Sunday, 13 August 2017

Police are warning football clubs and fans to be on guard as the Premiere League  season kicks off because 'terrorists are prepared' to attack stadiums. 
Counter-terror officers are urging football clubs to issue security advice to fans but insist there is no specific intelligence of an increased threat. 
Officials from clubs across the country attended two police workshops, at Wembley and Old Trafford, designed to address the threats to sports grounds. Superintendent Dave Roney, the deputy national coordinator for the 'Protect and Prepare' counter-terror strategy said the events allowed clubs to share best practice and gave police an insight into match days.
'While there is no specific intelligence of an increased threat to football grounds in the UK, we have seen that terrorists are prepared to carry out attacks on this type of target,' he said.
'We have been pleased with the response from the football authorities in attending our events and making renewed efforts to do all they can to keep supporters safe.'
The warning comes after four UK terror attacks this year, including a suicide bombing in the Manchester Arena, which left 22 dead and 59 injured. Supporters will be told to arrive early to games and minimise what they carry, as bag searches can slow entry to grounds.
Fans will also be urged to remain vigilant, and to evacuate immediately if told to do so rather than waiting around to film on mobile phones.
The premier league kicked off last night with a bang as Arsenal beat Leicester in a 4-3 thriller at The Emirates.  I
A six-year-old boy died of Sepsis after doctors repeatedly sent him home and told him to take Calpol, an inquest has heard.
Connor Horridge, from Wigan, Greater Manchester, began suffering ear ache and sickness and was rushed to the doctor's when his symptoms worsened.
But his parents were told it was 'nothing to be majorly concerned about' and it would 'probably' be a viral infection. In less than 24 hours, Connor was taken to hospital as an emergency with a dangerously high temperature but was again discharged, advised to continue taking Calpol and told 'he would get better', Bolton Coroner's Court heard.
Four days later Connor's mother rushed him to hospital after he collapsed shouting 'mummy, my legs'. 
Despite the best efforts of medical staff Connor passed away later that evening.
The youngster's parents, Joanne, 34, and Thomas, 38, believe that if the doctors examined Connor 'properly', there could have been an 'entirely different' outcome.
They claim that it was only after Connor's death the hospital took a blood test and saw that his white blood cells had gone 'through the roof'. But the pathologist who examined Connor's body confirmed that no one could have predicted the outcome as the infection took over so 'rapidly'.
Dr Melanie Newbold, who assisted with the post mortem, said: 'Sepsis can be lethal. Sepsis can be aggressive and angry, especially towards a young child.
'We all have bacteria in our blood, however, this kind of bacteria cannot be controlled and therefore changes rapidly out of control and can cause septicaemia. There is no way of protecting against it.
'Whilst we were looking at Connor's body, we saw that he did have a number of viruses at the time, but none of them would have contributed to his death. He appeared to be a healthy boy.'

Dr Newbold continued: 'There was no suggestion that previous doctors would have known this outcome. When he was seen on December 11 they were right in diagnosing him with a viral infection. 
Nearly 30,000 NHS hospital doctors are now paid at least £100,000 a year by the cash-strapped NHS, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
The number of staff on six- figure salaries has risen by a quarter in five years, according to NHS Digital, the Health Service’s official statistics body.
Doctors account for more than 90 per cent of NHS staff in the six-figure club. The number of ‘professionally qualified clinical staff’ in England with total earnings over £100,000 rose from 23,835 in 2011 to a staggering 29,776 in 2016. In addition, 2,403 managers were also paid over £100,000 last year, as were 80 people described as working in administration.
Their lavish pay contrasts with the majority of NHS salaries. Nurses and midwives earn £31,000 on average, and maintenance staff earn £17,000.
Last night, Lib Dem health spokesman Norman Lamb said: ‘It’s a disturbing trend given the extent to which pay rates at lower levels in the NHS are being so heavily constrained through the one per cent cap.
‘I suspect there will be a sense of injustice for many that wage rates at the top appear to be increasing significantly.’
The figures mean that two-thirds of England’s 44,000 consultants now earn more than £100,000. Most do not earn that in salary alone: their pay scale starts at £76,761, and only those who have served 19 years as a consultant earn more than £100,000 in basic pay. But critics argue the bonuses are arbitrary, overly generous, and much more likely to be given to men than women.
In February, it emerged that a consultant at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals in Preston earned £84,000 in basic pay – but a further £456,000 in overtime. He also received a £35,700 clinical excellence award and £2,990 for being on call, taking his total pay to more than £575,000.
John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘No one begrudges paying doctors and nurses well for the tough jobs that they do. But pay increases must be linked to performance and not paid out as a matter of course. NHS bosses need to make sure that they not using taxpayers’ money to reward failure.’
A recent study found that just over half of England’s consultants now receive a bonus of at least £17,000, with some receiving the top level award of £77,000. But of 252 new awards made in 2015, only 65 went to women.
Ministers want to review the NHS consultants’ contract and change the pay structure. They want to stop automatic rises for ‘time served’ and curtail the clinical excellence awards. Despite the name, these awards are not one-off payments. Once granted, doctors usually get the bonuses every year until they retire.
But after the bruising encounter with junior doctors over pay and conditions, the Government is wary of picking another fight with the medical profession. 
This is the dramatic moment a senior member of the international Kinahan crime cartel is arrested in his Spanish hotel bed.
Armed officers held the Irishman after storming his room as he was fast asleep beside an unidentified woman at the hotel in the Costa Dorada resort of Salou 60 miles south of Barcelona.
Footage released by police showed the elite team - carrying semi-automatic weapons with flashlights on them - running into the room after getting radio orders to strike as colleagues went in through a back terrace.
They can be heard shouting in Spanish, 'Las Manos, Las Manos' - English for 'Hands up, hands up' before yelling in English, 'Don't Move'. The 34-year-old Irishman, wanted on weapons and drugs charges, appeared to be asleep at the time although the television in his hotel room was still on.
The fugitive, also a suspect in the 2010 murder of gang boss Eamon 'The Don' Dunne who cannot be named for legal reasons, was driven to Madrid after his arrest for an extradition hearing. It was not immediately clear today if he had consented to extradition or opposed his forced return to Ireland at the behind-closed-doors hearing.
The hotel where the arrest took place has not been named.
Today Spanish police revealed they had come close to catching the wanted 'major league' gangster in November last year at Malaga airport. He escaped after crossing a busy motorway as officers closed in on him when he went to meet relatives arriving from Ireland.
The European Arrest Warrant was issued after two guns and cocaine were found in his car during a 2013 search.
He is also understood to be facing serious charges over the gunning down of Eamon Dunne at a friend's birthday party at a pub in Cabra, Dublin in April 2010 in what was described at the time as 'a perfect hit.'
The gangland boss was sitting on a bar stool when his killer calmly walked in and told other terrified customers to 'get on the floor' before blasting his victim with two shots to the head and three others to vital organs. 

Saturday, 12 August 2017

The number of lung cancer cases among non-smokers has doubled in the last decade, with experts blaming air pollution on the rise. 
If the trend continues, the number of deaths from lung cancer among non-smokers will leapfrog those among nicotine users in a decade.  
Previously, nine in ten cases of the disease were linked to cigarette use, but this proportion has decreased as more people shun the habit.   The increase in lung cancer rates among non-smokers was noted by experts at the UK's largest cancer surgery centre, London's Brompton Hospital and Harefield NHS Trust, The times reported. 
National data regarding lung cancer among non-smokers is hard to obtain, so other researchers are yet to notice the trend. 
However, a similar trend has been observed in America.  
Currently there are 36,000 deaths from lung cancer and 46,400 new cases each year. 
Just one in 20 patients lives for more than ten years, making lung cancer one of the deadliest forms of the disease. Stephen Spiro is a former head of respiratory medicine at University College Hospital and an honorary adviser to the British Lung Foundation. 
He told The Times' Oliver Moody: 'There is no good evidence that lung cancer is becoming commoner in never-smokers.'
China has seen a sharp rise in the incidence of lung cancer in the past 10-15 years, with many blaming heavy smog in cities. Experts at the China Academy of Medical Sciences said they had noticed more cases among non-smokers and women.    
Its study said there had been a rapid increase in a form of lung cancer that develops deep in the lung and is not associated with tobacco use.
China has been waging a battle against air pollution, with concentrations of small, deadly particles known as PM2.5 often topping 300 micrograms per cubic metre.
Last year's national average stood at 47 micrograms, with only a quarter of cities meeting the country's official air quality guideline of 35 micrograms. 
The World Health Organisation recommends levels of no more than 10 micrograms.   
The iPhone 8 will feature a hands-free way to silence notifications, according to a new leak.
By just glancing at the device, users will be able to mute sounds and ringtones for text, calls and other notifications. 
The capability was discovered by Guilherme Rambo, an iOS developer who found code suggesting the feature in the leaked HomePod software and has been tweeting other findings - including the discovery of facial recognition - over the past few weeks. A feature that utilizes similar technology has been available on some Samsung phones for several generations.
Called, 'Smart Stay,' it keeps the phone active when a user is looking at the screen.
Not much else is known about this feature for the upcoming iPhone other than the fact that is made possible by the rumored facial recognition technology, which was also discovered by Rambo. Last week, he first suggested the new device will likely feature facial expression detection after uncovering a potential 'attention detection' feature in the code.
He tweeted: 'There's also a lot of new references to facial expression detection,' along with the section of the code he was referring to.
Facial references include 'mouthsmile', 'mouthfrown' and 'mouthpucker,' which are likely to be linked to the rumored facial recognition feature. Days later, he uncovered one of the first additional uses for the facial recognition technology - Apple Pay.
It's now believed facial recognition rather than Touch ID will be used to authenticate payments.
The specific code references 'passbook.payment.contactlessinterface' with 'pearl.field-detect' and 'pearl.pre-arm,' which is believed to the rumored Face ID. 
Earlier this week, a case for the iphone 8 revealed what appears to be the best peek at the much-anticipated handset yet. The latest in a string of leaked images comes from a case maker, who often get an early look at devices in order to have cases ready at the time of launch. But Kuo said the company was able to alleviate supply chain issues and will enter the product verification stage this month.
He added, however, that the phone will be in short supply, with the company producing only 3 to 4 million devices in this quarter. 
But he expects production will ramp up quickly, reaching between 45 million and 50 million units this year.
Apple's goal was to have between 3 and 4 million devices ready for launch with 50 to 60 million being available by the end of 2017, but sources said that goal is in danger. 
He only expects between 35 and 38 millions iPhone 7s units to be produced along with 18 to 20 million iPhone 7s Plus units.  

Friday, 11 August 2017

Members of a traveller family have been convicted of running a modern slavery ring which kept one of its captives in 'truly shocking' conditions for decades.
Vulnerable people were forced to work for the Rooney clan for little or no wages, while their pay-masters lived a life of lavish luxury.
The 11 gang-members, convicted of fraud and slavery charges, enjoyed holidays to Barbados and cosmetic surgery and even shelled out on a Manchester United soccer school, earned off the backs of their workers.
Operating from sites in Lincolnshire, they targeted victims who were homeless, had learning disabilities or complex drug and alcohol issues.
The men, aged 18 to 63, were freed after raids by Lincolnshire Police and the National Crime Agency, carried out in 2014. Some of the gang also targeted four elderly home-owners, getting them to sign over properties into their names and selling three on for profit - one for £250,000.
One the householders ended up dying without his family knowing. It was only when contacted police they discovered they had missed his funeral.
After four trials resulting in convictions, the full scale of the offending can now finally be revealed following a ruling at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday.
Judge Timothy Spencer QC said: 'After careful consideration, I'm quite satisfied the public interest lies in these matters being reported.'
Members of the family would go looking for victims on the streets, hostels and shelters, offering work for food and accommodation.
But at sites in Drinsey Nook and Washingborough, the offers of fair work for fair pay were exposed as lies.
However, it was through false promises, drugs, alcohol and violence, family members made sure they kept their victims 'financially-trapped' and under total control. Labourers were forced to live in shabby run-down caravans, or in stables next to kennels, with little or no access to basics such as heating, water and toilets.
Some were forced to squat in woods behind their living areas, while electricity was 'dangerously' tapped from a nearby pylon.
In all, 18 men were forced to work at the sites or for the Rooneys' businesses, repairing properties and tarmacking drives.
Most told how they were never given safety equipment or the right clothing.

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