Stretched Nurses 'Struggling To Give Safe Care'

Patients in some NHS hospitals are receiving "unsafe and unsatisfactory" care because of staff shortages, a nursing chief has told Sky News.

Elderly patients are particularly at risk of being left in discomfort and distress, according to Dr Peter Carter, the chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing.

His warning comes as the National Institute For Health and Care Excellence (NICE) prepares to issue draft guidelines to hospitals, stating nurses should ideally be responsible for no more than eight patients at once.

Failing to meet this ratio puts patients at "increased risk of harm", it said.

One estimate is that 20,000 additional nurses could be needed to meet NICE's recommendations.

"There is a lot of very good care, but there are undoubtedly many clinical situations each day where nurses are really struggling to provide the level of safe and satisfactory care they would wish to do," Dr Carter told Sky News.

Dr Peter Carter says nurses are struggling to provide "safe" care

"Nurses tell us they often come off shifts knowing they've not provided the level of care they'd wish to.

"Patients are left in discomfort - sometimes they're incontinent and nurses are unable to change them for considerable periods of time, which adds to distress.

"That's the reality. It's not that the nurses don't care - just that there are insufficient numbers of them.

"We have copious examples, particularly on wards for older people, where you have one nurse for 12, 14 and sometimes 15 people."

Dr Carter welcomed NICE's guidelines but said sometimes even "one to eight" was not nearly enough.

"Research demonstrates that once you go over the one to eight (ratio), serious problems begin," he said.

"There are plenty of settings, (such as in) neo-natal and intensive care, where you need one to one."

NHS staffing levels have been criticised following the Mid Staffordshire scandal, which uncovered evidence of increased mortality rates and serious neglect.

NICE will issue final guidelines for adult inpatient wards in acute hospitals in England in July following a consultation.

Its deputy chief executive, Professor Gillian Leng, said: "We'll be issuing draft guidelines on Monday, providing advice on how hospitals should ensure nurse numbers on wards are appropriately tailored to the needs of patients.

"The advice is for hospital managers, the board, and nurses working on wards.

"We want to make sure patients receive effective, safe care.

"We've also set out some information about what needs to be monitored in terms of outcomes for patients who have falls or pressure ulcers, and what nurses need to keep track of on a day-by-day, hour-by-hour basis to make sure patients are being cared for effectively."

The Department of Health said administrative staff and managers had been cut since 2010 but there were 5,100 more nurses working on wards.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt added: "NICE's work on staffing is a major step forward.

"For the first time in its history, the NHS will have the evidence it needs to make sure that nurses are able to spend enough time with their patients."

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UK Soldier 'Posed With Dead Taliban Fighter'

By Anushka Asthana, Political Correspondent

The RAF has launched a probe after photographs surfaced appearing to show a serviceman posing with a dead Taliban fighter.

The pictures were apparently taken in the wake of an attack by 15 insurgents on Camp Bastion, the main British base in Afghanistan, in September 2012.

The insurgents breached the perimeter of the base, triggering a battle involving a British RAF regiment and US marines.

Two of the marines and 14 Taliban fighters were killed in the firefight, and UK troops were also injured.

The two photographs appear to show at least one member of the RAF giving a thumbs-up sign as he kneels next to the body of a dead insurgent.

The photos were taken after an attack on Camp Bastion in 2012

It is unclear if it is the same serviceman in both of the photographs.

Sky News has learned that the individual or individuals belong to 51 Squadron.

An RAF source said he was making "no excuses" for the behaviour but said it was important to consider the context.

"This was a long, extensive firefight against a well-drilled, well-armed enemy who was trying to kill them," the source said.

He spoke of the "heat of conflict", the "relief of victory" and the "unusual adrenaline fuelled situation" in which "foolish" things happened.

Camp Bastion is the main British base in Afghanistan

The investigation will focus on whether the airman broke the rules by "mistreating" the enemy.

They may also be reprimanded for simply having and using photographic equipment.

Another photograph shows a burned-out plane in a hangar - six US Harrier jets were destroyed in the attack.

The images first appeared on the website Live Leak.

An RAF spokesman said: "Inappropriate actions will not be tolerated in the armed forces.

"The RAF is treating this incident extremely seriously and has launched a military police investigation.

"As this incident is subject to an ongoing investigation it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time."

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'Killer' Asian Hornet Could Threaten Honey Bees

By Siobhan Robbins, Sky News Reporter

A new "killer" hornet may soon threaten Britain's honey bees, it has been warned.

The Asian hornet has already been spotted in France and could be transported to the UK in food pallets or may even be able to fly across the Channel.

They are smaller than British hornets, with queens growing up to three centimetres long.

Their bodies are dark brown or black with a fine yellow band and their stings are up to a quarter of an inch long.

They hunt in packs and have a taste for honey bees, often targeting adults outside the hive or eating the offspring inside.

The honey bee population has declined rapidly in the last 60 years

Some experts claim they can kill up to 40 bees a day so if introduced into Britain, they could have a severe impact on the native honeybee population, which has been rapidly declining since the 1950s.

Tim Lovett from the British Beekeepers Association explained: "When bees are out foraging you'll find that the hornets will lurk around the front of the hive and try to bring down foragers as they come back to the hive.

"Having got them down on the ground they paralyse them and they will then cart them off to their own nests where they'll use them for feed for their own larvae."

Six people in France have died from anaphylactic shock after being stung by the hornets.

But Gavin Broad from the Natural History Museum says there is no need for people to worry.

An Asian hornet (left) next to a British hornet (right)

He said: "In terms of their sting it's no worse than any other hornet so if you're going to suffer from anaphylactic shock it's just as likely from as Asian hornet as from a native hornet."

The public is being urged not to kill any hornets that they find and posters are now being handed out to help people identify and report any sightings.

A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesperson said: "There have been no confirmed sightings of Asian hornets in the UK - they are smaller than our own native hornets and are no more dangerous.

"We are aware of the potential impacts they could have on honey bees and have plans in place to eradicate them if they are identified.

"In Great Britain we would not expect Asian hornets to establish outside southern parts of England and Wales due to colder weather."

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Giro d'Italia Race Raises Hopes In N Ireland

By David Blevins, Ireland Correspondent

The winner of the opening stage of the Giro d'Italia in Northern Ireland has said he has achieved "a dream come true" and thanked the crowds along the route for their "fantastic" support.

Svein Tuft described his Orica-GreenEdge team's performance along the 21.7km time trial course around Belfast as the "perfect ride".

While proudly wearing the pink jersey, the maglia rosa, the Canadian said: "It is a dream come true."

Tuft said he was impressed by the crowds, adding: "The entire course was lined four or five deep with people screaming and wearing pink, it was fantastic."

Stage one winner Svein Tuft celebrates

The Giro d'Italia is the second largest cycle race in the world and every second year, they stage the opening outside Italy.

With a global audience of 800 million, nowhere has been more grateful for the opportunity to create a new impression.

Opening stages include Parliament Buildings at Stormont, home of the devolved government, the Giant's Causeway and cathedral city of Armagh.

In towns along the route, election posters were replaced by pink bunting and balloons; one village dyed the sheep pink.

It reflects the colour of the newspaper behind the Italian race, contrasting the distinctive yellow of the Tour de France.

In a bid to win the leader's pink jersey, competitors were racing past loyalist murals on Belfast's Lower Newtownards Road.

On the opposite side of the road, pink bicycles had been attached to the railings of the local Presbyterian Church.

Rev Mervyn Gibson said: "There are people from all background, all denominations, all nationalities here. People from Wexford have been in the church, people from France, people from Australia, Roman Catholics, Protestants, we're not asking anyone where they're from, they're all welcome in east Belfast."

Martin McGuinness has welcomed the teams to Belfast

The Lord Mayor of Belfast, Sinn Fein's Máirtín Ó Muilleoir, said the race gave people a glimpse of the future.

He said: "We love our colours in Belfast but sometimes our colours divide us. It's wonderful that the colour pink has united us. Sport has united the city. Sport has united the country. We need to build on the positive energy. We need to build confidence in Belfast and what Giro's doing is giving us real confidence in the future."

When bidding to host the Giro, the devolved government estimated that it would cost £4m but generate £12m in tourism.

First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness suspended their recent hostilities to welcome the teams to Belfast.

The Democratic Unionist Party Leader and his Sinn Fein partner in government had clashed over the arrest of Gerry Adams.

Tensions over flags, parades and the legacy of the past continue to cast a shadow over political progress made here.

The Giro d'Italia illustrates the potential if politicians can resolve these outstanding issues and bring peace over the finishing line.

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Clegg Vows To Block Tory Knife Crime Plan

By Sophy Ridge, Political Correspondent

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has publicly vetoed a Conservative plan to automatically jail anyone caught in possession of a knife for a second time.

The Deputy Prime Minister insists he will not allow the Government to support "headline-grabbing solutions" in the aftermath of the killing of Leeds schoolteacher Ann Maguire.

He said the scheme was a "step backwards" and could "undermine the role of judges", who, he said, should be given the flexibility to assess each case on its merits.

Writing in the Guardian, Mr Clegg said such a policy would risk turning young people into hardened criminals.

It comes after Conservative Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said offenders caught twice with a knife should automatically receive a six-month prison sentence.

The stabbing of teacher Ann Maguire has put knife crime in the headlines

He wants the mandatory sentences included in an amendment to the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill next week.

Mr Clegg wrote in the Guardian: "When someone is caught carrying a knife, we need to do something about it. But six months in prison is not always the right answer.

"Imagine a vulnerable young girl hanging around with members of a gang. She could be forced into carrying a knife by another gang member - it happens a lot.

"When stopped by the police, she doesn't mention that she was forced to carry the knife, fearing retribution from the gang.

"Putting someone like that into prison could push them into the arms of hardened criminals, and let the gang leaders off the hook. Instead of prison, we need to divert vulnerable young people away from gang culture."

Nick Clegg says the plan could 'let gang leaders off the hook'

He said decisions on sentencing should be left to judges.

"This is why I believe this proposed law would be a step backwards," he writes.

"It would undermine the Government's progress in establishing a rehabilitation revolution and reducing crime. We need to treat knife crime very seriously by letting judges choose the sentence to fit the crime.

"Turning the young offenders of today into the hardened criminals of tomorrow is not the answer."

England and Wales' most senior judge, Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas, has also called for an urgent review of sentencing for youths carrying knives, saying it was a "major problem" among 12 to 14-year-olds.

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Madeleine McCann Search: Three Main Dig Sites

Madeleine: Key Events Timeline

Updated: 12:46pm UK, Tuesday 06 May 2014

Here is a timeline of the key events since Madeleine McCann's disappearance.

2007

:: May 3 - Kate and Gerry McCann leave their three children asleep in their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz while they dine with friends at a nearby tapas restaurant.

Jane Tanner, one of the friends eating with the McCanns, later reports seeing a man carrying a child away earlier that night.

:: May 5 - Portuguese police reveal they believe Madeleine was abducted but is still alive and in Portugal, and say they have a sketch of a suspect.

:: May 14 - Detectives take Anglo-Portuguese man Robert Murat in for questioning and make him an "arguido", or official suspect.

:: May 25 - Detectives release a description of the man reported by Jane Tanner three weeks earlier after pressure from the McCanns, their legal team and the British Government.

:: May 30 - Mr and Mrs McCann meet the Pope in Rome in the first of a series of trips around Europe and beyond to highlight the search for their daughter.

:: August 6 - A Portuguese newspaper reports that British sniffer dogs have found traces of blood on a wall in the McCanns' holiday apartment.

:: August 11 - Exactly 100 days after Madeleine disappeared, investigating officers publicly acknowledge for the first time that she could be dead.

:: September 7 - During further questioning of Mr and Mrs McCann, detectives make them both "arguidos" in their daughter's disappearance.

:: September 9 - The McCanns fly back to England with their two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie.

:: October 2 - Goncalo Amaral, the detective in charge of the inquiry, is removed from the case after criticising the British police in a Portuguese newspaper interview.

:: October 25 - The McCanns release a new artist's impression drawn by an FBI-trained expert showing the man described by Jane Tanner.

2008

:: March 19 - Mr and Mrs McCann accept £550,000 libel damages and front-page apologies from Express Newspapers over allegations they were responsible for Madeleine's death.

:: April 7 - Three Portuguese detectives, led by Paulo Rebelo, fly to Britain to re-interview the seven friends on holiday with the McCanns when Madeleine vanished.

:: July 17 - Mr Murat receives £600,000 in libel damages from four newspaper groups over "seriously defamatory" articles connecting him with the child's disappearance.

:: July 21 - The Portuguese authorities shelve their investigation and lift the "arguido" status of the McCanns and Mr Murat.

:: August 4 - Thousands of pages of evidence from the Portuguese police files in the exhaustive investigation into Madeleine's disappearance are made public.

2009

:: January 13 - Mr McCann returns to Portugal for the first time since coming back to the UK without his daughter.

:: March 24 - The McCanns launch a localised new appeal for information focused on the area in the Algarve where Madeleine disappeared.

:: April 4 - Mr McCann goes back to Portugal to help film a reconstruction of the events on the night his daughter vanished.

:: April 22 - The McCanns fly to the US to record an interview with chat show host Oprah Winfrey to mark two years since Madeleine's disappearance.

:: June 14 - Dying paedophile Raymond Hewlett says he was in the Algarve when Madeleine disappeared and has an alibi - but has no plans to reveal it.

:: August 6 - Detectives say they are hunting a "Victoria Beckham lookalike" with an Australian or New Zealand accent, reportedly seen in Barcelona three days after the little girl went missing.

2010

:: Feb 18 -  Kate and Gerry McCann say they are "pleased and relieved" at a judge's decision to uphold a ban on a book by former detective Goncalo Amaral.

:: Mar 3 -  A newly-released file from Portugese police on possible sightings is called "gold dust" and could lead to a breakthrough, says a spokesman for the McCanns.

:: May 1 - Kate McCann reveals she had thoughts about being "wiped out" in a motorway crash to end the pain of losing Madeleine - but vows never to give up.

:: November 10 - Madeleine's parents launch an online petition to help force a UK and Portuguese joint review of all evidence in the case.

:: November 15 -  The McCanns sign a deal to write a book about their daughter's disappearance.

2011

:: May 13 - The Prime Minister David Cameron asks London's Metropolitan Police to help investigate the case.

:: November 23 - Kate and Gerry McCann appear at the Leveson Inquiry into media ethics.

They tell how media pressure affected their family life and accuse newspaper editors of hampering the search for their missing daughter.

Kate McCann says she felt "violated" when her diary was published without her permission.

:: December 5 - Scotland Yard detectives spend time in Barcelona as part of their re-examination of the case.

2012

:: March 9 - Portuguese police in Oporto launch a review of the original investigation.

:: April 26 - Scotland Yard says Madeleine McCann may still be alive and release an artist's impression of what she may look like as a nine-year-old.

:: July 6 - British detectives examine a claim that the little girl's body is buried near the apartment from where she vanished. It comes after a self-styled investigator sends police radar scans he claims show a burial site.

2013

:: February 11 - Gerry McCann calls for politicians to implement the conclusions of the Leveson Inquiry in full, backed by legislation.

:: February 13 - Police say the results of DNA tests on a girl in New Zealand who was mistaken for Madeleine reveal that she is not the missing British girl.

:: February 21 - Retired solicitor Tony Bennett who published claims that Madeleine McCann's parents caused her death is given a suspended jail sentence.

:: May 2 - Madeleine McCann's parents tell Sky News a police review into their daughter's disappearance is making "excellent progress" as they mark the sixth anniversary since she went missing.

:: May 17 - Scotland Yard say they have identified a number of "people of interest" they want to speak to. It believes it has found enough evidence to reopen the case but the Portuguese authorities are still resistant. 

:: June 15 - The Home Office agrees to fund a full-scale investigation by the Metropolitan Police.

:: October 13 - UK detectives reviewing the case say key details in the timeline of her disappearance have "significantly changed".

:: October 14 - A fresh appeal is launched in a bid to find a suspect detectives say is of "vital importance", with two new separate e-fits - thought to be of the same man seen on the night Madeleine went missing - released by police.

:: October 17 - Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, who is leading the Scotland Yard team, Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, and Mr and Mrs McCann meet officers in Lisbon to be briefed on the Portuguese case.

:: October 23 - Britain's most senior police officer Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe defends the way the Portuguese dealt with the initial investigation into Madeleine's disappearance, saying it would have been "very difficult" to immediately know if they were dealing with a serious crime.

:: October 24 - Detectives in Portugal reopen the investigation into Madeleine McCann's disappearance after an internal review uncovers new lines of inquiry and witnesses who were never questioned during the original Portuguese investigation.

2014

:: January 3 - A family source says Kate and Gerry McCann have been denied permission to give evidence at a Portuguese libel trial over a book about the case by former local police chief Goncalo Amaral.

:: January 13 - British police investigate three burglars who were in the area when Madeleine disappeared, and whose phones were apparently "red hot" after she went missing. A letter is sent to Portuguese police asking for help to track them down.

:: January 29 - Scotland Yard officers, including the detective leading the case, fly to Portugal to meet police there and discuss the latest developments.

:: March 19 - Officers from Operation Grange launch a search for a man who sexually assaulted five British girls in the Algarve between 2004 and 2006.

:: April 23 - Detectives identify five new cases where a lone intruder abused young British girls in holiday apartments in the Algarve.

:: May 1 - Kate and Gerry McCann give an interview to Sky News where they are desperate to find out what happened to Madeleine, even if it is the "worst case scenario" as they back calls for a Child Rescue Alert service similar to the Amber Alert system in the US.

:: May 6 - Scotland Yard plans to dig for evidence in three locations in Praia da Luz are approved, with officers set to use ground penetrating radar.

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Russell Brand Wins Damages Over 'Cheat' Story

Russell Brand has accepted substantial libel damages over a newspaper's claim he had cheated on girlfriend Jemima Khan.

News Group Newspapers (NGN) agreed to pay a large but undisclosed sum to the comedian at London's High Court.

The "exclusive" story, headlined Russell Cheated On His Jemima With Me, was published in the Sun On Sunday in November 2013.

It claimed Brand had had a four-month fling with model Sophie Coady.

Brand's solicitor, John Kelly, told Mr Justice Tugendhat the allegation was entirely without foundation and "distressing, hurtful and damaging".

The court heard Brand had written to the Sun On Sunday through his solicitors informing it the story was false.

But the paper refused to take the article off its website, or withdraw the allegations and publish an apology.

It now accepted the claims were "totally untrue and defamatory and... should never have been published."

As well as apologising, NGN had agreed to pay Brand his legal costs and damages, which he would put towards "what he considers to be diverse, just and decent causes.

Brand was not in court for the settlement of his action.

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Ann Maguire Stabbing: Twitter Troll Jailed

A man who admitted posting offensive messages on Twitter about stabbed teacher Ann Maguire has been jailed for eight weeks.

Robert Riley, 42, was sentenced at Swansea Magistrates' Court over the remarks he posted on the microblogging site.

More follows...

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Former Co-op Boss Flowers Fined Over Drugs

Co-op Reform Critics Must Back Overhaul: Myners

Updated: 12:37pm UK, Wednesday 07 May 2014

Former City minister Lord Myners has warned the Co-operative Group will not survive unless members get behind his recommendations for reforming its governance structure.

His review's findings - which include the abolition of the group's 21-member board to be replaced by a slimmed-down body containing more expert, corporate figures - will be put before the Co-op's AGM in Manchester on May 17.

The damning 184-page report seeks to win over traditionalists "stuck in denial" over the need for change after regional membership boards and independent societies voiced opposition to his interim proposals in March.

Lord Myners later quit as a Co-op director after just four months.

The review followed a tide of pain for the Group, which recently revealed an annual loss of £2.5bn - the bulk of that put down to the continuing problems at the Co-op Bank, now in the clutches of US hedge funds after its rescue from near collapse.

In an interview with Sky News, Lord Myners argued the bank crisis epitomised the scale of the incompetence he had witnessed.

He said: "How the board of the Co-op two years ago thought it could acquire the branch businesses of Lloyds TSB is beyond imagination.

"I cannot imagine a group of people less equipped, less competent, to own and control a bank.

"It took me half an hour of sitting in my first board meeting of the Co-op to realise what a shambles the board was."

He spoke out against the culture of the Group as the bank's former chairman, Paul Flowers, was being fined after admitting drug possession.

The peer slammed the fact that the 15 lay directors on the current board were drawn from a total eligible pool of only 35 regional board members including an engineer, a plasterer and a retired deputy head teacher.

He said that apart from the lack of relevant skills and experience "this has not even been genuine democracy at work".

Ursula Lidbetter, Chair of The Co-operative Group, responded: "The Co-operative Group welcomes the report from Lord Myners and we are grateful to him and his team for producing such a detailed and comprehensive review so rapidly.

"The Board of the Group has made clear its commitment to far-reaching and fundamental reform of our governance.

"A resolution containing four key principles on reform is being put to members at a General Meeting in May and we will build from there to ensure we put the right changes in place".

Lord Myners spoke of his hopes that the membership adopted change at the AGM.

He said: "I have no doubt that the Co-operative Group can over the next five years reverse a decline that started over 50 years ago. But I am less confident that it will choose to do so.

"Much will depend on the small number of 'elected democrats', less than one in 10,000 of the group's entire membership.

"Will they put their self-interest to one side for the greater good, acknowledging the collective failure of the current board and the crippling deficiencies of the entire governance system?

"I would say that the Group board and many on the regional boards are still stuck in denial over this near ruinous failure of governance, whereas the vast majority of ordinary members feel justified anger."

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Miley Cyrus Rejects Drug Claims At London Gig

Miley Cyrus has rejected claims she took a drug overdose, as her UK tour got off to a provocative and controversial start.

The Wrecking Ball singer boasted about her fine physical health after a sinus infection and an allergic reaction to an antibiotic forced her to cancel shows in the US.

At an energetic press conference before the first show at The O2 in London, the 21-year-old said she was "the poster child for good health" and promised to "f*** this place up".

Cyrus set the tone for her show when she arrived on stage by descending down a long, pink slide resembling her tongue, which was protruding from a giant image of her face.

Cyrus enters the stage at The O2 arena

"Hello, mother f*****s! I'm not going down without a motherf*****g fight!" she yelled, wearing a silver one-piece with a stick-on pair of lips.

Cyrus, who went sightseeing before the concert, then launched into the tour's opening song, SMS (Bangerz), accompanied by a pantomime horse, a dwarf and a troupe of dancers.

Many in the predominantly young crowd mouthed along to her songs but some parents were left unimpressed with Cyrus' antics.

She slapped herself in an intimate area, simulated foreplay on a bed with a dancer and showered fans in the first few rows with gargled water.

Some parents were unimpressed with what they saw at the concert

Cyrus also reportedly discussed drugs during the show.

A father who went with his 15-year-old son said: "It would be different if it was a good show. But it's not even a good show."

"She's lost the plot," another said.

The set included a peculiar interlude featuring a black and white film of an almost-naked Cyrus pulling faces set to British band Alt-J's Fitzpleasure.

She then returned to a satellite stage and took a selfie.

Cyrus promised to "f*** this place up" before her performance

Cyrus then tried her hand at a number of covers, putting her own stamp on songs from the Arctic Monkeys, Bob Dylan and her godmother, Dolly Parton.

The finale featured Cyrus soaring over the stage attached to "the biggest wiener in London" - a reference to an inflatable hot dog.

The encore included Cyrus' biggest hits, UK chart-toppers We Can't Stop and Wrecking Ball, followed by Party in the USA.

For her closing number, she altered the lyrics to reflect her location and wore a Union flag one-piece.

Cyrus' next gig is in Leeds on Saturday, followed by performances in Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham.

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Madeleine McCann: 'UK Police Searches Refused'

Madeleine: Key Events Timeline

Updated: 12:46pm UK, Tuesday 06 May 2014

Here is a timeline of the key events since Madeleine McCann's disappearance.

2007

:: May 3 - Kate and Gerry McCann leave their three children asleep in their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz while they dine with friends at a nearby tapas restaurant.

Jane Tanner, one of the friends eating with the McCanns, later reports seeing a man carrying a child away earlier that night.

:: May 5 - Portuguese police reveal they believe Madeleine was abducted but is still alive and in Portugal, and say they have a sketch of a suspect.

:: May 14 - Detectives take Anglo-Portuguese man Robert Murat in for questioning and make him an "arguido", or official suspect.

:: May 25 - Detectives release a description of the man reported by Jane Tanner three weeks earlier after pressure from the McCanns, their legal team and the British Government.

:: May 30 - Mr and Mrs McCann meet the Pope in Rome in the first of a series of trips around Europe and beyond to highlight the search for their daughter.

:: August 6 - A Portuguese newspaper reports that British sniffer dogs have found traces of blood on a wall in the McCanns' holiday apartment.

:: August 11 - Exactly 100 days after Madeleine disappeared, investigating officers publicly acknowledge for the first time that she could be dead.

:: September 7 - During further questioning of Mr and Mrs McCann, detectives make them both "arguidos" in their daughter's disappearance.

:: September 9 - The McCanns fly back to England with their two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie.

:: October 2 - Goncalo Amaral, the detective in charge of the inquiry, is removed from the case after criticising the British police in a Portuguese newspaper interview.

:: October 25 - The McCanns release a new artist's impression drawn by an FBI-trained expert showing the man described by Jane Tanner.

2008

:: March 19 - Mr and Mrs McCann accept £550,000 libel damages and front-page apologies from Express Newspapers over allegations they were responsible for Madeleine's death.

:: April 7 - Three Portuguese detectives, led by Paulo Rebelo, fly to Britain to re-interview the seven friends on holiday with the McCanns when Madeleine vanished.

:: July 17 - Mr Murat receives £600,000 in libel damages from four newspaper groups over "seriously defamatory" articles connecting him with the child's disappearance.

:: July 21 - The Portuguese authorities shelve their investigation and lift the "arguido" status of the McCanns and Mr Murat.

:: August 4 - Thousands of pages of evidence from the Portuguese police files in the exhaustive investigation into Madeleine's disappearance are made public.

2009

:: January 13 - Mr McCann returns to Portugal for the first time since coming back to the UK without his daughter.

:: March 24 - The McCanns launch a localised new appeal for information focused on the area in the Algarve where Madeleine disappeared.

:: April 4 - Mr McCann goes back to Portugal to help film a reconstruction of the events on the night his daughter vanished.

:: April 22 - The McCanns fly to the US to record an interview with chat show host Oprah Winfrey to mark two years since Madeleine's disappearance.

:: June 14 - Dying paedophile Raymond Hewlett says he was in the Algarve when Madeleine disappeared and has an alibi - but has no plans to reveal it.

:: August 6 - Detectives say they are hunting a "Victoria Beckham lookalike" with an Australian or New Zealand accent, reportedly seen in Barcelona three days after the little girl went missing.

2010

:: Feb 18 -  Kate and Gerry McCann say they are "pleased and relieved" at a judge's decision to uphold a ban on a book by former detective Goncalo Amaral.

:: Mar 3 -  A newly-released file from Portugese police on possible sightings is called "gold dust" and could lead to a breakthrough, says a spokesman for the McCanns.

:: May 1 - Kate McCann reveals she had thoughts about being "wiped out" in a motorway crash to end the pain of losing Madeleine - but vows never to give up.

:: November 10 - Madeleine's parents launch an online petition to help force a UK and Portuguese joint review of all evidence in the case.

:: November 15 -  The McCanns sign a deal to write a book about their daughter's disappearance.

2011

:: May 13 - The Prime Minister David Cameron asks London's Metropolitan Police to help investigate the case.

:: November 23 - Kate and Gerry McCann appear at the Leveson Inquiry into media ethics.

They tell how media pressure affected their family life and accuse newspaper editors of hampering the search for their missing daughter.

Kate McCann says she felt "violated" when her diary was published without her permission.

:: December 5 - Scotland Yard detectives spend time in Barcelona as part of their re-examination of the case.

2012

:: March 9 - Portuguese police in Oporto launch a review of the original investigation.

:: April 26 - Scotland Yard says Madeleine McCann may still be alive and release an artist's impression of what she may look like as a nine-year-old.

:: July 6 - British detectives examine a claim that the little girl's body is buried near the apartment from where she vanished. It comes after a self-styled investigator sends police radar scans he claims show a burial site.

2013

:: February 11 - Gerry McCann calls for politicians to implement the conclusions of the Leveson Inquiry in full, backed by legislation.

:: February 13 - Police say the results of DNA tests on a girl in New Zealand who was mistaken for Madeleine reveal that she is not the missing British girl.

:: February 21 - Retired solicitor Tony Bennett who published claims that Madeleine McCann's parents caused her death is given a suspended jail sentence.

:: May 2 - Madeleine McCann's parents tell Sky News a police review into their daughter's disappearance is making "excellent progress" as they mark the sixth anniversary since she went missing.

:: May 17 - Scotland Yard say they have identified a number of "people of interest" they want to speak to. It believes it has found enough evidence to reopen the case but the Portuguese authorities are still resistant. 

:: June 15 - The Home Office agrees to fund a full-scale investigation by the Metropolitan Police.

:: October 13 - UK detectives reviewing the case say key details in the timeline of her disappearance have "significantly changed".

:: October 14 - A fresh appeal is launched in a bid to find a suspect detectives say is of "vital importance", with two new separate e-fits - thought to be of the same man seen on the night Madeleine went missing - released by police.

:: October 17 - Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, who is leading the Scotland Yard team, Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, and Mr and Mrs McCann meet officers in Lisbon to be briefed on the Portuguese case.

:: October 23 - Britain's most senior police officer Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe defends the way the Portuguese dealt with the initial investigation into Madeleine's disappearance, saying it would have been "very difficult" to immediately know if they were dealing with a serious crime.

:: October 24 - Detectives in Portugal reopen the investigation into Madeleine McCann's disappearance after an internal review uncovers new lines of inquiry and witnesses who were never questioned during the original Portuguese investigation.

2014

:: January 3 - A family source says Kate and Gerry McCann have been denied permission to give evidence at a Portuguese libel trial over a book about the case by former local police chief Goncalo Amaral.

:: January 13 - British police investigate three burglars who were in the area when Madeleine disappeared, and whose phones were apparently "red hot" after she went missing. A letter is sent to Portuguese police asking for help to track them down.

:: January 29 - Scotland Yard officers, including the detective leading the case, fly to Portugal to meet police there and discuss the latest developments.

:: March 19 - Officers from Operation Grange launch a search for a man who sexually assaulted five British girls in the Algarve between 2004 and 2006.

:: April 23 - Detectives identify five new cases where a lone intruder abused young British girls in holiday apartments in the Algarve.

:: May 1 - Kate and Gerry McCann give an interview to Sky News where they are desperate to find out what happened to Madeleine, even if it is the "worst case scenario" as they back calls for a Child Rescue Alert service similar to the Amber Alert system in the US.

:: May 6 - Scotland Yard plans to dig for evidence in three locations in Praia da Luz are approved, with officers set to use ground penetrating radar.

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Skull Cracker Police Probe Armed Robbery Link

Police are investigating whether an armed robbery in Surrey today is linked to the hunt for escaped prisoner Michael Wheatley.

Firearms officers are at the scene of the raid on the Chelsea Building Society, in Sunbury-on-Thames.

And Kent Police have confirmed they are looking into a possible link between the robbery at around 10.20am and Wheatley, who is known as the 'Skull Cracker'.

More follows...

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Stuart Hall Admits One Indecent Assault Charge

Broadcaster Stuart Hall has admitted one count of indecent assault on a girl aged under 16.

The 84-year-old, of Wilmslow, Cheshire, denied 20 other charges at Preston Crown Court.

He replied "guilty" when asked how he pleaded to the one allegation of indecent assault, which took place between January 26, 1978 and January 1, 1979.

His trial is due to begin on the charges he has pleaded innocent to.

The former It's A Knockout presenter faces 15 counts of rape and five counts of indecent assault over alleged offences that are said to have taken place between 1976 and 1981.

The trial, which will get under way once legal discussions have concluded, is estimated to last seven days.

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Escaped 'Skull Cracker' Armed Robber Sighting

A reported sighting of an escaped armed robber known as the "Skull Cracker" has been made in London, police have said.

Officers were called to an address in Twickenham shortly before 8pm on Monday, following a sighting of Michael Wheatley, who earned his nickname for pistol-whipping victims.

Police searched the area but did not find the 55-year-old, who is the subject of a major manhunt.

Wheatley, who was given 13 life sentences in 2002 for a string of brutal raids on banks and building societies, failed to return to HMP Standford Hill open prison on the Isle of Sheppey, in Kent, after being temporarily released.

A full review has been ordered into prison security after the criminal went on the run.

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling told Sky News he was unhappy with the system for releasing prisoners on temporary licence, and changes were being made, including tighter risk assessments, and tagging of prisoners.

He said: "I am carrying out a full inquiry into the circumstances of the case.

"Every situation like this is unacceptable."

Mr Grayling added: "All efforts will be put in to try and get him back. He will now be in prison for some considerable amount of time.

"And of course I am now changing the system so that people like him will be under much tighter controls in future."

Conservative backbencher Philip Davies said whoever allowed Wheatley out of prison is "a berk" and should be sacked.

Kent Police have urged the public not to approach Wheatley, but to dial 999.

Wheatley carried out 13 raids between June 2001 and April 2002 in bank branches from Southampton in Hampshire to Royston in Hertfordshire.

A police spokesman said Wheatley, originally of Limehouse in east London, has links across southeast England.

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Manchester City Facing £50m Fine From Uefa

By Paul Kelso, Sky News Sports Correspondent

Manchester City face a £50m fine and having to limit their Champions League squad to just 21 players next season, instead of the normal 25, after breaching Uefa Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules, Sky News understands.

Under sanctions which the club are contesting, City will also have to cap their spending on Champions League players so spending does not exceed this year's total.

The reduction in the size of the Champions League squad to 21 could hit City hardest, as they will have to continue selecting eight "home-grown" players in the squad.

City are contesting the Uefa sanction, but if they do not agree to the sanctions, set out in an initial "settlement offer", they face even stiffer penalties.

Manchester City's Joe Hart makes a save at Saturday's match against Everton

Final confirmation of the sanctions is expected on Friday, two days before City's title-deciding game against West Ham at the Etihad.

Under the FFP rules, clubs are not permitted to lose more than £37m over two seasons unless they can show that losses have been incurred by investments in club infrastructure, including youth development, academies and stadium development.

In the two seasons tested by Uefa 2011-12 and 2012-13, City's combined losses were almost £150m, with losses of almost £200m in 2010-2011.

While some of those losses can be legitimately written off - for example City are building a £100m playing campus next to the Etihad Stadium - Uefa have concluded not all of their losses are legitimate under the terms of FFP.

Manager Pellegrini gesticulates during the Barclays Premier League match

Uefa also examine sources of revenue, which cannot be from "related parties" if they are to count as income for FFP accounting purposes. City's £40m-a-year shirt and stadium sponsorship deal with Etihad, the Abu Dhabi state airline, has been scrutinised, though City says it was done at a fair market rate.

It is understood Uefa found some of City's accounting in their original submission to be less transparent than expected, which has prompted a closer look at all the figures.

City have been on collision course with Uefa over FFP ever since the club's Abu Dhabi owners embarked on an unprecedented spending spree after buying the club in August 2008.

Since then, they have spent more than £600m on transfer fees, winning the FA Cup in 2011, the Premier League in 2012 and the League Cup this season. They require just four points from their remaining two games to be almost certain of winning the league this year.

Paris St Germain, backed by Qatari wealth, have also fallen foul of the FFP rules and face similar sanctions.

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Madeleine McCann: Police To Dig For Evidence

Madeleine: Key Events Timeline

Updated: 12:46pm UK, Tuesday 06 May 2014

Here is a timeline of the key events since Madeleine McCann's disappearance.

2007

:: May 3 - Kate and Gerry McCann leave their three children asleep in their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz while they dine with friends at a nearby tapas restaurant.

Jane Tanner, one of the friends eating with the McCanns, later reports seeing a man carrying a child away earlier that night.

:: May 5 - Portuguese police reveal they believe Madeleine was abducted but is still alive and in Portugal, and say they have a sketch of a suspect.

:: May 14 - Detectives take Anglo-Portuguese man Robert Murat in for questioning and make him an "arguido", or official suspect.

:: May 25 - Detectives release a description of the man reported by Jane Tanner three weeks earlier after pressure from the McCanns, their legal team and the British Government.

:: May 30 - Mr and Mrs McCann meet the Pope in Rome in the first of a series of trips around Europe and beyond to highlight the search for their daughter.

:: August 6 - A Portuguese newspaper reports that British sniffer dogs have found traces of blood on a wall in the McCanns' holiday apartment.

:: August 11 - Exactly 100 days after Madeleine disappeared, investigating officers publicly acknowledge for the first time that she could be dead.

:: September 7 - During further questioning of Mr and Mrs McCann, detectives make them both "arguidos" in their daughter's disappearance.

:: September 9 - The McCanns fly back to England with their two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie.

:: October 2 - Goncalo Amaral, the detective in charge of the inquiry, is removed from the case after criticising the British police in a Portuguese newspaper interview.

:: October 25 - The McCanns release a new artist's impression drawn by an FBI-trained expert showing the man described by Jane Tanner.

2008

:: March 19 - Mr and Mrs McCann accept £550,000 libel damages and front-page apologies from Express Newspapers over allegations they were responsible for Madeleine's death.

:: April 7 - Three Portuguese detectives, led by Paulo Rebelo, fly to Britain to re-interview the seven friends on holiday with the McCanns when Madeleine vanished.

:: July 17 - Mr Murat receives £600,000 in libel damages from four newspaper groups over "seriously defamatory" articles connecting him with the child's disappearance.

:: July 21 - The Portuguese authorities shelve their investigation and lift the "arguido" status of the McCanns and Mr Murat.

:: August 4 - Thousands of pages of evidence from the Portuguese police files in the exhaustive investigation into Madeleine's disappearance are made public.

2009

:: January 13 - Mr McCann returns to Portugal for the first time since coming back to the UK without his daughter.

:: March 24 - The McCanns launch a localised new appeal for information focused on the area in the Algarve where Madeleine disappeared.

:: April 4 - Mr McCann goes back to Portugal to help film a reconstruction of the events on the night his daughter vanished.

:: April 22 - The McCanns fly to the US to record an interview with chat show host Oprah Winfrey to mark two years since Madeleine's disappearance.

:: June 14 - Dying paedophile Raymond Hewlett says he was in the Algarve when Madeleine disappeared and has an alibi - but has no plans to reveal it.

:: August 6 - Detectives say they are hunting a "Victoria Beckham lookalike" with an Australian or New Zealand accent, reportedly seen in Barcelona three days after the little girl went missing.

2010

:: Feb 18 -  Kate and Gerry McCann say they are "pleased and relieved" at a judge's decision to uphold a ban on a book by former detective Goncalo Amaral.

:: Mar 3 -  A newly-released file from Portugese police on possible sightings is called "gold dust" and could lead to a breakthrough, says a spokesman for the McCanns.

:: May 1 - Kate McCann reveals she had thoughts about being "wiped out" in a motorway crash to end the pain of losing Madeleine - but vows never to give up.

:: November 10 - Madeleine's parents launch an online petition to help force a UK and Portuguese joint review of all evidence in the case.

:: November 15 -  The McCanns sign a deal to write a book about their daughter's disappearance.

2011

:: May 13 - The Prime Minister David Cameron asks London's Metropolitan Police to help investigate the case.

:: November 23 - Kate and Gerry McCann appear at the Leveson Inquiry into media ethics.

They tell how media pressure affected their family life and accuse newspaper editors of hampering the search for their missing daughter.

Kate McCann says she felt "violated" when her diary was published without her permission.

:: December 5 - Scotland Yard detectives spend time in Barcelona as part of their re-examination of the case.

2012

:: March 9 - Portuguese police in Oporto launch a review of the original investigation.

:: April 26 - Scotland Yard says Madeleine McCann may still be alive and release an artist's impression of what she may look like as a nine-year-old.

:: July 6 - British detectives examine a claim that the little girl's body is buried near the apartment from where she vanished. It comes after a self-styled investigator sends police radar scans he claims show a burial site.

2013

:: February 11 - Gerry McCann calls for politicians to implement the conclusions of the Leveson Inquiry in full, backed by legislation.

:: February 13 - Police say the results of DNA tests on a girl in New Zealand who was mistaken for Madeleine reveal that she is not the missing British girl.

:: February 21 - Retired solicitor Tony Bennett who published claims that Madeleine McCann's parents caused her death is given a suspended jail sentence.

:: May 2 - Madeleine McCann's parents tell Sky News a police review into their daughter's disappearance is making "excellent progress" as they mark the sixth anniversary since she went missing.

:: May 17 - Scotland Yard say they have identified a number of "people of interest" they want to speak to. It believes it has found enough evidence to reopen the case but the Portuguese authorities are still resistant. 

:: June 15 - The Home Office agrees to fund a full-scale investigation by the Metropolitan Police.

:: October 13 - UK detectives reviewing the case say key details in the timeline of her disappearance have "significantly changed".

:: October 14 - A fresh appeal is launched in a bid to find a suspect detectives say is of "vital importance", with two new separate e-fits - thought to be of the same man seen on the night Madeleine went missing - released by police.

:: October 17 - Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, who is leading the Scotland Yard team, Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, and Mr and Mrs McCann meet officers in Lisbon to be briefed on the Portuguese case.

:: October 23 - Britain's most senior police officer Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe defends the way the Portuguese dealt with the initial investigation into Madeleine's disappearance, saying it would have been "very difficult" to immediately know if they were dealing with a serious crime.

:: October 24 - Detectives in Portugal reopen the investigation into Madeleine McCann's disappearance after an internal review uncovers new lines of inquiry and witnesses who were never questioned during the original Portuguese investigation.

2014

:: January 3 - A family source says Kate and Gerry McCann have been denied permission to give evidence at a Portuguese libel trial over a book about the case by former local police chief Goncalo Amaral.

:: January 13 - British police investigate three burglars who were in the area when Madeleine disappeared, and whose phones were apparently "red hot" after she went missing. A letter is sent to Portuguese police asking for help to track them down.

:: January 29 - Scotland Yard officers, including the detective leading the case, fly to Portugal to meet police there and discuss the latest developments.

:: March 19 - Officers from Operation Grange launch a search for a man who sexually assaulted five British girls in the Algarve between 2004 and 2006.

:: April 23 - Detectives identify five new cases where a lone intruder abused young British girls in holiday apartments in the Algarve.

:: May 1 - Kate and Gerry McCann give an interview to Sky News where they are desperate to find out what happened to Madeleine, even if it is the "worst case scenario" as they back calls for a Child Rescue Alert service similar to the Amber Alert system in the US.

:: May 6 - Scotland Yard plans to dig for evidence in three locations in Praia da Luz are approved, with officers set to use ground penetrating radar.

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Stephen Sutton Rejects Cancer 'Duping' Claims

A terminally ill teenager who has raised more than £3m for charity has denied "duping" people after being released from hospital following a dramatic improvement in his condition.

Stephen Sutton, who was diagnosed with incurable colorectal cancer aged 15, was recently discharged after saying he had "coughed up a tumour".

This has led to some people questioning his story, but Mr Sutton has responded by insisting that he still has incurable cancer.

Replying to one user on Twitter, Mr Sutton, from Burntwood, Staffordshire, wrote: "Sorry to disappoint you! So you know, I still have my cancer and it's still incurable, if that makes you feel less 'duped' x."

Mr Sutton recently met Prime Minister David Cameron

The Birmingham Mail has reported that one person wrote on its Facebook page: "Am I the only one who thinks something is not quite right here? While I hope I am wrong it feels like we are being conned.

"One minute he tweets saying he is dying and won't see the next day, then all of a sudden he is being released to go home.

"As I said, I hope I am wrong but I have a strange feeling about this."

Writing on Twitter on Monday, Stephen said: "I just gave a quick response, thought nothing of it and was (and still am) completely unaffected by it.

Breaking a world record was on the 19-year-old's 'bucket list'

"Trolls and cynics exist. It's a shame. But just try not to retaliate too aggressively or get too riled.

"Like I've said before: On the whole people are 'good', lets concentrate on that."

The 19-year-old experienced a huge surge in donations to his JustGiving page after celebrities used Twitter to highlight his fundraising for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Raising £1m for charity had been one of the items on his "bucket list" of 46 things to do.

On Sunday he ticked another item off the list when he set a Guinness World Record for the most people making a heart-shaped hand gesture - more than 500 people.

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Man Admits 'Malicious' Teacher Death Message

A 42-year-old man has pleaded guilty to making "malicious communications" relating to the fatal stabbing of teacher Ann Maguire.

Robert Riley, from Port Talbot in South Wales, admitted sending Twitter messages of a grossly offensive, abusive or malicious character in front of magistrates in Leeds on Monday.

The messages were not read out, but the court heard some of them related to Mrs Maguire, 61, who was stabbed to death in front of her students at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds last Monday.

Solicitor Michael Walsh, for Riley, said: "He is mortified by his own behaviour and he apologises for any upset that may have been caused to everybody."

The case has been transferred to Swansea Magistrates' Court, after magistrates were told Riley must be sentenced where the messages were sent.

Riley was given bail on condition he does not use the internet and social networking sites before he appears before court on Thursday.

On Monday, prayers were said at dozens of churches across West Yorkshire for the family of the dedicated Spanish teacher and mother-of-two, who was due to retire in September.

A book of condolence has also been opened at the cathedral in Leeds for those who want to express their sympathies.

Jake Newsome, 21, from the Harehills area in Leeds, has been released on bail after also being charged over making "malicious communications" relating to Mrs Maguire's death.

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Elena Baltacha Dies After Cancer Battle

Former British tennis number one Elena Baltacha has died of liver cancer at the age of 30, her family have announced.

She died peacefully at her home early on Sunday morning, they said.

Baltacha was diagnosed with the illness in January, just two months after retiring from tennis and only weeks after she married her coach Nino Severino.

"We are heartbroken beyond words at the loss of our beautiful, talented and determined Bally," Severino said in a statement released by her family.

"She was an amazing person and she touched so many people with her inspirational spirit, her warmth and her kindness."

Husband Nino Severino says he is heartbroken

Kiev-born Baltacha retired from professional tennis last November after struggling to overcome a series of injuries.

The daughter of former Ipswich, St Mirren and Inverness footballer Sergei, she reached a career-high world ranking of 49 in 2010, and beat the likes of Li Na and Francesca Schiavone.

Baltacha was British number one from December 2009 to June 2012 - 132 weeks - and she won 11 International Tennis Federation titles.

She played 39 times for Britain in the Fed Cup from 2003 to 2012 and was also part of Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics.

She was diagnosed at the age of 19 with primary sclerosing cholangitis, a chronic liver condition which compromises the immune system.

Her agent and friend Eleanor Preston told Sky News that Baltacha was a "fighter on and off court" and for that reason her "spirit and memory will live on".

The Lawn Tennis Association says she was a 'shining light'

"She was somebody who achieved an awful lot despite having a very serious liver condition which she struggled with since she was 19," she said.

"For that reason she should be held up as a real role model for everybody, for the way she overcame those obstacles and went on to achieve great things, and throughout it all without having the slightest ounce of pity or ego about it."

Among those from the Tennis world to pay tribute was former world number one and multiple Wimbledon champion Billy Jean King who said:  "Saddened to hear about Elena Baltacha's passing.

"My fondest memory with Bally was sharing a wonderful chat when we met the Queen at Wimbledon." 

The current women's British number one Laura Robson paid tribute to her "teammate" on Twitter.

Baltacha's friend Andy Murray is to play in a fundraiser in her memory

She said: "Impossibly sad. Forever a teammate. Sweet dreams Bally."

The Lawn Tennis Association's head of women's tennis, Iain Bates, said in a statement: "Today we have lost a shining light from the heart of British tennis - a true role model, a great competitor and a wonderful friend."

In 2010, Baltacha launched the Elena Baltacha Academy of Tennis, which helps children from all backgrounds to learn and play tennis.

The previously announced Rally For Bally - a fundraiser due to be played in June - will still go ahead, now in her memory.

Her childhood friend Andy Murray had committed to play in the event along with Martina Navratilova and Tim Henman.

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Gerry Adams Back On Sinn Fein Campaign Trail

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams will be returning to the campaign trail today for the forthcoming local and European elections after being freed by police investigating a notorious IRA murder.

Less than an hour after he was freed from questioning, he said he was an innocent man and denied all involvement in the abduction, killing and burial of widowed mother-of-10 Jean McConville in 1972.

He offered the police his full, ongoing support but warned he was "concerned about the timing" of his arrest which came before the polls.

Sinn Fein has accused an "anti-peace process rump" within the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) of orchestrating the detention with the aim of damaging the party ahead of the polls.

It had also warned it would review its support for policing if Mr Adams was charged.

Armoured Land Rovers were prevented from leaving the police station

The republican party is holding a European election rally in Belfast this evening and a similar event in Dublin on Tuesday.

The decision to let him go on Sunday night after four days in custody being questioned was met with anger as loyalist protesters attempted to block the road outside the police station to stop him leaving.

Mr Adams, 65, told a news conference in west Belfast: "Let me be very clear - I am innocent of any involvement in any conspiracy to abduct, kill or bury Mrs McConville.

"I have worked hard with others to have this injustice redressed and for the return of others killed during the conflict and secretly buried by the IRA, and I will continue to do so.

"While the past needs to be dealt with and Sinn Fein is up for doing this, including the issue of victims and their families, there can be no going back.

"Peace needs to be built with a determination and a consistent focus."

He also revealed he did not eat during the first two days of his detention.

He said: "The old guard which is against change, whether in the PSNI leadership, within elements of unionism or the far fringes of self-proclaimed but pseudo-republicans - they can't win.

"The dark side of the British system cannot be allowed to deny anyone - Catholic, Protestant or dissenter - from our entitlement to a rights-based citizens-centred society as set out in the Good Friday Agreement.

"I've never disassociated myself with the IRA, and I never will. But I'm glad that I an others have created a peaceful and democratic way forward for everyone. The IRA is gone, finished."

As Mr Adams gave a news conference at a west Belfast hotel, Mrs McConville's son Michael called for an independent body to investigate the allegations made against Mr Adams "so there is no political pressure on the police".

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Leeds Teacher Death: Man Charged Over Message

One man has been charged and another arrested in connection with what police describe as "malicious communications" following the murder of teacher Ann Maguire in Leeds.

Mrs Maguire, 61, was stabbed to death in front of her students at Corpus Christi Catholic College last Monday, where she had taught for more than 40 years.

West Yorkshire Police said Jake Newsome, 21, from the Harehills area in Leeds, has been released on bail after being charged for the alleged abuse.

He is due to appear before Leeds Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

A 42-year-old man, from Port Talbot, South Wales, has also been arrested and remains in custody.

Today prayers have been said at dozens of churches across West Yorkshire for the family of the dedicated Spanish teacher and mother-of-two.

Mrs Maguire was stabbed during a lesson at Corpus Christi Catholic College

The Catholic Diocese of Leeds wrote to around 90 churches and urged them to pray for Mrs Maguire, who was due to retire in September.

A spokesman for the diocese said: "We are asking everybody to remember Ann Maguire in their prayers, and to remember her family who will be under pressure and stress at this time.

"She was amazingly well known in the local community for what she had done for young people.

"Everybody is so hurt by what has happened and taking time to recover.

"This is a time to remember her. We are talking about three generations of people - children, parents and grandparents - whose lives she has touched.

"She made a major difference to a lot of people's lives through the care she gave them and her teaching.

"Part of her philosophy was to make sure that students achieved their best, and this is a chance to remember her."

A book of condolence has also been opened at the cathedral in Leeds for those who want to express their sympathies.

A 15-year-old boy is in custody charged with Mrs Maguire's murder.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared via video-link at Leeds Crown Court on Friday. There was no application for bail.

The case was adjourned until July 11 for a plea and case management hearing.

A date for the start of the murder trial was set for November 3.

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Slavery Becomes 'Big Business' In Britain

By Adele Robinson, Midlands Correspondent

The number of people being used as "slaves" in the UK is increasing, according to a charity.

Hope for Justice, which campaigns against human trafficking, says the problem of forced labour, domestic servitude, and sexual exploitation is a "massive" problem in Britain.

Sky News has obtained Freedom of Information figures showing that within the last three years 336 "slavery" offences were investigated by police in the UK.

Allan Doherty, the head of operations for Hope for Justice, says the statistics are not a true representation of the problem.

"On estimate it must be at least 10 times that, and that is just for the number of offences being investigated by law enforcement agencies.

"The actual number of trafficking victims is probably 100 times that again, because at least 90% of victims probably never even come to the attention of authorities or charities such as ours because it's such a hidden crime."

The freedom of information figures show that out of 336 offences, 170 were investigated by the Metropolitan Police in London, and 88 in Scotland - both have dedicated human trafficking units.

One reason given for the low figure released under the Freedom of Information Act is the way in which crimes are recorded. Often the more serious offence, such as rape or assault, is logged instead.

Hope for Justice also says that in the past front line services have not recognised the signs of trafficking but the situation is getting better.

Last year alone, the charity trained up to 700 police officers and social services staff to spot the characteristics displayed by trafficking victims.

In a statement the Minister for Slavery and Organised Crime, Karen Bradley, said the Government is doing everything within its power "to stamp out the evil in our midst".

The Modern Slavery Bill is being introduced by the Government

"The Government is introducing a Modern Slavery Bill, the first of its kind in Europe. We have set up an international group of Police - the Santa Marta Group - so that we can work internationally to stamp out this very complex crime.

"The Bill will ensure that victims are protected and that slave drivers will for the first time face life imprisonment.

"Work is being done to establish a better intelligence picture of the scale of this horrendous crime, and our chief scientist is looking at how we can gather an improved picture of what we are dealing with."

Pavel, who wanted to remain anonymous, was brought over to the UK and became a victim of slavery.

He was forced to work seven days a week in a car wash for no pay, one meal a day, and had to sleep on the floor with two other men, also slaves, in the same room.

"I feel embarrassed to talk about it because I felt terrible. It's somehow impossible to describe, feeling worthlessness, losing my confidence, losing my pride - you feel abused and they treat you like a thing, without any feelings. Every word they say is false."

Pavel was made to work seven days a week for no pay

Pavel lived with the threat of violence and said that one of the other slaves, who had learning difficulties, was also treated as a "maid" within the house.

"He was cleaning their rooms, and he was bringing shopping bags up. He was just their slave.

"Even the police don't know where he ended up, he just disappeared somewhere and no one knows where he is, so I think about him a lot."

Ben Cooley, CEO of Hope for Justice, says modern day slavery is big business in the UK, seen as low risk, often cash in hand, and high profit.

"These traffickers, these slave owners in our country, will find any avenue to raise money, to make money, whether it be rape for profit, forced labour for profit, whether it be domestic servitude.

"They are in it to get money, and they are doing very well out of it. We have rescued victims who have actually made, in a matter of months, £15,000 profit."

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'Break-In' Murder: 13-Year-Old Charged

A 13-year-old boy has been charged with the murder of Martin Thomas, who died from a stab wound during a suspected break-in at his home in southwest London.

The boy, who cannot be named because of his age, has been remanded in custody to appear at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court on Monday.

A 15-year-old boy has already appeared in court charged with murder and has been remanded in custody.

A 17-year-old and a 16-year-old both arrested on suspicion of murder have been released on bail.

Mr Thomas, 39, was pronounced dead at his home in Huntingfield Road, Roehampton, on April 22.

A post-mortem revealed he died from a stab wound that punctured his lung.

Police are continuing to appeal for information surrounding his murder.

Detective Chief Inspector Charlie King, from the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said earlier: "At this early stage we are keeping an open mind about any possible motive.

"Members of the public have already provided us with accounts of three young men seen loitering in the area prior to the incident. I am directly appealing to these young men to come forward and speak us.

"I am also urging anyone who may have more information regarding this incident to contact us."

:: Anyone with information should call police on 0208 721 4205 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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Gerry Adams 'Questioned For 17 Hours A Day'

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams is being questioned for up to 17 hours a day during his interrogation by police in Northern Ireland, Sky News understands.

Mr Adams is spending a fourth day being quizzed in custody following his arrest in connection with the 1972 murder of mother-of-10 Jean McConville, who was snatched from her home in front of her children.

Sources close to Mr Adams, 65, have told Sky News Ireland Correspondent David Blevins that "most of the questions are about IRA membership".

On Friday, officers were granted another 48 hours to quiz the republican party leader at Antrim police station. They must now charge or release him by 8pm on Sunday.

Mr Adams vehemently denies allegations that he ordered the murder of Ms McConville.

Amid a growing row over his arrest, Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson has accused Sinn Fein of attempting to blackmail the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).

Martin McGuinness says the arrest is politically motivated

Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness warned his republican party will review their support for policing if Mr Adams is charged.

But Mr Robinson said: "The PSNI must not be the subject of republican bullyboy tactics.

"The protest action taken by Sinn Fein is unacceptable in any democratic country operating under the rule of law.

"The publicly conveyed threat to the PSNI delivered by the highest levels of Sinn Fein that they will reassess their attitude to policing if Gerry Adams is charged is a despicable, thuggish attempt to blackmail the PSNI."

Speaking at the unveiling of a mural of Mr Adams in Belfast on Saturday, Mr McGuinness alleged some people in the PSNI are "hostile" to the peace process.

He said: "In my view this is a failed attempt at the replay of the effort in 1978 to charge Gerry Adams with membership of the IRA. That case was based on hearsay, gossip and newspaper articles.

"It failed then and it will fail now.

Michael McConville says he knows who killed his mother

"Thirty-six years later those within the PSNI who are hostile to the peace process are using the same old dirty tricks. They are deliberately and cynically exploiting the awful killing of Jean McConville and the grief and hurt inflicted on her family."

Sinn Fein's decision to sign up to support the PSNI in 2007 was viewed as a major milestone in the peace process.

Former first minister David Trimble has told the Sky News Murnaghan programme: "In itself, (Mr Adams' arrest) hasn't done anything (to the peace process) because normal processes are taking place.

"Information became available, allegations Mr Adams was involved in the killing of Jean McConville, the police obviously have to investigate that, they are obviously going to have to speak to Mr Adams at some point, and Mr Adams himself recognised that."

No one has ever been charged with the murder of 37-year-old Ms McConville. Her body was finally discovered in 2003 on a beach 50 miles from her home.

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