Ebola Outbreak: How Much Is Britain At Risk?

By Thomas Moore, Health And Science Correspondent

As a Spanish nurse becomes the first person outside West Africa to be infected with ebola, here we answer some of your questions.

Now the virus is in Europe, should I panic?

No. The infection of the Spanish nurse is almost certainly a one-off.

Health workers have to go through a strict de-robing procedure to prevent the virus being transferred from their protective gowns onto their skin.

If clothes are removed in the wrong order, if any shortcut is taken on handwashing, or if any sweat is wiped away from the eyes, there can be contamination.

It does not mean the virus is on the loose in Europe. The nurse's contacts have been traced and those deemed to be at high risk have been quarantined as a precaution.

The general population in the UK - or Spain, for that matter - is at no greater risk of ebola today than it was a week ago.

Nurse Teresa Ramos has ebola in Spain

Why bring infected health workers back from Africa at all?

British doctors and nurses are already treating ebola patients in West Africa.

Video: Ebola: School Blocks Charity Mum

Many more will be on their way within weeks, answering the humanitarian call to help countries that have been overwhelmed by the disease.

So far just one - Will Pooley - has been infected and brought back for treatment at London's Royal Free Hospital.

He would not have been able to get the best medical care in Sierra Leone, so the Government repatriated him with strict - and successful - quarantine controls.

But the International Development Secretary Justine Greening has acknowledged on Sky News there is a risk in transferring patients and a hospital is being built with UK money in Sierra Leone.

It will have 12 beds set aside for infected healthcare workers.

What about travellers - shouldn't we screen them?

Video: Bodies Pile Up After Ebola Strike

Public Health England says there is no reason to check arriving air passengers for ebola symptoms. That's in line with advice from the World Health Organisation.

Firstly, it would duplicate the screening of people departing on flights from the affected countries in West Africa.

Secondly, British Airways has suspended direct flights between the UK and Sierra Leone and Liberia.

So passengers from the region would have to change planes in Paris, Brussels, or many other capitals.

Tens of thousands of passengers would have to be checked every day, causing long delays.

Thirdly, temperature scans only detect people with symptoms.

Video: Suiting Up In An Ebola Hotspot

A Liberian passenger treated in hospital in the US was healthy when he travelled and only developed symptoms several days later. Checks on arrival wouldn't have picked him up.

He has now died in a Dallas hospital.

So is the NHS prepared?

GPs have been sent a symptom checklist by Public Health England.

Anybody with a fever, who has recently returned from one of the affected countries in West Africa, will be rapidly risk-assessed.

If there is a high chance that their symptoms are due to ebola - rather than malaria or any other tropical disease - they will be quarantined at the Royal Free Hospital in London.

Video: UK Ebola Risk 'Remains Low'

What if we get lots of ebola cases?

The specialist unit at the Royal Free has two beds.

But other NHS hospitals are on standby.

The Royal Liverpool, Royal Victoria in Newcastle and Royal Hallamshire in Sheffield are next in line to receive patients.

And any hospital with an infectious diseases unit could be adapted with quarantine canopies around beds to safely care for patients.

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School Blocks Charity Worker Over Ebola Fears

A school visit by a charity worker in Greater Manchester has been cancelled because some parents were reportedly worried their children would be infected by ebola.

Miriam Mason-Sesay and her nine-year-old son, Kofi - who was due to study at St Simon's Catholic Primary School in Stockton - are from Sierra Leone.

They have been screened, are healthy and have been given unrestricted movement in the UK.

Kofi came with his mother from Sierra Leone on Thursday

The school tried to reassure parents that they posed no risk but a number of parents were insistent the visit should not go ahead.

In a statement, headteacher Elizabeth Inman said: "A significant number of parents have been in touch with me to express their fears.

"Ebola cannot be spread as some parents have suggested.

"There are many parents who believe that the visit should have gone ahead and that we are contributing to misunderstandings by cancelling it.

The charity worker has been living in Sierra Leone since 2000

"The misguided hysteria emerging is extremely disappointing, distracting us from our core purpose of educating your children and is not an environment that I would wish a visitor to experience."

Speaking to Sky News, Ms Mason-Sesay said she and Kofi had come from Sierra Leone on Thursday evening for fund-raising purposes - something she does every March and October for the charity, EducAid, which was started by her brother and a friend who set up schools for children out there.

The charity worker, who has been in the West African country since 2000, said she and her son had not had any contact with anyone with ebola while in Sierra Leone - or anyone who had been in contact with someone who had had it.

"Absolutely not," she insisted. "That's the trouble really. There have been 600 deaths but we're talking about a population of six million, it's less than 0.1%. It's not hiding behind every bush.

"It's a very nasty disease but you have to go looking to get it. You have to be a health worker or a care worker for somebody who is seriously ill.

"It's disappointing that people would think I would endanger their children in that way and be going round other schools if I were a genuine risk."

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Rise In Child Abuse Linked To Witchcraft

Cases of ritual child abuse linked to beliefs in witchcraft are being reported to police in increasing numbers, it has been revealed.

A total of 27 allegations have been made to Scotland Yard in the past year, including two claims of rape, a child being swung around and smacked in the head "to drive out the devil" and others being dunked in water.

Child killings including the murder of 15-year-old Kristy Bamu, who was tortured and drowned by his sister and her boyfriend in 2010, and the death of Victoria Climbie have been linked to such beliefs.

And the number of cases of ritualistic or faith-based abuse of children reported to the Metropolitan Police has increased every year over the past decade.

A total of 24 were passed to the force in 2013; after 19 in 2012 and nine in 2011 - with 148 cases referred to the Met since 2004.

Police were due to meet a group including teachers, child care and health workers to discuss how to tackle an issue that officers say is rarely reported.

Detective Superintendent Terry Sharpe said: "Abuse linked to belief is a horrific crime which is condemned by people of all cultures, communities and faiths.

Kristy Bamu was killed in 2010

"A number of high-profile investigations brought the issue of ritual abuse and witchcraft into the headlines but it is important that professionals are clear about the signs to look for," he said.

"Families or carers genuinely believe that the victim has been completely taken over by the devil or an evil spirit, which is often supported by someone who within the community has portrayed themselves as an authority on faith and belief.

Video: March 2012: Witchcraft In The Congo

"Regardless of the beliefs of the abusers, child abuse is child abuse."

Simon Bass from the Churches' Child Protection Advisory Service said his group was "not remotely surprised" at the figures.

"We are pleased that the Metropolitan Police has undertaken such great work in this area, but we are convinced that this form of abuse is hidden, and that the statutory agencies across the UK are facing similar situations," he said.

Kristy Bamu's death was one of a handful of cases where an apparent belief in witchcraft has been linked to extreme violence against children.

He was tortured and beaten before he drowned in a bath at his sister's flat in east London on Christmas Day 2010.

Magalie Bamu and her boyfriend Eric Bikubi became convinced that he was possessed by kindoki, or witchcraft, and was trying to harm or control another child in the family.

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Terror Arrests May Have Foiled Major Plot

Four men have been arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences in a series of raids, during which one suspect was Tasered.

The men - all aged 20 or 21 - were detained by officers from the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command at addresses across London as part of an investigation into Islamist terror activities.

Officers believe the raids disrupted what could have been a "significant plot", according to a Whitehall source quoted by the Press Association.

The 21-year-old who was Tasered during his arrest did not require medical treatment, Scotland Yard said. 

"SO15 officers were assisted in the execution of warrants at one of the addresses by officers from the Specialist Firearms Command (SCO19). No shots were fired," police said in a statement.

"A number of residential addresses and vehicles are being searched by specialist officers in west and central London as part of the investigation. The searches are ongoing.

"These arrests and searches are part of an ongoing investigation into Islamist-related terrorism."

All four suspects have been taken to police stations in central London and remain in custody.

Sky News correspondent Mark White explained: "The information that we're getting from sources suggests that this was an early disruption of what might have been a significant plot had it been allowed to come to fruition.

"There has been a change in recent months in the way that the authorities will approach these plots... the authorities no longer have the luxury of following a terror group that might be buying the ingredients for an explosive device and conspiring among themselves for many months.

"These plots can spring up so quickly that the police have to intervene at a very early stage and that might mean that, at the end of the day, they don't get enough evidence that they can put before the court.

"But that's the trade off - disrupting plots and safeguarding the public at the expense, perhaps, of a trial further down the line."

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EDF Go Ahead for Hinkley Point Nuclear Reactor

French energy giant EDF has been given approval to build a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in north Somerset, it has been confirmed.

The new-build power station is part of a plan to replace 20% of Britain's ageing nuclear power infrastructure.

Approval for the construction has been confirmed by regulators at the European Commission, following prior approval by Competition Commissioner Vice-President Joaquin Almunia.

The EU examined the bid over concerns the UK Government was giving excess help to the plan.

Mr Almunia said: "After the commission's intervention, the UK measures in favour of Hinkley Point nuclear power station have been significantly modified, limiting any distortions of competition in the single market.

"These modifications will also achieve significant savings for UK taxpayers.

"On this basis and after a thorough investigation, the commission can now conclude that the support is compatible with EU state aid rules."

Britain has previously estimated the new build cost at £16bn but some forecasts have put the total price up to £25bn.

The EU said that under treaty rules, member states are free to determine their energy mix.

It said that the UK has decided to promote nuclear energy and this decision is within its national competence.

However, it insists that when public money is spent to support companies, the commission has the duty to verify that this is done in line with the EU state aid rules, which aim to preserve competition among member states.

Known as Hinkley Point C, it will replace the A station, which is being decommissioned, and the operational B station.

Video: Nuclear Deal 'To Boost Industry'

It is the first in a new generation of UK nuclear power stations.

EDF had earlier said: "A new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point will not only provide a clean, secure and affordable source of electricity for around five million homes, but it will also provide around 900 jobs at the new power stations for more than 60 years."

The lengthy building programme is expected to create 25,000 jobs for almost a decade.

The industry's trade body head, Lord Hutton of Furness, welcomed the decision and said: "The Nuclear Industry Association is pleased the deal for Hinkley Point C has been approved.

"This is an important step in securing the UK's home-grown low-carbon electricity generation while adding jobs and prosperity to the economy."

:: EDF Energy CEO Vincent De Rivaz will be interviewed by Ian King Live tonight at 6.30pm.

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Clegg Admits Lib Dems Tainted By Government

Nick Clegg has said his party has been tainted by time in Government, as he pledged never to make a tuition fees-style "mistake" again.

In his final conference speech before the General Election, the Liberal Democrat leader admitted he was no longer the "untainted ... fresh-faced outsider" who rode into the coalition on the back of "Cleggmania" in 2010.

Mr Clegg accused the Conservatives of lurching right and Labour of lurching left to combat the threat of UKIP, claiming the middle ground for his party ahead of the vote in May.

Nick Clegg's speech: word cloud

He thanked Ed Miliband for forgetting to mention the deficit in his speech at the Labour party conference, and he thanked the Chancellor George Osborne for announcing he would take away benefits from working age poor - making the party's job easier.

Mr Clegg said the Liberal Democrats were the only party to stand for "decent British values" and against the politics of "blame and grievance and fear" on offer from the other parties and he would "keep hammering away at the system every single day".

Video: Clegg: The Politics Of Blame

And he said he had debated with Nigel Farage on the European Union because someone had to stand up for "liberal Britain".

The Deputy Prime Minister listed all of the Lib Dems' triumphs while in Government, including increasing the personal tax allowance - effectively awarding tax cuts to millions - free childcare, better parental leave, gay marriage and the pupil premium for disadvantaged children.

He said he would not stand by and see the Tories claiming the credit for all the Liberal Democrats had done, telling activists: "David Cameron, you can copy our ideas but you will never imitate our values."

Video: Nick Clegg On Terror Threat

Mr Clegg vowed to increase the personal tax free allowance to £11,000 by 2016 and £12,500 by 2020.

He accused the Conservatives of plagiarising Liberal Democrat policy with Mr Cameron's conference pledge increase the amount people can earn without being taxed to £12,500 by 2020, which would mean a tax cut for 30 million people. 

Increasing the personal allowance was part of the Liberal Democrats' manifesto pledge in 2010 but in the televised leaders debates Mr Cameron told Mr Clegg his plans were unaffordable.

Video: Clegg Invokes The Pub Landlord

Mr Clegg disclosed a conversation with Mr Osborne in which the Chancellor told him: "I don't want to deliver a Liberal Democrat budget"

In his speech, Mr Clegg also hit back at Home Secretary Theresa May for "playing on people's fears simply to try and get your own way".

In her speech to the Tory conference last week, Mrs May accused the Lib Dems of putting children's lives at risk by opposing measures that would allow intelligence agencies access to all phone, internet and email records.

Video: Clegg: Tories Stole Our Tax Policy

Mr Clegg said: "Your Communications Data Bill was disproportionate, disempowering - we blocked it once and we'd do it again.

"There are times when the state needs to keep its nose out of our lives, to give us the freedom to make the most of our lives."

He also had a rebuke for Mr Cameron over his attitude to environmental policies telling party activists: "It's not green c*** to us" as he made a manifesto pledge to five new green laws.

Video: Full Interview: Deputy PM's Wife

The Prime Minister was reported last year to have said: "We've got to get rid of all this green c***."

Mr Clegg also promised the vow on the devolution of powers to Scotland promised by the three party leaders would not be broken.

He paid tribute to the two Britons killed by Islamic State terrorists, saying their deaths had provided British forces in Iraq with a "clear, single objective".

Video: Sky News By-Election Special

He also announced there would be national waiting times for mental health patients and, like Mr Cameron and Mr Miliband, he pledged to increase spending on the like DNHS.

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Kevin Costner's Message For 'Noble' British Troops

Hollywood actor Kevin Costner has recorded a special message for British troops, praising their bravery and commitment.

The star wrote and recorded the emotional message for the British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) during a break from filming in Hampshire for his latest movie Criminal.

"It's an incredible selfless thing you've chosen to do to be in the military. To volunteer when you could be pursuing so many other things with your young lives but instead choosing to serve your beloved country," he said.

Costner and BFBS reporter Natasha Reneaux

He called our armed forces "noble" and said they "stand for those who cannot stand for themselves".

Costner admitted that despite having played characters in the military, the roles do not compare to fighting for your country and its allies.

"It's a club you can't buy your way into, a membership that can't be faked or underestimated," he said.

He added that he hopes that those serving in conflict areas are "covered by angels". 

He called the British forces "America's strongest ally" and finished by saying: "I can offer you nothing but respect."

BFBS has been bringing radio to soldiers in the UK and around the world since the 1940s.

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DJ 'Raped Teenager After Pop Fame Promise'

A DJ accused of raping a 15-year-old with Jimmy Savile attacked another teenager who responded to his magazine advert looking for "the next teenage pop sensation", a court has been told.

Former Radio Caroline DJ Ray Teret, 72, raped the 17-year-old after giving her "the promise of the dream" of fame and fortune, Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard.

However, the defendant did not find the budding singer "a jot of work", the jury was told.

Teret, then aged in his mid-50s, was said to have impressed the girl when he took her to his house in the mid-1990s and showed her a Porsche car, gold and platinum discs and photographs on the walls of him with celebrities.

Prosecutor Tim Evans said Teret went on to tell the youngster "there were lots of things potentially happening career-wise" and she needed to be in the "bright lights of Manchester".

It led to "a big send-off" from her family as Teret collected her and drove her to his flat where he raped her after she had red wine for the first time and became drunk, the court heard.

The alleged victim was said to have gone "into a bit of a lockdown" as she submitted rather than consented to sex, jurors were told.

William Harper, 65, is also on trial with Teret

Teret then gave her £40 to buy a new dress, said Mr Evans.

Only "the promise of the dream" persuaded her to stay as Teret continued his abuse, he added.

Mr Evans said: "She got to the stage where she protested and his answer to that was telling, you may think.

"He would say that she was too attractive, her fault then, and more significantly that he couldn't do things for her without it happening.

"Could he make it any clearer to this 17-year-old girl who had not got the fame promised, that sex was the price for the fame she wanted?"

He went on: "And the fame and fortune promised? Teret didn't find her a jot of work. Was providing her with work ever what he was truly interested in?"

Teret, of Altrincham, Greater Manchester, denies 18 rapes, two other serious sexual assaults, one attempted rape, 11 indecent assaults and two counts of indecency with a child.

The historical offences dating back to 1962 are in relation to 17 different girls.

Two other men are also on trial with Teret.

Alan Ledger, 62, from Altrincham, denies a serious sexual assault, two indecent assaults and one count of indecency with a child.

William Harper, 65, of Stretford, denies one count of attempted rape.

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UK Soldiers Deployed To Ebola Epicentre

British troops are to be deployed to Sierra Leone on a mission to help fight the spiralling ebola outbreak in West Africa.

Up to 700 soldiers from the Royal Scots Borders 1st Battalion, based in Holywood, Northern Ireland, will eventually be stationed near the capital Freetown.

Around 40 troops have already arrived in the country, said the Ministry of Defence, and more are flying out soon.

Commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Matt Munro said: "This is a challenge unlike any, but the point is that we are very well prepared.

"This kind of operation represents, I think, the future for parts of the British Army.

Video: Ebola: School Blocks Charity Mum

"We deployed in the first instance to Sierra Leone at very short notice, not knowing how long my people were likely to be there."

He added that the soldiers were at a very low risk of contracting the virus.

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Argus will also sail and moor off the country's coast and could be used to evacuate any British casualties if needed.

Three Merlin helicopters will be onboard to fly doctors and personnel to hard-to-reach areas.

Video: UK 'Lacks Ebola Experience'

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: "The ebola outbreak in West Africa is already a global threat to public health and it's vital that the UK remains at the forefront of responding to the epidemic.

"We are stepping up significantly the UK's contribution and leadership in work to tackle the outbreak, on land, in the air and at sea.

"At the heart of the package is the commitment to provide more than 750 personnel to help with the establishment of ebola treatment centres and an ebola training academy."

Sky's Deputy Political Editor Joey Jones added: "At this stage it's all about trying to make sure that you can set up the proper infrastructure, the proper health services in some of those hard to reach areas.

Video: Bodies Pile Up After Ebola Strike

"There's no plan for some sort of evacuation or anything like that."

It comes after David Cameron chaired a lunchtime meeting of the emergency COBRA committee.

Four major hospitals in the UK - London's Royal Free Hospital and three others in Sheffield, Newcastle and Liverpool, are on standby to deal with any outbreak in the UK.

The hospitals already have infectious disease units and have been lined up to provide "surge capacity" if the virus spreads to Britain.

Video: Suiting Up In An Ebola Hotspot

Experts have said the UK is the third most likely country outside Africa to report an ebola case, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) warning that sporadic cases in Europe are "unavoidable".

Texas ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan - the first to be diagnosed with the disease in the US - died at the Texas Presbyterian Hospital on Wednesday, officials said.

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US Military Jet Crashes In Lincolnshire

A US fighter pilot ejected to safety as their military jet crashed in a Lincolnshire field.

Emergency services were alerted by members of the public to the incident, involving an F-15 fighter plane, near Broadgate in Weston Hills, at about 3.30pm.

Police advised people to avoid the area as fumes from the burning plane may be hazardous.

A spokesman for USAF's 48 Fighter Wing based at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk confirmed one of its F-15s was involved in the incident during a training exercise.

He added: "The pilot ejected and is safe."

A Lincolnshire Police spokesman said: "The pilot appears to have escaped with very minor injury and has left the scene by helicopter.

"The plane has come down in an isolated rural area and no premises have been affected.

"A cordon has been put in place and the public are advised to avoid the area as the plane is alight and the fumes may be hazardous."

More follows...

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