UK Police To Probe Thailand Tourist Murders

British police officers are to travel to Thailand to help investigate the murders of tourists David Miller and Hannah Witheridge.

Detectives from the UK were cleared to work on the case after Thailand's military ruler dropped objections to their involvement.

The agreement came after David Cameron and General Prayuth Chan-ocha discussed controversy surrounding the Thai-led investigation of the killings at a summit in Milan.

The British officers are expected to seek independent checks of DNA samples seen as key to the case against two Burmese men accused of the crime.

There has been concern over the treatment of two Burmese suspects

They are also expected to examine claims by the two migrant workers that they have been mistreated by the Thai authorities.

Mr Miller, 24, and Ms Witheridge, 23, were found dead last month on a beach on Koh Tao, an island in Thailand's Surat Thani province.

Video: Sept 19: CCTV Of Murder Victim

Court proceedings have reportedly started against the two suspects amid international concern about the investigation, including from the Foreign Office and human rights groups.

The Thai leader had previously rejected offers of help and insisted the UK no longer had "any more doubts" about the quality of the investigation following ambassador-level talks.

But sources said he agreed to a British police delegation when pressed on the issue by the Prime Minister at the Asia Europe Meeting in Italy.

A diplomatic source said: "Obviously it is for the Thai authorities to lead and carry out that judicial process. 

"But it is important that it is fair and transparent and that both of the families can be reassured that it is the murderers that have been brought to justice.

Video: Oct 3: Thai Murder Suspects Paraded

"What the PM secured this morning was agreement from the Thai PM that we can send some British police investigators to Koh Tao to work with the Royal Thai Police on this."

The Burmese men who have been charged with the killings were paraded in front of the media after apparently making confessions which were later withdrawn.

The pair have reportedly been charged with three offences - conspiracy to murder, conspiracy to rape and robbery.

Thai police denied reports that the Burmese embassy had formally retracted their confessions amid claims the pair were tortured.

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

World 'Losing The Battle' Against Ebola

The battle against the ebola outbreak that has killed more than 4,500 people is being lost, the head of the World Bank has warned.

Speaking after the United Nations revealed it had received less than 40% of the nearly $1bn ($600m) it had requested to fight the deadly disease, World Bank chief Jim Yong Kim blamed a lack of international solidarity for the failure to stop its spread.

"We are losing the battle," he told reporters in Paris.

"Certain countries are only worried about their own borders," he told reporters in Paris. 

International anxieties over the spread of ebola were highlighted as a cruise ship carrying a lab technician who worked with samples taken from an infected nurse in Dallas was stopped from docking in Belize and Mexico

Video: Paying The Price For Ebola

"It is the first time that this has happened, and it was decided the ship should not dock as a preventative measure against Ebola," Erce Barron, port authority director in Quintana Roo, said.

Meanwhile, a vomiting woman outside the Pentagon sparked a scare in Washington, illustrating concerns in the US as questions continue to be asked about the infection of two nurses who treated a Liberian man who died at a Texas hospital.

The Obama administration has appointed an 'ebola czar' to co-ordinate the government's response to the outbreak. 

Video: Questions Over Ebola Checks

It also asked three biological laboratories to submit plans for making the experimental drug ZMapp, which  ran out after it was given to several medical workers infected while working in West Africa.

Although it has never been subjected to a clinical trial, the labs have been asked to submit budgets and timetables for production.

In France, air passengers will face screening for ebola for the first time on Saturday.

Video: HMS Argus in More Detail

As part of European efforts to stop the spread, France will start screening air passengers for ebola on Saturday.

Air France flight attendants have also called for a halt to all flights from Guinea, one of the three hardest-hit countries.

The daily Paris-Conakry flight "carries a serious risk of spreading the epidemic, particularly in our country," a statement from the flight crew and commercial staff unions said.

Video: Ebola Victims' Families Shunned

The United States, Britain and Canada have already launched screenings at airports for passengers from ebola-hit areas.

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Ebola Probe Expanded To Nurse's Earlier Flight

The Texas nurse being treated for ebola may have shown symptoms as early as last Friday - three days before being diagnosed.

A spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it is expanding its investigation to include passengers on a Friday flight from Dallas to Cleveland that Amber Vinson was on.

The 29-year-old was visiting family in the Akron area last weekend before flying on Monday from Cleveland back to Dallas before being diagnosed.

CDC officials are already trying to track down 132 passengers on the Monday flight.

Footage has emerged of ebola patient Nina Pham speaking to her doctor

A second nurse who contracted the disease at the same Dallas hospital is now being moved to a federal facility in Maryland.

Officials have released a video showing Nina Pham speaking to her doctor, Gary Weinstein, from her hospital bed in the city's Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital before the move.

Video: US Response To Outbreak Questioned

The footage shows an emotional Ms Pham sitting up in bed and joking that colleagues should join her in Maryland, before wiping away tears as she tells them: "I love you guys."

US officials are reviewing whether to issue a ban on travel from West Africa because of the ebola outbreak, as a congressional oversight panel called for such a measure.

Federal Aviation Administration chief Michael Huerta said: "We are all working together to assess this on a day-to-day basis."

On Capitol Hill, House Energy and Commerce subcommittee chairman Tim Murphy urged an "immediate ban" on nonessential travel from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Video: Why Is Ebola So Dangerous?

US House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, the top Republican in Washington, urged a travel ban on Wednesday.

President Barack Obama has said he does not have a "philosophical objection" to imposing a travel ban from ebola-afflicted West Africa.

But he said experts tell him it is less effective than measures already in place, insisting a ban could result in people trying to hide where they are coming from and making them less likely to be screened.

Mr Obama also said he may appoint an additional person to lead the ebola response in the US.

Video: Why Is The Ebola Virus So Deadly?

Appearing before the congressional panel, CDC chief Tom Frieden said passenger screenings at US and West African airports were sufficient.

"One of the things I fear about ebola is that it could spread more widely in Africa," he said.

"If this were to happen, it could become a threat to our health system and the healthcare we give for a long time to come."

Meanwhile, President Barack Obama authorised a call-up of National Guard troops if needed to support the fight against ebola in West Africa.

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'Hundreds' Of UK Terror Arrests This Year

Police have foiled several potentially deadly attacks and arrested hundreds of suspected terrorists so far this year, Britain's counter-terrorism chief has claimed.

Mark Rowley - the UK's National Policing Lead for Counter Terrorism - said officers were dealing with "exceptionally high" numbers of investigations and had been contacted by "dozens" of families concerned that loved ones may be planning to join jihadists in Syria or Iraq.

Amid widespread fears over the influence of Islamic State terrorists, he revealed police have been taking down more than 1,000 pieces of extremist material from the internet each week, including videos of beheadings, torture and suicides.

Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner Rowley said: "So far this year we have made 218 arrests and are running exceptionally high numbers of counter-terrorism investigations, the likes of which we have not seen for several years.

Britons have been joining IS, currently fighting over Kobani in Syria

"Against an increasing operational tempo we are disrupting several attack plots a year.

"These plots are of varied sophistication, from individuals planning to carry out spontaneous yet deadly attacks to more complex conspiracies, almost all seemingly are either directed by or inspired by terrorism overseas.

Video: 'Thousands Of Terror Suspects'

Asst Comm Rowley said 16 people had been charged with terrorist offences after returning to the UK from Syria.

He added: "The volume, range and pace of counter-terrorism activity has undergone a step-change.

"Public safety is our number one priority and we will always focus our disruption activity against those posing the greatest and most imminent threat.

"Sometimes this means intervening very early - essential to prevent attacks, but presenting enormous challenges in securing sufficient evidence to charge."

Video: Social Media Terrorism

He added that more than 80% of the material removed from the internet was related to Iraq and Syria, where the success of Islamic State has prompted fears the group's influence may be growing abroad.

Asst Comm Rowley said 66 people who have been reported missing to police are feared to have travelled to Syria.

"The growing problem of young, impressionable, and in some cases vulnerable individuals being radicalised online is an increasing risk," he said.

"Extremist groups are using social media in highly sophisticated ways in order to recruit or persuade individuals towards their violent and warped ideologies.

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1. Gallery: The Battle for Kobani Continues

   Smoke rises from the Syrian town of Kobani. American-led forces conducted 21 airstrikes near the border town in the last two days to slow the advance of Islamic State militants, the US military said

2. The US warned the situation on the ground is fluid as militants try to gain territory

3. A US-led coalition aircraft flying over Kobani

4. Smoke rises from a village on the outskirts of Kobani

5. Unidentified armed men run in Kobani

6. Photographers and journalists watch Kobani from a hill

7. Kurdish refugees from Kobani stand in an abandoned village near the Turkish-Syrian border

8. A black flag belonging to the Islamic State is seen in Kobani. The airstrikes appear to have done little to blunt the group's onslaught on the town

9. Unidentified people gather in Kobani

10. A Turkish Kurd watches Kobani near the border crossing in Turkey. Continue through for more images

22. Cundi Minaz, one of four female Kurdish fighters of the People's Protection Unit (YPG) who were killed during clashes with Islamic State fighters in Kobani, is buried in a cemetery in the southeastern town of Suruc

23. People attend the funeral of Cundi Minaz

"Dozens of families have contacted us concerned about loved ones or information when they believe someone is travelling abroad.

"It is only through courageous action like that that we can help and we have been supporting such families in every way we can."

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Race To Trace Passengers On Ebola Nurse Plane

By Sky News US Team

US health officials are attempting to track down passengers who shared a flight with the second nurse diagnosed with ebola.

Amber Vinson, 29, was on board Frontier Airlines flight 1143 from Cleveland, Ohio, to Dallas-Fort Worth on 13 October, a day before she fell ill.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it was working to make contact with all 132 passengers on board the flight.

Amber Vinson pictured in 2003. Pic: Akron Public Schools

The plane's crew said Miss Vinson did not exhibit any symptoms of ebola during the flight on Monday.

Ms Vinson has been transferred to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, where two Americans who contracted ebola while working in West Africa were successfully treated and released.

Video: We'll Beat Ebola 'Person By Person'

Dr Tom Frieden, the director of the CDC, said that Miss Vinson should not have been allowed to travel by plane, but added that "the level of risk to people around her would be extremely low".

The nurse was put in isolation at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas within 90 minutes of developing a fever on Tuesday.

Infected ebola patients are not considered contagious until they have symptoms, according to health officials.

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson said he is not aware of any current cases of ebola in the city.

Miss Vinson is the second health worker to contract ebola in the US after treating Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian national who succumbed to the virus on 8 October.

Video: Speed of Ebola Spread Graph

Nina Pham, a 26-year-old nurse at Texas Health Presbyterian, remains in isolation at the hospital, and is said to be in stable condition after receiving a plasma transfusion donated by ebola survivor Dr Kent Brantly.

The nurses' cases have raised concerns over the care procedures and the effectiveness of the protective gear used by medical staff at the Dallas hospital.

A nursing union has claimed that health workers treating Mr Duncan had to use medical tape to secure openings in their protective outfits.

Dr Frieden initially said a "breach of protocol" was to blame for Miss Pham's diagnosis, but health officials have not specifically said what led to either her or Miss Vinson contracting the virus.

The situation prompted President Barack Obama to postpone planned political stops in New Jersey and Connecticut on Wednesday.

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1. Gallery: Hazmat Crews At Ebola Patient's Apartment

   A team of Dallas firefighters tape off the door of the home of the latest Texas health worker to be diagnosed with ebola. Pic: Sana Syed/Twitter

2. A hazmat team decontaminates areas around the health worker's home. Pic: Sana Syed/Twitter

3. Decontamination talks outside the health worker's home. Pic: Sana Syed/Twitter

4. Dallas police officers and firefighters gather to distribute information leaflets in the area around the home of a sick hospital employee. Pic: Dallas Police/Twitter

5. Decontamination efforts at the apartment block. Pic: Sana Syed/Twitter

6. A hazmat crew prepares in Dallas. Pic: Sana Syed/Twitter. Continue through for more images.

Instead, the White House said the president will convene a high-level meeting about the ebola outbreak.

On Tuesday, Mr Obama reiterated that an ebola epidemic in the US was "highly unlikely", but added that even one case "is too many, and we've got to keep on doing everything we can".

The news that Miss Vinson took a flight just before being diagnosed with ebola raised fears as far away as Wall Street, where shares of the biggest US airlines plummeted between 4% and 6% in afternoon trading.

Nearly 4,500 deaths, mostly in West Africa, have been reported during what health officials have called the worst ebola outbreak in history.

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Barnardo's Accused Of Blaming Victim For Abuse

By Gerard Tubb, Northern Correspondent

The children's charity Barnardo's has been accused of blaming a victim of child sexual exploitation for her own sexual abuse by a gang of men who had groomed her.

A letter written by a Barnado's project worker in 1993 says that abuse of a 16-year-old girl in accommodation owned by the charity could have been avoided if she had not placed herself in danger.

The letter states that the girl was sexually assaulted but: "The situation could have been avoided if [she] had not been party to the antics of a group of young men."

It goes on: "Having consumed a quantity of alcohol and three valium tablets [she] was not able to maintain control or respond to the situation in a constructive and cohesive way."

Last month chief executive of Barnardo's Javed Khan condemned institutions that had blamed children for their own abuse and called for them to be investigated by the Government's independent inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation.

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1. Gallery: Barnardo's Letter Accused Of Blaming Victim

The victim, now 37, says the sexual assault that triggered the letter happened in her Leeds flat after British Pakistani men befriended her and let her run up debts before giving her drink and drugs.

"I woke up and I didn't have any clothes on and there were half naked men around," she said.

"I knew I'd been assaulted I didn't know to what extent, I didn't know if I'd been raped or what, really."

She says she spent years feeling ashamed after being told at the time that the attack, which occurred shortly after she had left a children's home, was her fault.

"Looking back, how I feel now is absolute disgust with predominantly Barnardo's for knowing this happened, for blaming me for it happening and doing nothing about it," she said.

She remained in the flat for a further six months and says her abuse by the men escalated over that time and included rape.

Greg Mulholland, the woman's MP, is demanding an investigation by Barnardo's and Leeds City Council for what he calls "shocking and utterly disgraceful" behaviour.

"To actually blame her for the most appalling abuse and grooming and indeed blackmail that she suffered is really appalling," he said.

"This woman who was then a 16-year-old girl, shortly out of care, very vulnerable, was seriously, seriously let down by the two organisations who were there to protect her."

In a statement Barnado's told us it was shocked at the contents of the letter.

The statement said: "This woman has been very brave in bringing this issue to light. It must have been a very difficult and distressing step to have taken after so many years.

"Barnardo's takes this very seriously and we will fully investigate."

Nigel Richardson, director of children's services at Leeds City Council, said: "We are very sorry to hear about what this young woman was subjected to."

He said the council was very keen to investigate the case, and added: "We are confident that an incident like this would be managed very differently today."

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Sixty Days To Beat Ebola, United Nations Warns

The UN says the ebola outbreak must be controlled within 60 days or else the world faces an "unprecedented" situation for which there is no plan.

The United Nations made the stark warning as it warned that the disease "is running faster than us and it is winning the race".

Nearly 9,000 cases of ebola have been reported so far in West Africa, including 4,447 deaths.

"The WHO advises within 60 days we must ensure 70% of infected people are in a care facility and 70% of burials are done without causing further infection," said Anthony Banbury, the UN's deputy ebola coordinator.

"We need to do that within 60 days from 1 October. If we reach these targets then we can turn this epidemic around."

Video: '10,000 New Ebola Cases Per Week'

But Mr Banbury told the UN Security Council the 70% target was becoming harder to meet as new infections stack up.

He urged: "We either stop ebola now or we face an entirely unprecedented situation for which we do not have a plan."

The UN's Unmeer emergency mission is following a four-pronged plan to fight ebola.

Identify and trace contacts; manage cases; ensure safe burials and provide people with information to protect themselves.

"If we fail at any of these, we fail entirely," warned Mr Banbury.

Video: Screening for Ebola at UK Borders

The World Health Organisation (WHO) earlier said there could be 10,000 new cases of ebola per week within two months.

WHO assistant director general Bruce Aylward told a news conference the total was expected to top 9,000 by the end of this week.

He said the death rate from the current outbreak had risen to 70% from about 50%. 

When asked how the situation could develop in the next two months, he warned: "We anticipate the number of cases occurring per week by that time to be somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 per week.

"It could be higher, it could be lower, but somewhere in that ball park."   

Video: On Board Ebola Ship RFA Argus

Some 95% of the cases are occurring in the same limited number of districts of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea which were affected a month ago, he said.

Dr Aylward said it was "too early to say" whether this meant that the epidemic was slowing down.

The plateau in reported infections may simply be due to limitations in the ability of authorities in the region to check and record cases, he said.

Dr Aylward said there were "positive" signs of a slow down in the rate of new cases in northern Liberia and Guinea, probably due to behaviour changes among the local population.

But he warned: "This is ebola, this is a horrible, unforgiving disease - you've got to get to zero.

Video: Liberia Gripped By Ebola Virus Fear

"With a bit of change in the behaviour of populations, with some burials happening safely, with a little bit more case management and a couple of new centres opening, you are going to slow this down very quickly."

In other ebola developments:

:: Enhanced screening of passengers travelling to the UK began at Heathrow airport

:: A UN worker died while receiving treatment for the disease in Germany

:: An American nurse who contracted ebola received blood from a survivor of the virus and says she is "doing well"

Video: UK's Response To Ebola Threat

:: Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg said he is to give $25m (£15.7m) to help fight the outbreak

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'London Smoking Ban' Could Spread To Other Cities

London is looking at making its public areas smoking free zones within the next few years.

A influential report commissioned by London mayor Boris Johnson says that lighting up should be banned in parks and other places controlled by local authorities.

The recommendation from the London Health Commission follows similar moves in other cities around the world.

And the report's author, Lord Darzi, says such action by London would be an example that the rest of Britain could follow.

Lord Darzi writes in the report, called Better Health For London: "London should lead the way for Britain, and the Mayor should lead the way for London by acting to make our public spaces smoke free.

Video: Australia's Smoking Ad Ban

"With 67 London schoolchildren starting smoking every day, urgent action is required.

"We have an opportunity to set a better example for London's children by making parks and other places controlled by London's local and regional government smoke free."

The report says that New York, Hong Kong and several parts of Canada and Australia have also banned smoking from public areas.

Video: Smokers In Cars With Kids Face Fine

The UK outlawed smoking inside venues in 2007 and 78% of adults are now reported to support the change.

But while there are now 2.4% fewer admissions to hospitals for heart attacks, many smokers have been unable to give up completely and 18% of people in the capital  - more than one million - still light up regularly.

The report recommends the mayor: bans smoking in Trafalgar and Parliament squares; makes all Royal Parks smoke free, including Hyde Park, Regents Park and Kensington Gardens; asks Transport for London to outlaw smoking at bus stops and encourages local authorities to ban smoking in all other local authority-owned areas such as town centres and smaller green areas.

Video: Report: Smoking Bans Protect Kids

England's chief medical officer Professor Sally Davies backed the ban.

She said: "We all know smoking is bad for health so I welcome any measures to reduce both active smoking and its role modelling in front of children."

Pro-smoking campaigners objected however, saying the move would be an attack on personal liberties.

Video: Smoking Ban 'Right Thing To Do'

Simon Clarke of Forest said in a blog post: "A ban on smoking in parks and squares would be outrageous. There's no health risk to anyone other than the smoker. If you don't like the smell, walk away.

"Tobacco is a legal product. If the Chief Medical Officer doesn't like people smoking in front of children she should lobby the Government to introduce designated smoking rooms in pubs and clubs so adults can smoke inside in comfort."

The report makes a number of other recommendations to improve health including minimum pricing for alcohol, traffic-light labelling on restaurant menus, restrictions on "junk food outlets" near schools, Oyster card discounts for people who walk part of the way to work and measures to reduce air pollution.

Video: Shocking Increase In Child Smokers

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Hostage John Cantlie's Sister Makes IS Appeal

The sister of British hostage John Cantlie has pleaded with his Islamic State captors to resume contact with the family.

Jessica Cantlie said she was making the appeal on behalf of her father, Paul, who is "terminally illl and incapacitated" and made his own appeal from his bed earlier this month.

Ms Cantlie told his kidnappers: "We had previously been in contact through a channel started by you, but then this stopped for reasons best known to you. 

"Sadly, like the families of David Haines and Alan Henning before they were killed, our efforts at re-opening dialogue continue to be ignored by those holding John.

"We strongly challenge those holding John to return to your previously opened channel, to which we continue to send messages and await your response so that in keeping with everyone's wishes, we can restart dialogue.

Video: Hostage Families' 'Mental Torture'

"We implore IS to reinitiate direct contact."

She said claims the family had not tried to contact the group were "simply not accurate".

John Cantlie was captured in northern Syria in late 2012 while working as an independent photojournalist.

Video: British Hostage In New IS Video

The 43-year-old, dressed in an orange jumpsuit, appeared in another propaganda video released by IS on Sunday in which he addressed the issue of airstrikes by Western forces in Iraq.

He said: "Anyone hoping for a nice neat surgical operation without getting their hands dirty is in for a horrible surprise once it gets under way.

"But for now US intervention policy remains airstrikes and humanitarian drops in Iraq with a constant emphasis on minimum time commitment to pacify the public back home."

Video: Father Of British Hostage Speaks

Mr Cantlie has appeared in several videos for the group. It is thought he is being forced to deliver the messages under duress.

Islamic State, which controls large parts of Syria and Iraq, has already killed four western hostages; Britons David Haines and Alan Henning and Americans James Foley and Steven Sotloff.

Meanwhile the family of Abdul-Rahman Kassi, another US hostage threatened with death, has released portions of a letter sent by their son from captivity.

Video: Parents Speak Out Over Hostage Son

In it, Mr Kassig, who was captured on 1 October 2013 while on a humanitarian mission in Syria, described "incredible" fear but attempted to reassure his parents that he is "coping as best I can".

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ebola: Enhanced Screening Starts At UK Airports

Britain is to start enhanced screening today of passengers coming to the UK from the countries worst affected by the ebola outbreak.

Checks will begin at Heathrow's Terminal 1 and will then be expanded to Gatwick airport and the Eurostar rail terminals by the end of the week.

The move is designed to halt the spread of a disease which has killed more than 4,000 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Previously British Airways was the only airline that operated a direct service from to the UK from the affected area.

Although it stopped flying to Liberia and Sierra Leone in August, there are fears that people who have picked up infections in those countries may try to reach the UK by another route.

Video: Ebola: Infected Dallas Nurse Named

About 1,000 passengers a month are said to travel to the UK from the three countries.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said that it is "likely" that ebola will be seen in the UK with around 10 cases expected to be confirmed in the next three months.

He said the screening measures being put in place should ensure 89% of people travelling to the UK from the affected region on tickets booked directly to the UK are checked.

Video: Fear And Panic Over Ebola Calls

In a statement to the House of Commons on Monday, Mr Hunt said: "Whilst there are no direct flights from the affected region, there are indirect routes into the UK.

"In the next week, Public Health England will start screening and monitoring UK bound air passengers identified by the Border Force coming on to the main routes from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

"This will allow potential ebola virus carriers arriving in the UK to be identified, tracked and given rapid access to expert health advice should they develop symptoms."

Video: Can UK Be Protected From Ebola?

Anyone found to have ebola will be moved to the Royal Free Hospital in north London, the UK's specialist centre for treating the most dangerous infectious diseases, Mr Hunt said.

Other facilities may be made available in Newcastle, Liverpool and Sheffield, to make a total of 26 beds available, he added.

Mr Hunt said screening at airports could be extended to Birmingham and Manchester if the threat level increases, but in the meantime people manning the NHS' non-emergency 111 phoneline will also be taught to look out for potential ebola.

Video: New UK Measures To Tackle Ebola

Britain's latest ebola aid flight delivering equipment to help tackle the outbreak arrived in Freetown on Monday. It includes materials to help build a 92-bed unit being constructed by a UK team.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned the epidemic is the "most severe ... health emergency in modern times".

A nurse who became the first person to contract the disease in the United States, after treating a sufferer who had flown into the country from the affected area, is still in a stable condition in isolation.

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Midwives Among 400,000 Striking Health Workers

Hundreds of thousands of health workers will today go on strike in protest at the Government's decision not to give them a 1% pay rise.

For the first time in history, midwives will join picket lines mounted outside hospitals and ambulance stations across the country.

Several trade unions will be involved in the action, including those representing nurses, paramedics, hospital porters and ambulance crews as well as the Royal College of Midwives (RCM).

The strikes could see around 400,000 refuse to work in England for four hours from 7am, with action planned later in Northern Ireland.

Contingency plans have been worked out, and union members will deal with emergencies.

Video: Hospitals To End Parking Charges

The Royal College of Midwives will take part in the action for the first time in the organisation's 133-year history.

Cathy Warwick, the college's chief executive, said: "Midwives are caring people who often work long hours of unpaid overtime just to keep our understaffed, under-resourced maternity services running in the midst of a decade-long baby boom.

"They deserve this modest 1% pay rise."

Unions are protesting at the Government's decision not to accept the independent pay review body's recommendation to award a 1% pay rise to all staff.

Instead, ministers took the decision to award a 1% pay rise for those on top of their pay band, which unions say has denied the 1% increase to 60% of NHS workers in England.

Video: Hospitals Relying On Holiday Locums

In Wales, thousands of NHS workers will vote on whether or not to strike after a similar offer was made.

In Scotland, all staff were granted the recommended 1% pay rise.

No decision has been made in Northern Ireland.

Rob Webster, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: "We are working through some of the toughest times in the history of the NHS.

"A pay award for all staff on top of increments would have cost £450m more - the equivalent of 14,000 newly qualified nurses.

Video: Hundreds Sent Home At Night

"Hard-pressed staff would have been put under greater pressure or may have had to be reduced.

"Restraining pay was a tough decision for politicians to make and I believe they did it on the basis of improving the quality of care and maintaining continuity of services."

NHS bosses say non-emergency appointments will be postponed during the strike and emergencies won't get ignored.

But ambulance service providers say they may be forced to prioritise their care and are bringing in extra staff from the military to fill in the gaps.

10.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ebola: Nurse Is First To Contract Disease In US

Tests are being carried out on another suspected ebola sufferer in the US - hours after a female nurse was confirmed to have contracted the disease from a patient.

The man was put into isolation in Boston, Massachusetts, after recently returning from Liberia - one of the countries worst affected by the outbreak.

It follows the death of 42-year-old Thomas Eric Duncan at a hospital in Dallas, Texas, the first from ebola on US soil.

A nurse who was treating Mr Duncan at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital was confirmed on Sunday to have been the first to contract the disease in the US.

The unnamed woman, who had been wearing full protective gear, reported having a "low-grade fever" on Friday and was then isolated, officials said.

Video: Ebola Due To 'Breach In Protocol'

Dr Thomas Frieden, from the Centres for Disease Control (CDC), said the hospital worker caught the disease because of a breach of care protocol during Mr Duncan's treatment.

A further 18 workers could also have been exposed, he said, and are being monitored.

The male suspected ebola victim who recently returned from Liberia is being evaluated at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

He presented himself to a hospital in Braintree, Massachusetts, complaining of headache and muscle aches, before being transferred.

Video: World Bank: Ebola Response Too Slow

It is expected to take between 24 and 48 hours to discover if he is suffering from ebola.

More than 4,000 people have died in the latest outbreak, mostly in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea in west Africa.

The US started screening people travelling from those countries to its busiest international airports on Saturday to limit the disease's spread.

An exercise also took place in the UK over the weekend to ensure emergency authorities were prepared for the disease's possible spread.

Video: US To Screen Travellers For Ebola

UK Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has now announced that calls to the NHS's non-emergency 111 phoneline are to be screened for possible cases of ebola.

Anyone ringing up with possible symptoms of the disease will be questioned to see if they have been to West Africa.

It has been reported that there are fears hundreds of students returning to UK universities after a summer break in west Africa could be at risk of inadvertently bringing the disease to Britain.

Mr Hunt said that the UK had "robust and well-tested systems for dealing with any imported case of ebola" but added: "However, we keep the need for further measures under review and will never be complacent - and so I asked for additional steps to be taken by NHS 111."

Video: Is Britain Ready To Handle Ebola?

Britain is also planning enhanced screening at Heathrow and Gatwick airports and at Eurostar rail terminals.

The UK's chief medical officer, Dame Sally Davies, said the country should expect a "handful" of ebola cases in the coming months.

The British expert in charge of the United Nations response to ebola, Dr David Nabarro, said on Sunday he hopes the spread of the killer virus will be "under control" in three months.

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Ebola Cases In UK Within Months - Health Chief

The UK should expect ebola cases within months, the country's chief medical officer has warned.

Sally Davies said: "The big problem is in West Africa where the doubling rate is every four weeks and it really is going up and up, so it will not be surprising if we have spillover into this country.

"I would expect a handful of cases over the next few months."

The virus has already claimed more than 4,000 lives in West Africa.

But after a nationwide drill to test Britain's readiness for an outbreak, the Health Secretary said he was "doubly reassured" the NHS could cope.

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1. Gallery: Ebola Exercise Tests UK Readiness

   A nationwide drill to test Britain's readiness for an ebola outbreak has left the Health Secretary "doubly reassured" the country would cope

2. The eight-hour simulation at hospitals across the country proves Britain has "robust plans" in place, says Jeremy Hunt. Continue for more images

Jeremy Hunt said the eight-hour simulation at locations across the country proved "robust plans" were in place if the disease reached the UK.

Ministers joined dozens of medical professionals, some of whom wore protective clothing, as actors simulated symptoms of the deadly virus.

The exercise, which was ordered by David Cameron as part of the UK's contingency plan, involved staff from hospitals, the ambulance service and Public Health England.

One scenario saw a patient collapse at Gateshead shopping centre.

They were assessed and placed in isolation at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.

Video: Ebola Crisis: On The Front Line

Samples were sent for testing at the Porton Down science laboratories in Wiltshire and, after returning an Ebola diagnosis, the patient was transferred to the Royal Free in London.

In a separate case, a patient arrived at Hillingdon walk-in centre in London with flu-like symptoms, having recently returned from West Africa.

Mr Hunt chaired a fake COBRA meeting as part of the exercise.

He said: "This is an extremely useful exercise and I feel doubly reassured that we have robust plans in place in the event that we get an ebola case in the UK.

"We will evaluate what went well and what we need to improve.

Video: Ebola Screening Coming To The UK

"This exercise is just one small part of our ongoing contingency plans for ebola. It builds on activity we routinely practise for a wide variety of illnesses and other emergencies."

Meanwhile, aid ship RFA Argus, which will travel to Sierra Leone next week to help fight the outbreak, has arrived in Falmouth, Cornwall.

It will carry medical supplies, three Merlin helicopters, aircrew and engineers.

Its deployment comes as the Prime Minister was forced to defend the decision to introduce enhanced screening for the virus at major points of entry, saying it had been taken on "medical advice".

The move was criticised by health experts, with one describing it as a "complete waste of time".

Video: How Doctors Should Deal With Ebola

As Britain's response stepped up, a director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention claimed it was impossible to reduce the risk to the American public to zero.

There is currently no effective vaccine for ebola, but Russia announced on Saturday that it expected to produce three within the next six months.

In Spain, three more people are under observation in a Madrid hospital, taking the number currently being monitored for ebola symptoms to 16.

The first person known to have contracted the disease outside West Africa during the current outbreak, 44-year-old Spanish nurse Teresa Romero, remains in a stable condition.

:: Watch a special Sky News programme on the ebola crisis at 3.30pm on Sunday - available on skynews.com, Sky News for iPad and on Sky 501, Virgin Media 602, Freesat 202 and Freeview 132.

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Ebola Crisis: Alex Crawford's Special Report

In a week when the World Health Organisation declared deaths from ebola have reached over 4,000, Sky's Special Correspondent Alex Crawford gained exclusive access to a body recovery team in Liberia.

You can watch a special version of the highlights of the report, or watch the full documentary and read her full story.

Our Health Correspondent Thomas Moore looks in detail at this latest global health crisis in this Sky News special report.

:: Watch a special Sky News programme on the ebola crisis at 3.30pm today and 3.30pm on Sunday - available on skynews.com, Sky News for iPad and on Sky 501, Virgin Media 602, Freesat 202 and Freeview 132.

Video: Liberia Gripped By Ebola Virus Fear

Video: Africa Ebola Crisis: Special Report

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