High Street Revival 'Has Shown Little Impact'

By Frazer Maude, Sky News Correspondent

The self-titled "Queen of Shops" has come under fire after her Government-backed bid to revive the High Street has shown little impact.

Wolverhampton was one of 12 town centres chosen to pilot retail guru Mary Portas' High Street revival. It got a £100,000 share of the £1.2m in funding.

That helped finance the opening of five retail outlets. Three of them have been a success, one has diversified, and the fifth went under.

Nick Pitt, manager of the local shopping centre, chaired the Wolverhampton Portas Project. He sees it as a success for the town centre.

"A hundred thousand pounds is good value. And it rallied businesses around to come together in a very selfless way to help people get into business," he told Sky News.

"It was quite a humbling experience. I see people who'd never had the opportunity before to have their own shop and now they have.

"And those people are still helping us now to help other people get into business. And we're determined to do it again."

The celebrity trouble shooter was brought in by the Government two years ago to breathe new life into our struggling High Streets.

But some of her key recommendations, like a reduction in business rates and free parking, were ignored.

Some £1.2m in funding was set aside two years ago to boost business

Labour MP and chair of the Government's Business Select Committee, Adrian Bailey, is critical of the scheme, saying: "Overall, and I would emphasise it time and time again, you will not change the basic problems of the High Street just by putting in these sort of pilots.

"You've got to change the business rates and those obstacles which are deterring people from moving into the High Street in order to provide an imaginative variety of retail offers that people will want to buy into."

Mary Portas was not available for interview, but her CEO David Wood issued a statement to Sky News on her behalf.

It said: "We think there's some justified criticism of the way Government originally implemented the programme and the lack of infrastructure to support the town teams.

"There's also justified criticism of the way the majority of the recommendations were accepted but nothing was done - for example we spoke in the report about parking, business rates, landlords, town-centre-first planning approvals and the like but little was done."

Penny Maudaunt, the newly appointed High Streets Minister, says the scheme has been successful.

"There has been a huge amount of really good work that's gone on locally," she said.

"The pilots have been experiments. There have been a lot of good ideas, some ideas that may not have worked so well, but there are a number of ideas that have worked very well for particular areas and what we have to do is replicate that in other High Streets."

But many businesses say the areas that need tackling are the very ones that Ms Portas highlighted months ago, and which the Government ignored.

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Ebola: Games Athletes Afraid To Return Home

Many members of Sierra Leone's Commonwealth Games team are afraid to return home because of the outbreak of ebola, it has been reported.

A team representative told The Times newspaper the athletes fear they may not be safe if they go back to their country where a national emergency has been declared.

More than 220 people have died in Sierra Leone after contracting the disease - more than any other country.

Unisa Deen Kargbo, the team's chef de mission, told The Times: "Many people are thinking whether or not to go home now.

"Everybody is worried and many of them don't want to go home now because of the ebola.

Medecin Sans Frontieres medics have been treating victims in Sierra Leone

"We have held several meetings with them, but they are still worried. This virus is spreading around our country and everyone is at risk of catching it.

"The problem is, if they want to stay on after the Commonwealth Games end, who will take care of them?

"They will have no accommodation, no work. How do they meet their needs? How will they get themselves employed?"

It was reported in the Daily Telegraph that one of Sierra Leone's athletes, Mohamed Tholley, had failed to turn up to a time trial event he had been due to take part in.

Dr Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol are being flown to the US for treatment

Strathclyde Police told Sky News that Mr Tholley had not been reported missing, but there was said to be confusion over his whereabouts.

Sierra Leone cyclist Moses Sesay, 32, was tested for ebola last week after he was admitted to a Glasgow hospital feeling unwell.

At least 729 people are said to have died as a result of the ebola outbreak in the four African countries worst affected.

Two American aid workers seriously ill with the virus are being transferred from west Africa to the United States for treatment.

They will be the first cases of ebola to be treated on US soil and will be treated in one of the most tightly sealed isolation units in the country.

The Americans will be flown home in a specially adapted private jet

One was due to arrive on Saturday and the second will arrive a few days later. Both are in a "stable but grave condition".

The two Americans - Dr Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol - worked for US missionary groups in Liberia at a hospital that treated Ebola patients.

The World Health Organisation's director-general warned on Friday that the ebola outbreak, which has killed at least 729 people, is out of control but can be stopped.

Margaret Chan told the presidents of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone - the worst affected nations - that the consequences could be "catastrophic" if the situation continued to deteriorate.

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Rolf Harris Spat At During Prison Scuffle

Disgraced entertainer Rolf Harris who is serving a jail sentence for sex abuse has been spat at in prison.

The 84-year-old was targeted during an incident at HMP Bullingdon in Oxfordshire.

A source said that there was a scuffle and the artist and musician was nearby.

"Someone did aim a spit at him, but he was not spat on, and was not physically hurt," the source added.

News of the incident came as it was announced that Harris has applied for permission to appeal against his convictions for a string of indecent assaults.

A spokesman for the Judicial Office confirmed that lawyers had lodged papers at the Court of Appeal this week.

One of Harris' victims who gave evidence against him during the trial told Sky News: "I perhaps should have expected it but it is still a shock."

The victim who cannot be named added: "It feels like such an insult and just beyond belief for him to do that."

Harris was convicted at London's Southwark Crown Court on June 30 of 12 indecent assaults and sentenced to five years and nine months in jail.

The appeal papers will go before a single judge who will decide initially whether or not Harris has grounds for appeal.

The Judicial Office confirmed to Sky News that no timescale had yet been set for the process.

If permission to appeal is granted then a full hearing at the Court of Appeal would fully assess Harris' case.

If, however, he is denied permission to appeal then he would be able to reapply.

One of the assaults was on an eight-year-old autograph hunter, two on girls in their early teens and another on a close friend of his daughter.

Earlier this week, Attorney General Jeremy Wright confirmed Harris' sentence would not be referred to the Court of Appeal on the grounds that it was too lenient, despite 150 complaints that the jail term was not tough enough.

Harris' offences took place between 1968 and 1986 against girls aged between seven or eight and 18.

He was prosecuted in line with the laws in place at the time of his crimes - when the maximum jail term for indecent assault was two years, or five years if the victim was under 13.

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Body Parts Found At Waste Recycling Plant

Police say human remains found at a waste recycling plant in Bristol may have got there after being chucked in.

Officers were called to the site in Avonmouth after staff at the Biffa depot made the discovery yesterday.

A police spokeswoman said: "Employees at the site were concerned at what they thought were remains at one of the units.

"We cordoned the site off and are continuing our inquiries. I can confirm that it is believed to be a body of a man."

She said it was too early to say how long the body parts had been dismembered and the victim has yet to be identified.

Forensics officers were conducting investigations at the scene for much of yesterday but officers are now focussing enquiries on Swindon as it is believed the remains could have come from a recycling collection centre there.

Senior investigating officer Gareth Bevan, said: "Police enquiries so far suggest the body was transported with commercial recycling waste collected in Swindon and therefore the focus of the investigation will be in that area. 

"The investigation is at an early stage and we are keeping an open mind about the circumstances leading to this man's death."

Biffa is a specialist, waste-management company covering the collection, treatment and recycling of waste products.

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PM Hails £300m Project To Unlock Power Of DNA

UK scientists are to map 100,000 complete DNA code sequences in a "landmark" project that aims to revolutionise medicine, Prime Minister David Cameron has announced.

Mr Cameron said the 100,000 Genomes Project, funded by a package of deals worth £300m, will "see the UK lead the world in genetic research within years".

The project will sequence the genetic codes of about 75,000 patients with cancer and rare diseases, and those of their close relatives.

Both the healthy and the tumour cells of the cancer patients will be mapped, meaning about 100,000 will be sequenced in total.

Mr Cameron said: "I am determined to do all I can to support the health and scientific sector to unlock the power of DNA, turning an important scientific breakthrough into something that will help deliver better tests, better drugs and above all better care for patients.

"As our plan becomes a reality, I believe we will be able to transform how devastating diseases are diagnosed and treated in the NHS and across the world, while supporting our best scientists and life science businesses to discover the next wonder drug or breakthrough technology."

Scientists hope that identifying tiny changes in the genetic code that can trigger disease will allow for personalised and more effective treatments.

It is hoped more drugs like Herceptin will be designed for specific cancers

One example of such a therapy that already exists is Herceptin, a drug specifically designed for women with a type of breast cancer characterised by over-activity of the Her2 gene.

DNA samples have already been donated by a few hundred participants in a pilot, and about 10,000 are expected to have donated by the end of the year.

The project is expected to be completed by 2017.

Among the cancers due to be targeted are bowel, breast, leukaemia, lung, ovarian, prostate and leukaemia.

Charity the Wellcome Trust, the Medical Research Council and the National Health Service are contributing to the project, which will be overseen by Genomics England, set up by the Department of Health.

The Californian DNA sequencing company Illumina, which won a contract to provide the technology for the project, will also invest about £162m in the project over its lifetime.

Wellcome Trust director Jeremy Farrar said genome sequencing could transform medicine.

"Twenty years from now academics and industry will have developed therapies which will be targeted at you and specific forms of cancer," he said.

"We will look back in 20 years' time and the blockbuster chemotherapy drugs that gave you all those nasty side effects will be a thing of the past."

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'Kids At Risk' By Overdue Nursery Inspections

By Gerard Tubb, North of England Correspondent

Ofsted has been accused of putting pre-school children at risk and of not being fit for purpose over a backlog of nursery and childminder inspections.

Sky News has discovered that a quarter of early years providers have not been inspected for at least four years despite Ofsted insisting all inspections must take place within that time.

Jill Rutter, head of policy and research at the Family and Childcare Trust, accused the regulator of putting children in danger.

"Ultimately it does increase risks to children," she said.

Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Pre-school Learning Alliance, said Ofsted has questions to answer.

"If you've got providers out there that haven't been inspected for years and years and years that's not a healthy position and that's not, if you like, fit for purpose," he said.

The delays are the result of Ofsted quietly resetting the clock on inspections on September 1, 2012.

In a statement Ofsted said all early years providers "must be inspected at least once within 47 months".

It went on to say: "The current cycle began on 1st September 2012 and will end on 31 July 2016."

Over 19,000 early years providers have not been inspected for four years

Under the Freedom of Information Act Sky News obtained data on inspections of settings on England's Early Years Register as of 31 March 2014.

It shows 19,204 nurseries and childminders out of a total of 77,509 have been waiting for four years or more for an inspection.

Of those, 342 have never been inspected by Ofsted at all, while 3,655 were judged to be only "satisfactory" at their last inspection - a grading now re-classified as "requiring improvement".

The data also shows 7,280 registered providers have not been inspected for at least five years and 611 have been waiting for six years or more.

Nurseries and childminders used to be inspected every two years, but in 2005 the interval was extended to every three to four years to save £4.7m a year.

At the time a government memorandum stated: "It could be argued that the proposed reduced inspection frequency for childcare providers might lead to very young children being at greater risk."

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Athlete Tested For Ebola At Commonwealth Games

An athlete competing for Sierra Leone at the Commonwealth Games has revealed he spent four days in isolation over fears he had brought the deadly ebola disease into the UK.

Moses Sesay, who came to Scotland to compete in the cycling time trial, fell ill last week and was admitted to hospital.

"I felt tired and listless," he said. "All the doctors were in special suits to treat me. They dressed like I had ebola. I was very scared."

Tests eventually gave Sesay the all-clear and he was allowed to compete in the event, ultimately finishing last.

Medical staff treating ebola patients have to wear special protective suits

But the 32-year-old said he and his team-mates are worried about returning to their homeland once the Games are over.

More than 220 people have died in Sierra Leone after contracting the disease - more than any other country.

"All of us are scared about going back," Sesay told the Mirror.

"We have a three-month visa in our passports and, if I have the opportunity, I will stay here until this ends."

More than 700 people have died after contracting the disease in Africa

Health officials have been warned to be on the lookout for any unexplained illness in people returning from countries where ebola is present.

One union leader said British border, customs and immigration staff feel unprepared to deal with potential cases of the disease, although the Home Office said there was a "well-established plan to deal with different scenarios".

Dr Colin Ramsay, from Health Protection Scotland, said patients could be screened for ebola if they show symptoms including a fever, headache or sore throat, especially if they have travelled from an affected area within the last three weeks.

Putting such patients in isolation is a "standard precaution" and not unusual, he added.

Games organisers stressed the athletes' village has not been affected

A spokesman for Glasgow 2014 stressed there is "no ebola in the athletes' village", while Dr Ramsay said there is nothing to suggest there is any risk to sports stars competing in Glasgow.

"People have a misconception about ebola," he said.

"It is spread, primarily, through contact with bodily fluids, not casual conflict, so it wouldn't be sufficient just to share a house with someone.

"There has to have been close contact to have a substantial risk of being infected with the disease."

Meanwhile, a US doctor infected with ebola has insisted the only available dose of an experimental serum go to a fellow American patient in Liberia.

Dr Kent Brantly asked for the unit of blood to go to missionary Nancy Writebol, as the World Health Organisation announced a $100m (£59.2m) plan to tackle the outbreak.

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Eastbourne To Receive £2m After Pier Blaze

Eastbourne is to get £2m in government cash to deal with the devastating damage caused by a fire that ravaged the town's historic Victorian pier.

Prime Minister David Cameron and Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne made the funding announcement during a visit to the 144-year-old, Grade-II listed structure.

They also met members of the emergency services involved in tackling Wednesday's fire which reduced a large section of the 1,000ft pier to a charred shell.

Flames ripped through the historic structure at the height of the blaze

Up to 80 firefighters tackled the blaze, pumping water on to the burning structure from the shore and sea.

The fire has come at a bad time for the seaside resort at the height of summer season and with the town due to host its biggest tourist event - the annual airshow Airbourne - in the next fortnight.

Mr Cameron said: "I know that the loss of one of Eastbourne's most prominent and well-loved landmarks will have hit the town hard and I am determined to do all I can to help local businesses recover."

Mr Osborne said: "Eastbourne Pier is a much-loved local attraction and this fire is devastating news. I am therefore delighted to be able to provide financial support so we can minimise the effect on business and tourism.

"We will work with Eastbourne as a matter of urgency to ensure that the funding is provided without delay so people can start enjoying the pier again."

As fire crews scaled down operations at the scene, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said the investigation into the fire's cause could take "a number of days".

A fire brigade spokesman said they were keeping "an open mind and ruling nothing out" over the cause of the fire.

The fire on the pier was fought from both the land and sea

Sussex Police have called on people to submit pictures or video footage they shot of the pier going up in flames, which they could use as part of their investigation.

David Tutt, Eastbourne Borough Council's leader, has said he understood the fire could have been started by an electrical fault.

Meanwhile, the local MP Stephen Lloyd said the pier could open as soon as next year.

Two thirds of the pier was untouched by the fire and the structure seemed "pretty sound", Mr Lloyd said after talks with the chief fire officer of East Sussex.

Eastbourne is the latest in a series of Victorian piers to suffer major fire damage.

In 2003, the 148-year-old West Pier in Brighton was reduced to a mangled mass of metal by two major fires within two months.

And in Eastbourne's neighbouring town of Hastings, the Grade II-listed pier was almost destroyed in a fire in 2010 following years of neglect.

Southend Pier in Essex was badly damaged by fire in 2005 and Grand Pier in Weston-super-Mare was wrecked by a blaze in 2008.

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UK Border Staff 'Unprepared' For Ebola

Border, customs and immigration staff feel unprepared to deal with people arriving in Britain who may be carrying the deadly ebola virus, a union leader has warned.

The virus - which has no vaccine and a fatality rate of up to 90% - has now killed nearly 700 people in West Africa, and it is feared it could be spread around the world by infected air passengers.

Public Health England has warned health officials to be on the lookout for any unexplained illness in people returning from affected countries.

But Immigration Service Union general secretary Lucy Moreton said members are "very concerned" about their personal safety and are not sure what to do if they think someone is infected.

"They serve on the front line; they are the first point of contact usually for people coming off an aircraft and the concern is what do they do if they're confronted with someone that doesn't appear well who appears at the border," she told BBC Radio 4's The World Tonight programme.

"There is no health facility at the border, there is no containment facility and until extremely recently there has been no guidance issued to staff at all as to what they should do."

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) staff at an isolation area in Kailahun

Ms Moreton said members had been contacting the union for guidance on what to do and how to protect themselves, but it had no answers for them.

There have been concerns the disease could spread to the UK after it emerged two people have been assessed for the virus in Britain.

A man was given the all-clear following tests in Birmingham after he travelled from Benin in Nigeria, while doctors ruled out the need for an ebola test on a second male in west London.

The Government's emergencies committee Cobra met to discuss the situation on Wednesday.

Afterwards, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said it is "most unlikely" the disease could spread in the UK.

A Home Office spokesman said: "Border Force has a well-established plan to deal with different scenarios including infectious diseases and we work closely with partners like NHS England to minimise any affect on passengers and staff."

A story about Liberian diplomat Patrick Sawyer who died from ebola in Lagos

Meanwhile, two US volunteers have been placed in isolation amid fears they could have contracted the virus in West Africa.

The pair - working for America's Peace Corps movement  - have not displayed symptoms but are under observation after coming into contact with an Ebola sufferer, who later died.

The Peace Corps said it was evacuating 340 volunteers from Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, the three countries worst affected in the outbreak.

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Boozy Criminals Get Tags That Detect Alcohol

By Darren McCaffrey, Political Reporter

People who consistently break the law while drunk are to be forced to wear tags that can detect whether they are drinking.

The mandatory so-called 'sobriety tags', which look like electronic tags, could force abstinence for up to four months and work by recording alcohol intake - measuring air and sweat emissions from the skin every half an hour.

If offenders break a drinking ban, they could find themselves back in front of a judge who will consider further sanctions or send them to prison.

This scheme will initially apply only to a handful of London boroughs - Croydon, Lambeth, Southwark and Sutton - and involve 100-150 offenders and is not aimed at those who are alcohol dependent.

The Mayor of London, who announced the scheme, said his aim was to reduce crime.

Boris Johnson said: "Alcohol-fuelled criminal behaviour is a real scourge on our high streets, deterring law-abiding citizens from enjoying our great city, especially at night, placing massive strain on frontline services, whilst costing businesses and the taxpayer billions of pounds.

"I pledged to tackle this booze culture by making the case to Government for new powers to allow mandatory alcohol testing as an additional enforcement option for the courts."

Alcohol-related crime remains a costly problem - estimated at between £8bn and £13bn every year - and two out of every five A&E attendances are due to drink-related injuries.

A 'sobriety tag' being put on a participant of a pilot scheme

The tags are widely used in the US, most famously on troubled actress Lindsay Lohan who was ordered to wear one after failing to show up for a probation hearing.

Authorities claim it has a success rate above 95% as well as reducing re-offending and domestic violence.

Critics have attacked the scheme, arguing that monitoring what people drink is a step too far, though that is denied by the company behind the tags.

Matthew Mitchell, of Alcohol Monitoring Systems, told Sky News: "It is not a human right to abuse alcohol and create public disorder and therefore a proportionate sentence in being ordered to wear this is entirely fair.

"This is high tech monitoring and this is the way our modern society is involving in testing people, which is much better than other systems."

Professor Keith Humphreys, former White House Drugs Advisor, who has advised City Hall on the project, said: "The Mayor's Office for Policing And Crime (MOPAC) will evaluate and review evidence from the pilot to develop recommendations regarding a wider introduction of the scheme.

"The tags register alcohol consumption but do not monitor movement or location of the individuals and data will be held in accordance with data protection laws."

A pilot scheme trialled in Scotland lasting several years failed to lead to the system being adopted. This latest attempt is due to last a year.

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West Ham Player Charged With Assaulting Women

Premier League footballer Ravel Morrison has been charged with assaulting two women in Manchester.

The West Ham midfielder is accused of attacking a 19-year-old woman outside a bar in the city centre in the early hours of Sunday morning.

He then allegedly assaulted the same woman and a 39-year-old woman hours later.

Morrison, from Urmston, Manchester, was arrested on Wednesday.

The 21-year-old is due at Manchester and Salford Magistrates' Court later today, charged with two counts of common assault.

Morrison was sold by Manchester United to West Ham in 2012.

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Poisoned Spy: CPS Wanted To Prosecute Russians

A public inquiry into the death of poisoned spy Alexander Litvinenko has been formally opened in London.

Coroner Sir Robert Owen suspended the current inquest into Mr Litvinenko's death before opening the inquiry, which was announced by Home Secretary Theresa May last week.

It will allow investigators to probe whether Moscow was behind the former KGB officer's murder and comes at a time of worsening relations between the UK and Russia.

Mr Litvinenko was poisoned with radioactive polonium-210 while drinking tea with two Russian men, one a former KGB officer, at the Millennium Hotel in London's Grosvenor Square.

His family believes he was working for MI6 at the time and was killed on the orders of the Kremlin.

Mr Litvinenko was killed on the orders of the Kremlin, his family believes

Former KGB bodyguard Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitri Kovtun have been identified as suspects, but both deny any involvement and remain in Russia.

Opening the public inquiry, Sir Robert said the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) wanted to prosecute the pair for murder, but extradition was refused by Moscow.

He said there is a "prima facie case" that the Russian state was responsible for Mr Litvinenko's death.

Secret government documents relating to the case will not be heard in public during the inquiry, which is due to start in January and may last a year.

The Government previously resisted launching a public inquiry, and instead said it would "wait and see" what a judge-led inquest found.

Andrei Lugovoi denies any involvement in the spy's murder

But Mr Litvinenko's widow, Marina, challenged this and the High Court said the Home Secretary must reconsider her decision.

Ms Litvinenko told Sky News she hopes the public inquiry will find out the truth to her husband's murder.

"I think the coroner will do the right decision in the end," she said.

Ministers had been under pressure to hold a public inquiry since last year when Sir Robert said he could not hold a "fair and fearless" investigation with an inquest.

The aim of the inquiry is "to conduct an investigation into the death of Alexander Litvinenko in order to ascertain who the deceased was; how, when and where he came by his death; identify where responsibility for the death lies and make appropriate recommendations".

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Cobra Meeting As UK Doctors Warned Over Ebola

The Government's emergency committee is to discuss how to tackle the "new and emerging" threat of ebola, as doctors in Britain are put on alert to spot symptoms of the deadly disease.

The outbreak is the largest in history, with the virus killing more than 670 people in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria since February.

Infection results from direct contact with the blood, bodily fluids and tissues of infected animals or people.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has told Sky News that while there are no cases in the UK, Prime Minister David Cameron regards the disease as a "very serious threat".

"We are very much focused on it as a new and emerging threat which we need to deal with," Mr Hammond said.

A person from Birmingham was tested for ebola after returning from Africa, but the tests came back negative.

Medical staff prepare to bring food to patients in an isolation area

The man was tested earlier this week after reportedly travelling from Benin in Nigeria via Paris to the Midlands.

Another man visited Charing Cross Hospital in west London after fearing he had the virus, but it was decided by doctors that he did not need an ebola test. 

Dr Brian McCloskey, director of global health at Public Health England (PHE), said the risk to British travellers and workers was low, but doctors needed to be vigilant for "unexplained illnesses" in those who have returned from the affected countries.

Dr McCloskey said: "The continuing increase in cases, especially in Sierra Leone, and the importation of a single case from Liberia to Nigeria is a cause for concern as it indicates the outbreak is not yet under control."

Those who experience symptoms such as fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and a sore throat within three weeks of their return from such countries should "immediately seek medical assistance", Dr McCloskey said.

The Government's chief scientific adviser, Sir Mark Walport, has told the Daily Telegraph that ebola was "potentially a major threat" to Britain due to the increasingly "interconnected" nature of the world.

Countries affected by the ebola outbreak

British Airways, which flies to Sierra Leone and Nigeria, said in a statement it complies with guidance from local health authorities and will "continue to monitor the situation closely".

Cabin crew are advised to contact air traffic control if they see someone on board who they suspect could have the disease.

In 2012, a man with Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, which is related to ebola, was flown from Glasgow Airport to London by the RAF to be treated at the Royal Free Hospital in north London.

A Department of Health spokesman said: "We are well-prepared to identify and deal with any potential cases of ebola, though there has never been a case in this country.

"Any patients with suspected symptoms can be diagnosed within 24 hours and they would also be isolated at a dedicated unit to keep the public safe."

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No Appeal Over 'Lenient' Rolf Harris Jail Term

Rolf Harris's jail term for sex offences will not be referred to the Court of Appeal for being too lenient, the attorney general's office has confirmed.

The veteran entertainer was sentenced to five years and nine months behind bars for 12 indecent assaults against four women earlier this month.

The office of attorney general Jeremy Wright received 150 complaints that the jail term was not tough enough after Harris was jailed.

A spokeswoman for the attorney general's office said it was decided that the Court of Appeal would be unlikely to increase the sentence.

She said: "The Attorney General understands that his decision not to refer the case may be a disappointment to some people.

"However, he did give extremely careful consideration to this sentence and he concluded that he could not refer it.

"The sentencing judge was bound by the maximum sentence in force at the time of the offending.

"The judge made some of the sentences consecutive to reach the total sentence, but he could not simply add up sentences on individual counts.

"The overall sentence had to be just and proportionate to the overall offending.

"The judge was also required to take into account the age of the offender."

The artist and TV presenter's offences took place between 1968 and 1986 against girls aged between seven or eight and 18.

He was prosecuted in line with the laws in place at the time of his crimes - when the maximum jail term for indecent assault was two years, or five years if the victim was under 13.

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NOTW Journalists Charged With Phone Hacking

Former News Of The World journalists Jules Stenson and Neil Wallis are to be charged with phone hacking, prosecutors have confirmed.

Ex-deputy editor Wallis and Stenson, who was the features editor, will face Westminster Magistrates Court on August 21.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the decision to charge the pair came after new evidence was provided in June.

Both men are accused of conspiring to illegally listen to voicemails between January 2003 and January 2007.

Gregor McGill, a senior lawyer at the CPS, said: "The CPS has authorised the Metropolitan Police to charge Jules Stenson, former features editor of the News of the World and to summons Neil Wallis, former deputy editor of the News of the World, with an offence of conspiracy to intercept communications in the course of their transmission, commonly known as 'phone hacking'.

"These decisions were taken in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors and the DPP's guidelines on the public interest in cases affecting the media.

"We have decided there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction and that a prosecution is in the public interest."

Six other journalists who were also held as part of the inquiry have already been told they will face no further action.

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Ebola Cure 'A Long Way Off': Facts About Virus

A cure for the deadly ebola virus, which has killed hundreds of people in West Africa, is "a very long way off", an expert has told Sky News.

David Evans, a professor of virology at Warwick University, said ebola is the latest disease to be transmitted "very efficiently" because of international travel.

More than 670 people in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria have fallen victim to the viral illness, which has a fatality rate of up to 90%.

Those with ebola will often be overcome by a sudden onset of fever, as well as weakness, muscle pain and headaches.

The body is then gripped by vomiting, diarrhoea, rashes, kidney and liver problems and bleeding.

Medical staff bring food to patients in an isolation area in Sierra Leone

The time between infection and symptoms appearing is anything from two days to three weeks.

Ebola is spread through the direct contact with the blood, organs or other bodily fluids of those infected.

The liquid that bathes the eye and semen can transmit the disease, Prof Evans said.

Horeshoe bats are believed to be the natural host of the viral disease, he said.

"These bats transmit the virus between themselves, but periodically it then ends up in probably primates or other types of bushmeat which are then hunted by villagers and the virus is then transmitted from the sick animals to humans," he said.

The latest outbreak is centred on four countries in west Africa

Transmission has also been documented through the handling of chimpanzees, gorillas and porcupines.

One of the reasons for the disease's rapid spread is a tradition at burial ceremonies for mourners to have direct contact with the body of the deceased.

"Therefore barrier methods that prevent that direct contact, including things like washing of hands and things like that provide a reasonable level of protection," he said.

Healthcare workers treating patients are particularly at risk.

Public Health England said in a risk assessment published earlier this month said that the current outbreak could increase the risk for Britons working in humanitarian and healthcare delivery.

The first outbreak was recorded in 1976

But the threat to tourists, visitors and expatriates is still considered "very low if elementary precautions are followed".

Prof Evans said there had been "periodic outbreaks" of ebola since the first recorded instances in 1976, but this is the deadliest so far.

There were two simultaneous outbreaks in Nzara, Sudan and Yambuku, a village in the Democratic Republic of Congo located near the Ebola River.

Data from the World Health Organisation shows the previous deadliest outbreak was in the one in the DRC, when 280 out of 315 people infected died.

In the same country in 1995 another outbreak claimed 254 lives, with 315 patients infected.

In 2000, there were 425 cases in Uganda and 224 people died.

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House Prices Force Adults To Live With Parents

By Gerard Tubb, North Of England Correspondent

Millions of young workers have been dubbed the "clipped wing generation" because they are forced to live with their parents by rising house prices.

Housing charity Shelter has published census data showing almost two million workers aged 20-34 in England alone - a quarter of the total - are living with parents or grandparents.

A YouGov poll found 48% of them say housing costs are to blame.

At the Coast and Country Housing Association headquarters in Redcar, out of 11 people working in one office, nine were aged 20-34 and four of them were still living at home.

Laura Wood is living at the family home while she saves up for a deposit

Laura Wood, 26, moved back into the family home after graduating and has lived there ever since while she saves up for a deposit on a house.

"It's obviously difficult when you mum's still asking what time are you going to be in, where are you going what are you doing, so I don't feel like I'm 26 half of the time," she said.

Her co-worker Liz Wilson, 65, still has her 30-year-old son living at home and says the problem of unaffordable housing is forcing her to stay at work.

"I can't retire because we have to provide a larger property for him to have his own room, his own space, and as such we can't downsize," she said.

Unaffordable housing is forcing Liz Wilson, 65, to stay at work

Campbell Robb, Shelter's chief executive, accused the Government of not doing enough to help.

He said: "The 'clipped wing generation' are finding themselves with no choice but to remain living with mum and dad well into adulthood, as they struggle to find a home of their own.

"Rather than pumping more money into schemes like Help to Buy, we need bolder action that will meet the demand for affordable homes and not inflate prices further."

In a statement, Housing Minister Brandon Lewis said measures including the Help to Buy scheme were addressing the issue.

"We're determined to ensure anyone who works hard and wants to get on the property ladder has the help they need to do so," he said.

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Kate's Got A Real Fan At Commonwealth Games

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be hoping the home nations' gold rush continues as they return to the Commonwealth Games in Scotland where they spent a fun-packed day.

Kate and William joined Prince Harry and Prince Edward as they saw several English, Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish competitors take part in a games that is proving highly successful for the four countries.

The pair laughed, joked and grimaced - and at one point William fanned his wife with her identity pass, as she pulled a funny face. 

Both the Duke and Duchess fan themselves while watching swimming

Host nation Scotland won its 13th gold medal, taking it way beyond the 11 golds it won in Melbourne in 2006. England has 27 golds and Wales has three.

Prince Harry met two Australian players whose selfie of them and the Queen went viral last week.

Jayde Taylor was posing for a photo with team-mate Brooke Peris when the Queen moved into the background as she took the snap.

Harry is photographed with the England women's hockey team

Taylor said: "We asked [William] if he would do a selfie with us so we could add it to our collection, but he said 'I hate selfies but I will definitely do a photo with you'."

Kate, William and Harry went on to join the Earl of Wessex to watch Scotland take on Wales in the women's hockey.

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UK Bankers Face Longest Bonus Clawbacks

By Mark Kleinman, City Editor

Staff at British banks could be made to hand back bonuses more than six years after the money has been paid to them under a regime that will amount to the world's toughest rules on clawing back remuneration.

Sky News has learnt that the Bank of England (BoE)'s Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) has decided to enforce, and potentially augment, a draconian proposal outlined in March.

In a policy statement to be published on Wednesday, it will confirm that banks will have to amend the employment contracts of senior staff in order to implement the new rules, which will come into force on January 1 next year.

Coming in the wake of a series of market manipulation and mis-selling scandals which have triggered tens of billions of pounds in fines and compensation to consumers, the tougher pay framework is likely to be welcomed in Westminster but spark opposition from bank executives who argue that the City's international competitiveness will be undermined.

In its consultation paper published earlier this year, the regulator proposed that clawback should operate for a six-year period after vesting.

That period is still expected to apply to awards made prior to the beginning of next year, in line with the statute of limitations for employment contracts, Sky News understands.

The PRA is to enforce the bonus policy on bankers

However, insiders said the PRA had also been examining whether bonus awards made after January 1 next year could be reclaimed for up to seven years.

The Bank of England declined to comment on Tuesday on whether it had opted to pursue clawback for post-2014 bonuses over the longer, seven-year period.

Either way, the final details will represent tougher rules for City bankers than those based in other international financial centres such as Frankfurt, Hong Kong or New York.

The tougher regime follows last year's report by the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards, which was chaired by the Conservative MP Andrew Tyrie.

Under the BoE's plans, banks will be obliged to reclaim money already paid to employees even where they have not been directly culpable of misconduct.

Lenders will instead be required to demonstrate that they have done so where "there is reasonable evidence of employee misbehaviour or material error; the firm or the relevant business unit suffers a material downturn in its financial performance; or the firm or the relevant business unit suffers a material failure of risk management".

The new framework will mean that many senior employees of UK-based banks will have to wait for at least 12 years - and possibly longer - between the point at which they are awarded a bonus and that at which it can no longer be either cancelled or reclaimed by their employer.

The rules will also apply to the overseas employees of UK-based banks, which the likes of HSBC and Standard Chartered will argue will put them at a major disadvantage in their key Asian operations.

Major lenders already operate lengthy bonus deferrals meaning that share awards do not vest until the end of a five-year period, during which time part or all of the awards can be cancelled under a mechanism called malus.

The new clawback rules would kick in at the end of the initial five years, making a total of well over a decade before bankers can spend bonus awards safe in the knowledge that they will not have to repay it.

The BoE will set out its policy just days after accusing employees of Lloyds Banking Group of "reprehensible" and "possibly criminal" behaviour for attempting to manipulate an emergency funding scheme set up to help banks like it avoid outright collapse during the 2008 financial crisis.

Andrew Bailey is the chief executive of the PRA

In a report published on Tuesday, the think-tank Respublica suggested that bankers should swear an oath that "would put them on the path to absolution".

Speaking in March, Andrew Bailey, the PRA chief executive said: "We have an objective to ensure the safety and soundness of the firms we regulate and we won't allow remuneration schemes to exist that encourage behaviour likely to jeopardise financial stability.

The policy we are consulting on will ensure bonuses can be clawed back from individuals, where they have already been paid, if it becomes apparent they have put the stability of their firms at risk or engaged in inappropriate actions.

"This will provide a clear message to individuals of what is expected from them and the consequences of not acting properly."

Alongside the clawback policy statement, the BoE will also publish further details of the City watchdog's senior managers' regime and other details of its remuneration policies.

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Immigrant Benefits To Be Cut To Three Months

EU migrants will be able to claim benefits for only three months unless they have serious job prospects, under plans announced by David Cameron.

The Prime Minister insisted the change, which halves the amount of time EU migrants can claim, would make it clear to migrants that they cannot get "something for nothing" and that Britain was "not a soft touch".

In another pledge to safeguard jobs for British people he said he would limit to 500,000 the number of UK jobs being advertised across the EU through a jobseekers' website - down from 1.1 million jobs currently on offer.

There will also be curbs on "bogus colleges" which offer studying visas for cash.

David Cameron says Britain is 'not a soft touch' for EU migrants

Outlining his plans in The Daily Telegraph, David Cameron wrote: "Taken together, this is about building a different kind of Britain - a country that is not a soft touch, but a place to play your part; a nation where those who work hard can get on."

The number of Europeans currently claiming benefits is unclear. However, Government estimates from 2013 suggest only 6.7% of non-UK nationals (397,000) claimed benefits, of which 62,000 were Europeans and 58,000 from EU accession countries.

In contrast 16.4% of UK nationals claim benefits.

And speaking later on Tuesday after a raid on illegal immigrants in Slough, Mr Cameron also warned illegal immigrants: "When we find you - and we will find you - we will make sure you are sent back to the country you came from."

Sky News' Deputy Political Editor Joey Jones said: "Welfare and immigration are two touchstone issues for the General Election. The idea of benefits tourism, whether real or not, is where the two collide. 

All job centre posts are advertised across Europe

"All the evidence is the Tories have been outflanked by UKIP on this territory, but in the General Election the main objective is to steal a march on Labour. That's what these announcements are all about."

The benefits plan builds on changes laid out in January to make EU migrants wait three months after arriving in Britain before claiming out-of-work benefits.

Mr Cameron has previously been warned restricting benefits conflicts with the EU agreement on freedom of movement.

Currently more than a million British posts are advertised on European Commission jobs website called Eures, which is partly funded by the UK taxpayer.

Yvette Cooper says the Government has 'failed' on immigration

Britain's job centres automatically upload available posts to the site. However, Mr Cameron has pledged this will now be limited to 500,000 roles and will only be included if an employer requests it is shared across the EU.

A number of employers, particularly in manufacturing and agriculture, have routinely complained they are unable to find British recruits and have to fill the posts with workers from across Europe.

It is unclear how many EU residents actually find jobs through the website.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said the Coalition was failing on immigration despite Mr Cameron's promise to reduce it to the tens of thousands by next year.

She said: "We need less talk from the Prime Minister on immigration and more action.

"It's almost a year-and-a-half since Labour called for benefit restrictions on new migrants. In that time we've had reannouncement after reannouncement from the Tories but little in the way of firm action."

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Clegg: Russia Should Be Stripped Of World Cup

Russia should be stripped of the 2018 World Cup in the wake of the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine, says Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

He said it was "unthinkable" at present that the tournament could go ahead in the country blamed by the West for supplying arms to pro-Russian separatists suspected of shooting down the jet.

Football's world governing body Fifa this week ruled out calls from some German politicians for Russia to be boycotted, insisting the tournament could be "a force for good".

But Mr Clegg told The Sunday Times that allowing it to go ahead without a change of course by Russian President Vladimir Putin would make the world look "so weak and so insincere" in its condemnation of Moscow's annexation of Crimea and support for the rebels.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg

"If there's one thing that Vladimir Putin cares about, as far as I can see, it's his sense of status," he said.

"Maybe reminding him that you can't retain the same status in the world if you ignore the rest of the world, maybe that will have some effect on his thinking."

Russia has reacted angrily to additional sanctions imposed by the EU, saying they would hamper co-operation on security issues and undermine the fight against terrorism and organised crime.

Russia's foreign ministry also accused the US of contributing to the conflict in Ukraine through its support for the pro-Western government in Kiev.

Part of the fuselage from the plane

It comes as 30 Dutch forensic experts head to the crash site in eastern Ukraine, despite intensifying fighting in the area between Ukrainian government forces and the rebels.

Malaysia says it has secured an agreement with the separatists to allow international police to enter the site.

Officers would be allowed access to the area to provide protection for international crash investigators to recover human remains and establish the cause of the disaster.

Meanwhile, a Malaysia Airlines official has called for the creation of a new body to decide which flight paths are safe following the downing of the Boeing 777-200 in which all 298 people on board died.

Hugh Dunleavy, the company's commercial director, said airlines could no longer rely on decisions made by existing industry bodies on which volatile regions are secure to fly over.

This map shows the flight path of MH17 before it crashed

Despite flying over a conflict zone, MH17's flight path had been approved by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the Ukrainian authorities and the European airspace service provider Eurocontrol, Mr Dunleavy said.

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, he called for airlines and existing aviation bodies to "review existing processes and set more stringent standards".

"Ultimately, we need one body to be the arbiter of where we can fly," he said.

"This tragedy has taught us that despite following the guidelines and advice set out by the governing bodies, the skies above certain territories are simply not safe.

"For the sake of passenger and crew safety we need to insist on a higher level of authority."

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Loyal Dog Stands Guard Over Attack Victim

Police have released a photo of a dog found standing guard over his owner who had been violently attacked in the hope it may jog the memories of potential witnesses.

The 49-year-old man was out walking his dog in Bolton, Greater Manchester, when he was knocked unconscious in the early hours of Friday morning.

Passers-by found him lying across a pavement in Chorley Old Road, near the junction with Chorley New Road.

Officers found the faithful pet next to the victim after they were called to the scene.

The man, who suffered a life-threatening head injury, was taken to hospital where he remains in a critical condition.

The dog is now being cared for by his owner's family.

Detective Superintendent Jon Chadwick said: "This man is extremely poorly and, from the extent of his injuries, we believe he was violently assaulted.

"He was out walking his dog when he was attacked and we are urging people to come forward if they were in the area at that time and witnessed the attack or remember seeing the dog in the photo."

:: Anyone who has information is being urged to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

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Gatwick Passengers Suffer Baggage Delays

Hundreds of people arriving into Gatwick Airport's South Terminal have faced long delays in picking up their luggage, with many being told to go home without it.

An airport spokesman said the overnight disruption was caused by "resourcing issues" involving baggage handlers Swissport.

"Due to resourcing issues with the baggage handlers Swissport there were overnight issues and delays with passengers' luggage," he said.

"Gatwick provided extra staff to help the airlines and their baggage handlers improve their service, as well as providing welfare and water for passengers waiting in the baggage areas, but we are sorry for the delays they faced.

"Baggage operations are now returning to normal."

Passengers of four airlines have been advised to go home without their luggage.

Gatwick said it provided extra staff for airlines to help reduce the delays

Officials at the airport informed passengers of British Airways flights who had waited more than an hour on their bags being returned, and those on Monarch, Thomas Cook or Thompson flights who had been waiting 90 minutes or more, that their luggage would be forwarded to their home address.

It is understood easyJet passengers have also been affected but had not been advised to leave without their baggage.

Some passengers took to social media sites to voice their frustrations over the delays - some up to five hours.

Julian C Adams tweeted: "Such shocking service at Gatwick airport! Waiting for the arrival of baggage for over 2 hours now! #shouldhaveflowntoheathrow."

Sophie Wood ‏tweeted: "3 hrs in #gatwick baggage handling ... Apparent Lack of staff appalling shambles #Gatwick#idiots."

Oliver Webb wrote: "‏@2 hour delays at #gatwick for baggage reclaim. #Swissport to blame apparently. No info from airport staff. Rubbish."

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Controlled Explosions After Homes Evacuated

A number of controlled explosions have been carried out at a flat in Derbyshire where police say "potentially volatile" substances were found.

A 55-year-old man has been arrested after the substances were discovered during a search of the flat in Belvoir Crescent, Newhall, South Derbyshire.

Around 200 residents had to be evacuated after the discovery, and officers warned it could take until this afternoon before they are allowed to return to their homes.

Police had been called to the scene on Saturday afternoon by neighbours worried about loud bangs coming from a block of flats.

Firefighters and bomb disposal experts also attended.

Homes have been evacuated in Newhall, South Derbyshire

Resident Leslie Wood, who is staying with friends after being evacuated, told Sky News: "Fire officers came to me and said there had been an incident and we had to vacate the premises for at least 24 hours."

A local school is being used as a coordination centre and temporary shelter.

Superintendent Paul Callum, who is in charge of the incident, said: "The safety of the public is paramount in these situations.

"We apologise for any inconvenience to the evacuees. We will let them return to their homes as soon as we can be sure the area is safe."

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