligans".

He was then struck by the Taser and fell to the ground, dropping his white stick on the floor before a policeman handcuffed him.

He was taken to Chorley Hospital for treatment and was later released following the incident at about 5.45pm last Friday.

Chief Superintendent Stuart Williams, from Lancashire Police, said: "We received a number of reports that a man was walking through Chorley armed with a samurai sword and patrols were sent to look for the man.

"One of the officers believed he had located the offender. Despite asking the man to stop, he failed to do so and the officer discharged his Taser.

"It then became apparent this man was not the person we were looking for and officers attended to him straight away.

"He was taken Chorley Hospital by officers who stayed while he was checked over by medics. They then took him to meet his friends in Chorley at his request.

"Lancashire Constabulary deeply regrets what has happened. We have clearly put this man through a traumatic experience and we are extremely sorry.

"We have launched an urgent investigation to understand what lessons can be learned and the matter has also been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission."

Mr Farmer is reportedly considering legal action against the force.

23.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

No Verdict In Mark Duggan Handgun Case

A jury has failed to reach a verdict in the case of a man accused of supplying a gun to Mark Duggan, whose fatal shooting by police sparked last year's August riots.

Kevin Hutchinson-Foster, 30, was charged with passing the gun to Mr Duggan just 15 minutes before he was shot dead by police marksmen on August 4 2011.

But a jury of seven men and five women at Snaresbrook Crown Court was unable to reach a verdict after nearly 21 hours of deliberations.

Judge David Radford had allowed jurors to reach a majority verdict of 10-2 or 11-1, but he discharged them after they were unable to reach a decision.

A re-trial will be held at a date to be set and an administrative hearing will take place on November 2.

23.15 | 0 komentar | Read More