Man Jailed For Murder Of Toddler Roxie Archer

A man has been jailed for a minimum term of 18 years after murdering a toddler he was looking after.

Roxie Archer, aged 23 months, suffered a fatal brain injury after she was "forcibly and repeatedly punched" by Ben Raftery, 21.

He was looking after the toddler for his girlfriend, who had flown out to New York for her 21st birthday.

Raftery called 999 in the early hours of March 10 and claimed that Roxie had fallen down the stairs at her home in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester.

She died in hospital the next day but staff found she had also suffered serious bruising and retinal haemorrhaging.

The post-mortem examination concluded the injuries were non-accidental and inflicted while the defendant was in sole charge of Roxie.

Raftery was "manipulative and controlling", said Sophie Archer

Extensive bruising to the face, head and limbs were also consistent with prodding or nipping having taken place, said medical experts.

Manchester Crown Court heard that Raftery first seemed to bond with the girl after moving in with her mother, Sophie Archer, but then started to engage in "cruel behaviour" towards her, such as holding her upside down by her ankle to "toughen her up".

Miss Archer said she had also been the victim of violence at the hands of her former boyfriend, but had been persuaded to let him look after her daughter for one night because he said he wanted to bond with her.

Raftery must serve at least 18 years of his life sentence before he can apply for parole.

The judge, Mr Justice Saunders, told Raftery: "It was an appalling crime which involved a grown and powerful man inflicting a number of hard blows on a toddler which were sufficiently forceful to cause devastating brain damage from which she died."

He added: "How the defendant caused any of the injuries to Roxie is not clear. But the jury have clearly rejected the defendant's account that they were caused by an accidental fall down the stairs."

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Stolen Cash Dropped In Street Taken By Locals

People in a quiet Belgian town who stole hundreds of thousands of pounds after a robbery went wrong are being threatened with jail if they do not return the money.

The drama started two weeks ago when burglars broke into a home and made off with a safe containing about one million euros (£840,000).

Their car was then chased by a motorcycle police officer and the thieves tried to shake him off by throwing the safe in his path as they made their way through a street in Zedelgem.

The vault cracked open and a lot of the cash flew out as locals scrambled to get a slice of the stolen loot.

Authorities said the money was spread over an area of about 100 metres, and dozens of people, including children and the elderly, rushed out of their homes or cars to grab a share of the accidental bounty.

One woman even came out of her house with a broom and swept the money inside, according to mayor Patrick Arnou.

Police are still trying to recover half the stolen loot

Police were quickly on the scene and literally plucked cash from the hands of those who were too slow in stashing it away.

But now officers want the money back, and the people who pocketed the cash could face two years in jail if they do not do the right thing.

A veil of suspicion has fallen over the town as neighbours watch neighbours amid door-to-door enquiries by police, questioning residents about what they did, and what they saw others do.

Some Zedelgem inhabitants who missed the windfall said they understood the actions of their fellow locals but insisted the money involved should have made them think differently.

"There are those who say that they should give it back but there are also those who say 'if it were me ...' but we are talking about such an amount," said resident Hector Clarysse said.

"If you pick up so much money you know it is not normal."

The postbox has been repaired after it was damaged

A postbox outside city hall was designed as a spot for people to hand over money - no questions asked.

But thieves tried to unhinge the heavy stone letterbox and make off with its contents.

Mr Arnou said authorities have retrieved nearly half of the million euros originally in the safe.

But the majority of the cash has disappeared into the hands of those who happened to be on that street in Zedelgem.

As for the robbers, they have still not been caught - as police attention was diverted by trying to get back the money.

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Jeff Hanneman: Slayer Guitarist Dies Aged 49

Jeff Hanneman, a co-founder of the seminal heavy metal group Slayer, has died of liver failure at the age of 49, the band has announced.

In a statement posted on its Facebook page on Thursday, the band said: "Slayer is devastated to inform that their bandmate and brother ... passed away at about 11am this morning."

Slayer spokesman Heidi Robinson-Fitzgerald said the guitarist died at a hospital in southern California with his wife, Kathy, by his side.

Hanneman had been suffering since 2011 from a flesh-eating disease that he is believed to have contracted from a spider bite. According to reports, it nearly cost him his arm after he failed to seek immediate treatment.

Ms Robinson-Fitzgerald has said it is thought the bite contributed to the failure of his liver, but it is not yet clear if a post-mortem examination will be scheduled.

Hanneman was a founding member of Slayer, which was known as one of the 'big four' thrash metal groups of the 1980s - along with Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax.

Slayer's album Reign In Blood is considered a landmark of the genre

The band described its own music as "punishing yet precise".

Over nearly three decades, Slayer released nine studio albums and performed at thousands of live shows.

Hanneman is best known as a writer of the songs Raining Blood and Angel Of Death from the 1986 album Reign In Blood, which is regarded as a landmark of the genre.

Apparently slowly recovering from his disease, he had recently started writing songs with the band in anticipation of recording another album later this year.

Musicians who paid tribute on Twitter included Guns N Roses guitarist Slash. He tweeted: "Tragic and shocking news about Jeff Hanneman. He is going to be missed by so many. What a sad day for Metal. RIP man."

Hanneman is also survived by a sister and two brothers.

Slayer are due to play a series of gigs in the coming months, including Bloodstock Open Air metal festival in Derbyshire and Spain's Resurrection festival, both in August.

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'Google Palestine' Move Surprises Israel

Google has recognised the Palestinians' upgraded UN status by rebranding a local version of its website.

"Palestine" has replaced the words "Palestinian Terrorities" beneath the company's logo on Google.ps, six months after the UN General Assembly made it a non-member observer state.

The change went into effect on May 1.

Nathan Tyler, a spokesman for Google, said: "We're changing the name 'Palestinian Territories' to 'Palestine' across our products.

"We consult a number of sources and authorities when naming countries. In this case, we are following the lead of the UN ... and other international organisations."

Palestine's elevated status was agreed in November, after UN member states approved the move by 138 votes to nine.

Britain was among 41 countries which abstained.

Palestinian authorities have since begun to use the "State of Palestine" in diplomatic correspondence and issued official stamps for the purpose.

Yigal Palmor, a spokesman for the Israeli foreign ministry, questioned Google's decision.

"This change raises questions about the reasons behind this surprising involvement of what is basically a private internet company in international politics - and on the controversial side," he said.

The UN vote gives the Palestinians access to a range of international institutions, including potentially the International Criminal Court, and raises their international profile after years of stalled peace talks with Israel.

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Aggro Santos Cleared Of Rape Charges

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Aggro Santos strenuously denied the allegations

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Kenya: 'Criminal' President Invited To UK

Britian has invited a world leader who is indicted by the International Criminal Court to a conference in London next week.

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta has been asked to attend a conference on Somalia on Tuesday - co-hosted by both Britain and Somalia.

Mr Kenyatta, who won elections for the Kenyan presidency on March 4, is due to go on trial in July at The Hague for crimes against humanity.

He stands accused of orchestrating violence in Kenya after the last presidential elections in 2007 and 2008 during which up to 1,500 died.

Previously, Britain had said it has policy of only "essential contact" with anyone charged by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

But now it appears to gone against its policy and to have reached out to Mr Kenyatta.

A spokesman for Kenya's High Commission in Nairobi John Bradshaw said the High Commissioner had delivered a letter to Mr Kenyatta.

The commission said in a statement: "Kenya plays a vital role on Somalia, having nearly 5,000 troops in Somalia, and hosting more Somali refugees than any other nation."

January 2008: Violence broke out in the wake of the election

The statement said Mr Kenyatta and High Commissioner Christian Turner also "discussed how the two countries would work together not only on the shared agendas of regional security and stability, but also prosperity and development".

It added that London wanted to support Nairobi in its aims to double UK-Kenya trade.

Mr Kenyatta's election was predicted to pose problems for European countries and America, which are nervous about dealing with alleged criminals against humanity.

Until recently, Kenya had been considered the West's ally in the war against Islamic extremism centred in Somalia.

Recent gains have been made in pushing back the al Shabaab militant group, which had come to control parts of Somalia after the US withdrawal in the late 1990s led to a power vacuum.

Military victories against al Shabaab have in-part been spearheaded from Kenya, where the US has a base.  Ethiopia has also played a major role.

Britain is also believed to be keen to keep Kenya on side in the fight against international terrorism.

In 2012, The British Army Training Unit in Kenya (BATUK) built a new base just outside the town of Nanyuki, about 80 miles north of Nairobi.

The London conference will be the first trip outside Africa for Mr Kenyatta since his election, which was held to be fraudulent by the losing candidate Raila Odinga.

Uhuru, meaning freedom, is the son of Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya's first president, who was put on trial by the ruling British colonial powers for inciting rebellion and kept in jail for seven years.

After independence and Kenya being declared a republic, Jomo was promoted from interim prime minister to president.

Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto, who also faces trial at the ICC, have both said they will co-operate fully with the ICC. They deny the charges against them.

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April Jones: Frantic Mum 'Searched In Bins'

CCTV footage has been released showing Mark Bridger's car and what is thought to be April Jones inside the vehicle on the evening she vanished.

The Land Rover is seen in the top right hand corner of the video passing a garage in Machynlleth, mid-Wales, around 7.20pm on October 1 last year.

Bridger, 47, has denied abducting and murdering the five-year-old, who went missing from her estate in the town some time after 7pm, a court heard.

But he admits running her over and says he does not remember what he did with her body.

According to the prosecution, Bridger told police when he was arrested that he had parked on the estate at 7.10pm and shortly afterwards he ran over April, found her unconscious, put her into the car and then drove off.

April Jones in a leisure centre a couple of hours before she vanished

Sky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt said: "The image released to the jury is about 10 minutes after that - so by Mark Bridger's own admission when that image was taken of his car driving out of Machynlleth, April was in his car.

"And according to what he told police, she was either dead by then or dying."

It comes as the jury in Bridger's murder trial heard of the frantic moments when April's parents learned their daughter was missing.

The police statements of Coral and Paul Jones were read to the court by prosecutor Elwen Evans QC, who outlined the family's day on October 1.

After April was collected from school, she was taken by her mother for a swimming lesson before they returned home for a tea of spaghetti on toast.

April watched a Disney film and then asked to go out and play on her bike with a friend, her mother said.

April, five, went missing on October 1 last year

Mrs Jones, 43, said: "Paul and I said no, she wanted to take her bike to her friend's next door. She kept on and on and had a little tantrum and I eventually gave in so she went next door to play.

"I told her I didn't want her out for long. I think it was about 7pm and that was the last time I saw her."

Twenty minutes later, Mrs Jones sent April's older brother out to collect his sister as "it was getting dark and a little colder".

"Within a very short time he came running home and he was in a hysterical state. When I calmed him down he said that April's friend had seen her getting into a car with a man and that she had gone.

"I immediately went over and asked April's friend what she had seen. I was told that April had got into a car with a man and he had driven off."

Mark Bridger denies abducting and murdering April Jones

Mrs Jones called the police straight away. She said: "I went out and searched around the estate, everywhere I could think of. I even looked in the bins."

In his statement, Mr Jones, 41, said: "We rang the police and Coral went out to search. I felt so helpless. I went to speak to April's friend who said something about a van.

"When she said that, I went around the corner to look. I then went back home and I just paced. I think that I just paced up and down, waiting for any news, for about 24 hours."

The jury was also shown other CCTV images of the five-year-old before she went missing.

And video said to show her alleged killer's movements in the hours before and after her disappearance was also played in court.

A CCTV camera picked up April, in a white top, and a friend, in a blue top, in the foyer of a leisure centre in Machynlleth, where the five-year-old had gone swimming.

Another sequence shows April and her sister leaving a cafe at the complex and then going towards the changing rooms. They are later seen leaving the changing rooms.

The two are then pictured departing the centre with April's mother Coral and the youngster's friend at 5:40pm, about a couple of hours before she vanished.

The jury was also shown a series of CCTV clips allegedly tracking Bridger's movements in his Land Rover on the day April went missing, and the following morning, walking from the Dyfi bridge direction to Machynlleth.

He is also apparently shown getting on to a bus, then walking his dog near his home around mid-morning.

The trial at Mold Crown Court in North Wales has been adjourned for the day and is due to resume next week.

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Derby: Man Found Dead In Chimney Named

By Becky Johnson, North of England Correspondent

Police have identified the body of a man found earlier this week inside the chimney of a law firm in Derby.

Kevin Gough, of no fixed abode, was found at Moody & Woolley Solicitors in St Mary's Gate around noon on May 1 after staff were alerted by the smell.

The area was cordoned off while the 42-year-old's body was removed.

Julie Marson, senior partner at Moody & Woolley, told Sky News: "About a week ago there was a smell, but on Monday flies started to appear and we had the chimney investigated."

Staff at the solicitors reported a bad smell before the body was found

Ms Marson said staff at the firm, which employs around 30 people, were shocked by the discovery and believed it was possible Mr Gough had been inside the chimney for several weeks.

She added: "We know that someone had made a concerted effort to get into the building, partially dismantling the chimney to use the brickwork to try to force through the roof.

"Actually our builder went up and saw there was a big gaping hole. He tried to make an entry into the loft and the smell hit him.

"We all thought there was probably a dead cat or a pigeon or something in there, but unfortunately it wasn't.

"Most of us are mothers here, we understand somebody is going to have some dreadful news and we all feel it is just such a tragedy because there is nothing in the building worth stealing."

She explained that all the fireplaces in the building have been filled in.

Police are treating the death as unexplained and are preparing a file for the coroner.

A spokeswoman for Derbyshire Police said: "We're leaving it to the coroner to decide what he was doing in the chimney."

A post-mortem examination on the body, which was in a state of advanced decomposition, proved inconclusive. Further tests will be carried out.

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Stuart Hall Abuse Victims Plan To Sue

Victims of shamed veteran broadcaster Stuart Hall are pursuing civil action after he admitted indecently assaulting 13 girls.

Hall is already facing jail after pleading guilty to a string of offences against girls aged as young as nine.

The 83-year-old, who was a regular football match summariser on Radio 5 Live but has now been banned by the BBC from working there, was described as "opportunistic predator" by prosecutors.

Alan Collins, a partner at law firm Pannone and a specialist in sexual abuse cases, said he has been instructed by a number of Hall's victims to pursue civil cases in relation to injuries and harm suffered.

He said: "Hall's admission of guilt means we will be able to pursue these cases expeditiously on behalf of our clients.

"Victims often live with the memories of the abuse hidden away at the back of their minds for years and it is particularly brave of such victims to come forward and face those memories."

Hall faced a media scrum outside the court after his guilty pleas

Hall admitted touching and kissing 13 young victims during the 1960s, 70s and 80s. Many were daughters of friends.

The former It's A Knockout Presenter had previously denied any wrongdoing, telling reporters the claims against him were "cruel".

However, he ended up entering guilty pleas at Preston Crown Court last month - details of which only emerged this week when reporting restrictions were lifted.

He was told he must sign the sex offenders' register and has been granted bail on condition that he lives at his home in Wilmslow, Cheshire, and has no unsupervised contact with children. He faces sentencing on June 17.

The Independent columnist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown received an anonymous letter from a woman claiming to be one of his victims, which sparked the investigation into the broadcaster.

In the letter, the unnamed woman wrote: "The furore over Jimmy Savile has spurred me on. I cannot bear to think of the lionising obituaries that may await the man who caused me so much shame, and I cannot bear the thought that he will believe that he got away with what he did to me, and most probably many others."

The chairman of the BBC, Lord Patten, has said there will not be an inquiry into Hall.

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Local Council Elections: UKIP Make Big Gains

The UK Independence Party has made huge electoral gains and declared itself the "official opposition" - largely at the expense of the Tories - as Prime Minister David Cameron vowed to win back Conservative voters who had defected.

With UKIP averaging 26% of the vote so far in county council polls, leader Nigel Farage said he was "astonished" by the party's breakthrough, and put it down to what he described as the "total disconnect" between the "career politics" of Westminster and ordinary people on the streets.

"UKIP is actually speaking the language of millions of ordinary voters," he told Sky News' Boulton & Co programme.

Speaking in his Oxfordshire constituency, Mr Cameron said he would "work really hard" to win back voters who switched support.

The Conservative leader said all the mainstream political parties had "major lessons" to learn.

David Cameron has pledged to win back voters who switched support to UKIP

"For the Conservatives I understand why some people who have supported us before didn't support us again, they want us to do even more to work for hard-working people to sort out the issues they care about," he said.

"More to help with the cost of living, more to turn the economy round, more to get immigration down, to sort out the welfare system. They will be our focus, they are our focus, but we have got to do more."

Asked if he stood by his "fruitcakes" attack on UKIP, Mr Cameron said: "Well, look, it is no good insulting a political party that people have chosen to vote for. Of course they should be subject and they will be subject to proper scrutiny of their policies and their plans.

"But we need to show respect for people who have taken the choice to support this party and we are going to work really hard to win them back," he added.

UKIP became the second largest party in Lincolnshire as the Conservatives lost control of that county council as well as Gloucestershire - and also reduced the Tories' grip on power in Essex and Hampshire.

Mr Farage drinks a pint at the Marquis of Granby in Westminster

The eurosceptic party also finished second with 24% of the vote behind Labour in the South Shields parliamentary by-election, triggered by the resignation of David Miliband, with the two coalition parties suffering a drubbing.

The new MP, Emma Lewell-Buck said her victory was a verdict on the Government's austerity measures.

It was another bad result for the Conservatives who finished third, and a disastrous one for the Liberal Democrats who lost their deposit and finished seventh with just 352 votes behind UKIP, the Tories, an independent, the Socialist Party and the BNP.

"Send in the clowns," said a jubilant Mr Farage, after UKIP candidates were famously dismissed by Mr Cameron as "fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists" and last week as a bunch of "clowns" by Tory Cabinet minister Ken Clarke.

"We've been abused by everybody, attacked by the entire establishment who did their best to stop ordinary decent people going out and voting UKIP, and they have done in big, big numbers," he told Sky News.

"By the end of today we are going to have a fair tally - and it sends a shock wave, I think, through the establishment."

Asked whether UKIP were no more than the beneficiaries of protest votes against the coalition Government, Mr Farage replied: "If you speak to the Westminster elite, they will tell you 'it is just a protest, nothing to worry about really'.

Labour's newest MP Emma Lewell-Buck wins the South Shields by-election

"When I meet UKIP voters they say, 'Nigel, we're voting for you because we believe in what you stand for'.

"These votes are not easily going to go back to the Labour and Conservative parties."

Senior politicians from the three main parties attempted to explain the UKIP surge, which could have major implications, particularly for David Cameron as he attempts to calm the fears of grassroots Tories nervous at the loss of votes to Mr Farage's party.

UKIP's success will heighten pressure on Mr Cameron to shore up right-wing support by legislating during this parliament for a referendum on EU membership.

Conservative Chairman Grant Shapps acknowledged that his party had been hit by the rise of UKIP.

He told Sky News: "We hear the message, we get it, we understand what people are saying. They want to see change faster in this country and that is what we intend to deliver over the next couple of years.

"We need to show that we are relentlessly on the side of hard-working people in this country, who want to get on in life, do the right thing, and Conservatives back them.

"We have actually been making progress - we've cut the deficit by a third and cut net immigration by a third.

Richard Elvin, the UKIP candidate who came second in South Shields

"My main concern is to listen to the voters and make sure we are reflecting their concerns - putting jobs and prosperity and fixing the economy first and foremost - that's where all our time and energy is going to be focused."

But the Tory grassroots and backbenchers were seething at the party's performance.

Conservative Party vice-chairman Michael Fabricant tweeted "life cannot go on as normal" for the main three parties "unless they have no ambition for 2015".

One defeated Tory councillor in Hampshire launched a scathing attack on Mr Cameron, saying: "I don't believe a word he says."

Alexis McEvoy lost her South Waterside seat to UKIP's Philip Fawkes - a retired headteacher and distant relation of gunpowder plotter Guy Fawkes, who won with a majority of 315 and a 37.2% share of the vote.

Mr Farage said the win showed "the blood of rebellion still runs in his veins".

Business Secretary Vince Cable conceded the results were "obviously very disappointing" for the Liberal Democrats.

He said voters had turned to UKIP as a protest over poor economic conditions and claimed the results emphasised problems in the Conservative party.

More than 2,300 seats are being contested in polls for 34 English councils

"Unfortunately this is part of the price you pay for being in government and I think the Conservatives have had an even worse night than we did, but, nonetheless, it's not great," he told Sky News.

In East Sussex, where Labour made gains, party leader Ed Miliband said: "I'm pleased with the gains that we made in Hastings and across the South, and indeed in other parts of the country, including Derbyshire and elsewhere."

Asked whether he was worried about the threat of UKIP, he replied: "Part of Labour's challenge at the next election campaign is not the Tories, or the Lib Dems or even UKIP, it's the idea that nobody can really change the country, and that mainstream parties can't change the country.

"I believe Labour can change the country. I believe we have convinced a lot of that in these elections and that's why we have made a lot of gains, but I also know that there's work to do that goes on."

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg conceded that results for his party, which lost around a quarter of its councillors, were "not good".

He said: "I have always said it is understandable why it is that people might be attracted to the simple answers that the UK Independence Party is offering to deal with this country's complex problems.

"But I do not think they do have the answers to the dilemmas we face as a country.

Ed Miliband speaks to voters in Hastings, East Sussex

"Of course, it is not good to lose half your councillors, as we have done in these elections, but the Liberal Democrats are on a journey.

"We are on a journey from a party of protest to a party of Government and actually the pattern that has emerged from the results overnight shows that, where we have MPs, where we have Liberal Democrats out on the doorstep setting out our side to the story, communicating our message, we are holding our own and in some areas making gains."

The Conservatives retained control in Buckinghamshire, Devon, Dorset, Essex, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Surrey, Leicestershire, North Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, Wiltshire, West Sussex, Worcestershire and - narrowly - Somerset, where they lost five seats and the Liberal Democrats lost four.

But they were ousted from overall control in Cambridgeshire, Gloucestershire, Lancashire, Warwickshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk Oxfordshire, Nottinghamshire, Isle of Wight and East Sussex.

The Tories were sent a warning in their traditional Essex heartland, losing nine county council seats to a bullish UKIP.

And they were held to "Ransome" in Lincolnshire as mother-of-four Sue Ransome and her daughters Felicity and Elizabeth celebrated three UKIP gains in Boston.

Sushil Kantibhai Patel, the father of Tory MP Priti Patel - took second place behind the Conservatives as the UKIP candidate in the Bushey South ward in the Hertfordshire County poll.

There was some good news for Nick Clegg as the Lib Dems won the by-election in the Fulwood ward in the heart of his Sheffield Hallam constituency in South Yorkshire, ahead of Labour, the Tories and UKIP.

Labour gained Derbyshire County Council from no overall control - and won the mayor battle of North Tyneside with the party's Norma Redfearn ousting incumbent Tory Linda Arkley.

The BNP lost its only county council seat in Padiham and Burnley West in Lancashire.

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Deadly Bird Flu Is Global Threat, GPs Warned

By Thomas Moore, Health and Science Correspondent

A virulent new bird flu virus that has killed more than 20 people in just four weeks could become a global threat, public health experts have warned.

At least 126 people in China have been infected with the H7N9 virus, most of them near Shanghai. So far around 20% have died. Another 60% have been treated in hospital for serious lung problems.

Public Health England (PHE) has taken the precaution of writing to GPs, warning them to be alert for symptoms in travellers returning from the Far East.

Dr John Watson, Head of Respiratory Diseases at PHE, told a news briefing at the Science Media Centre in London: "There may be a temptation in the UK to think this is happening a long way away.

The first case outside China was in taiwan

"But this should be taken very seriously. We need to be vigilant.

"At the moment the risk here is low. But we are taking steps to prepare and do more if it becomes a worldwide threat."

So far all the cases are thought to have been infected though contact with live chickens. There is no current evidence of the virus spreading between people.

But scientists say the virus has already acquired two of the five critical changes to its genes that are needed for human-to-human transmission.

Professor Wendy Barclay, chair in influenza virology at Imperial College London, said: "That's why we are so worried.

"We are not sure why people get so sick with this virus. A lot of these patients were old or had underlying health problems."

Attempts are being made to isolate virus samples that could be used to make a vaccine. Tests have also confirmed that the virus is killed by the anti-viral drugs Tamiflu and Relenza.

Experts warned that cynicism must not hold back the global response to the virus.

No vaccine against the N7N9 virus is available as yet

After the H1N1 pandemic in 2009, the World Health Organisation was panned for overreacting to a relatively mild strain.

In the UK, the Department of Health was criticised for spending so much on vaccines and drugs, some of which weren't needed.

But Prof Jeremy Farrar, Director of the Wellcome Trust's Major Overseas Programme in Vietnam, said: "There is a risk of inertia, but thankfully we are not seeing that.

"We have to manage expectations, communicate risk and be honest about what we know."

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Boy, 5, Kills Sister, 2, With Children's Rifle

A five-year-old has accidentally shot dead his two-year-old sister as he played with his own rifle.

The tragedy happened on Tuesday afternoon at a home in southern Kentucky.

Cumberland County coroner Gary White told the Lexington Herald-Leader it was "just one of those crazy accidents."

The boy had picked up the .22-calibre Crickett gun, which he was given as a birthday present last year, when it went off.

Police said the family did not realise it was loaded. The children's mother was at home at the time but had just stepped away.

"She was actually cleaning her house, and she had went out on the porch," the coroner told WKYT-TV.

"She said no more than three minutes had went by and she actually heard the rifle go off. She ran back in and found the little girl."

The child was pronounced dead at Cumberland County Hospital. Doctors worked on reviving her for about an hour without success.

The coroner said the shooting would be ruled as accidental.

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Madeleine McCann's Parents 'Closer' To Truth

Madeleine McCann's parents say a police review into their daughter's disappearance is making "excellent progress" as they mark the sixth anniversary since she went missing.

In an interview with Sky News, Kate and Gerry McCann asked the public to remain vigilant about possible sightings and talked about adapting to life without Madeleine.

Madeleine was nearly four when she vanished from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in Portugal on May 3, 2007 as her parents dined at a nearby tapas restaurant with friends.

Friday will mark the six-year anniversary of her disappearance.

"With the review the Met have been doing over the last two years I think we are closer to finding out what happened," Gerry McCann said.

"But for Kate and I until we find Madeleine or the person responsible then we're still miles away."

He also said of the review: "We certainly feel they're making excellent progress".

The couple, who will mark the anniversary with a service in their village, said although they struggle with various occasions, including Madeleine's birthday, they are coping with her absence.

"It's a horrible, confusing, uncomfortable situation to be in. As time's gone on we've obviously got stronger and you do adapt to living in that situation," said Kate.

She said their home is full of photos and other memories of Madeleine.

"She should be here and we should celebrate with her but we still celebrate her and her being part of our lives."

Gerry McCann said that seen from a distance his family is like any other. The couple, from Rothley, Leicestershire, also have twins.

"Twins do everything that other eight-year-olds do, and they've been a tremendous source of pleasure and joy for us," he said.

"They're so adaptable and it's a matter of fact to them that they've grown up with their older sister missing."

The couple thanked the public for their "tremendous support", and urged people travelling abroad to keep vigilant about possible sightings of  Madeleine.

"Someone knows - not just the people involved in the crime. Other people will know as well, or will be strongly suspicious," said Kate.

Her husband added: "The key message is - if someone thinks they've seen Madeleine, contact police straight away."

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Stolen US Lottery Ticket: Man Found Guilty

One of two brothers accused of swindling a man out of a winning $5m (£3.21m) lottery scratchcard has been found guilty by a judge in upstate New York.

Andy Ashkar, 35, was convicted of possessing stolen property. He faces one to three years in prison when he is sentenced on May 29.

His older brother, Nayel Ashkar, 36, was cleared of conspiracy charges.

It is not yet clear if the original winner will receive any kind of compensation or the rest of his jackpot.

Police and lottery officials had originally accused both men of convincing maintenance worker Robert Miles that the ticket he bought in 2006 was worth only $5k (£3,210).

Authorities said the brothers paid Mr Miles $4k, taking a $1k handling fee, then waited until the ticket was about to expire before trying to claim the jackpot in 2012.

"Why did they wait when there were so many other factors out there?" prosecutor Beth Van Doren asked in court.

The ticket was bought at the Green Ale Market in Syracuse

"Why? It just didn't make sense, other than they were waiting for time to pass so witnesses would no longer be around, documents would be lost, or the statute of limitations would pass."

The $20 winning ticket was sold at their parents' store in Syracuse.

Andy Ashkar said he bought it when he went there for lunch on October 27, 2006.

He claimed he scratched the ticket, then handed it to his father.

"He scanned it. He said, 'Shut up!' He didn't want anyone to know," he said.

Andy Ashkar said he planned to go to the lottery office that day, then changed his mind, called his brother and went to his parents' home.

"I was hesitant. I wanted to do it the right way," he said. "I didn't want it to have a negative impact on my family."

The Ashkars' father, Nayef, is also charged with conspiracy and faces a separate trial in September.

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PFA Row Comedian Hits Back With Facebook Pics

A comedian criticised over his performance at the Professional Footballers' Association awards ceremony has responded by posting photos from the event alongside humourous captions mocking the outrage.

The PFA has reportedly demanded Reginald D Hunter repay his fee after he repeatedly used the word 'n*****' during his routine at London's Grosvenor Hotel.

The black American stand-up is well known for his racial content, but the PFA insists it had an agreement with him that "swearing or any racist references were to be avoided".

PFA chairman Clarke Carlisle also said he was "embarrassed" the organisation had booked Hunter, who explained at the start of his set that he uses the word 'n*****' to refer to people of all races.

But after initially opting not to comment on the furore, the comedian posted 37 photos in an album entitled 'The PFA Awards - the horrible aftermath' on his Facebook page.

One showed him surrounded by four other smiling attendees at the event, with the caption: "Reginald D Hunter being chased by an angry anti-racist mob to his taxi."

In another, he is pictured with a female member of the audience at the ceremony, alongside a caption saying: "Reginald D Hunter saluting misogyny with no regard to this woman's feelings."

Black footballer Jason Roberts can be seen beaming next to Hunter in one picture. The caption reads: "Reginald D Hunter and this disgusted PFA attendee prepare to entertain the PFA after party with a reenactment of the fight scene from Django Unchained."

PFA deputy chief executive Bobby Barnes previously said the association was looking to recoup the money it had paid to Hunter for his set.

"We are obviously very upset, because he was briefed," he said.

"We are very aware that we have a very diverse audience there. I can't think of a redeeming feature where you could say that was positive because I actually think the whole performance from start to finish was dreadful,"

Racial abuse cases involving Liverpool's Suarez and former England captain John Terry have been a major source of controversy in English football over the last two years.

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April Jones' DNA 'Found At Bridger's Home'

April Jones' blood was found on a washing machine belonging to the man accused of her murder, a court has heard.

An intensive forensic search of Mark Bridger's home found a stain matching the five-year-old's profile on the glass door, jurors were told.

Prosecutors said traces of April's DNA were also found in the "front crotch area" of his tracksuit bottoms, as well as on a shower curtain.

Blood stains, which provided a "one in a billion" match to April's DNA, were also found on a wood-burning stove, under the carpet and in the grouting of tiles, Mold Crown Court was told.

Bone fragments thought to be from a human skull were also found in Bridger's house.

Elwen Evans, prosecuting, said that when police went into Bridger's home, half an hour before he was arrested, they did so searching for April.

She said: "When they went in there they stated that the house was uncomfortably hot, that there was a strong smell of detergent, and a smell of cleaning products, air freshener and washed clothes."

The family of April Jones arriving at court

Bridger had spent the hours before April disappeared from where she had been playing outside her home in Machynlleth, mid-Wales, on October 1 looking at indecent images on his laptop, the jurors were told.

He had looked at a pornographic cartoon of a young girl gagged and restrained as she was being raped.

Having taken the day off, he also trawled Facebook, looking at pictures of local young girls and sending messages asking women out.

After attending his daughter's school parents evening at around 5.20pm, he approached a couple of girls, aged 8 and ten, who were riding their bicycles on the Bryn y Gog estate.

He asked one of them if they would like a "sleepover" with his daughter. When she declined he drove off.

The next witness to see Bridger told police she saw the defendant's car pull up next to garages on the estate.

Miss Evans said: "April was seen playing nearby. The timing of this sighting of the defendant indicates that the events surrounding the abduction, as we say it was, happened quickly."

The police search for April Jones' body, which has not been found

Ten minutes later the Land Rover Discovery was seen by another witness driving past Tuffin's petrol station and then on CCTV heading out of the estate.

The court was also told that the former abattoir worker had made up a "story" that he had killed her in a car accident in a bid to "explain away" his role in the killing.

Bridger told police he had "tried to revive" April after running her over with his car but then drove around with her in the vehicle.

He said that he had drunk so much as he drove around and he could not then remember what had happened to her.

He told police: "I just wish I know what I've done with her, where I've put her."

After waking up the next day, Bridger told police he immediately went to his car to see where April was and then began to search for her.

Miss Evans told the court: "He didn't think he would have burned her or buried her or put her in the river, being a father himself he said he would not have done those things.

He told police: "All I want to say to Paul and Coral is that I'm sorry for what happened and if, in my heart of hearts if I knew where she was, then I would tell them because, first, I could help them lay her to rest."

April Jones went missing on October 1

However, prosecutors said there was no evidence of a collision involving his car and say there were no blood stains or signs of a clean-up inside the vehicle.

The court heard that three witnesses saw Bridger carrying a black bin bag in a field near his home the morning after April's disappearance.

Miss Evans said: "We ask you, what was Mark Bridger doing at that location? What was in that black bin bag?"

The court heard that the land around that area was excavated but no trace of April was found.

Yesterday, Miss Evans told the court that Bridger was a "fantasist" who had "a clear interest" in child pornography and child murder cases.

There were images on his laptop of April and her half-sisters, aged 13 and 16, as well as those of murdered young girls including Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman from the Soham murder case, the jury heard.

The court heard that Bridger had denied having a "sexual interest" in children.

He told police that he had an interest in the American serial killer Ted Bundy but that: "I never understood the relation he had with killing girls and having sex with corpses and things like that."

Bridger, 47, of Ceinws, denies abducting and murdering April, and unlawfully disposing of and concealing her body - which has never been found - with intent to pervert the course of justice.

The trial continues.

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Coronation Street's Bill Roache Arrested

Coronation Street actor Bill Roache has been arrested over historical allegations of sexual assault.

The actor, who has played Ken Barlow in the TV soap since its launch in 1960, was held at his home in Wilmslow, Cheshire, this morning.

Mr Roache, 81, faces two allegations of raping the same 15-year-old girl in Haslingden, Lancashire, between April and July 1967.

Sky News Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said: "According to neighbours, plain clothes police arrived at his home in Wilmslow at around 8am. His home is being searched and police are questioning him about historical allegations."

An ITV spokeswoman said the broadcaster was not in a position to comment, but it is understood Mr Roache will not appear in the long-running soap while investigations continue.

Coronation Street bosses are also deciding whether to re-edit scenes featuring Mr Roache, which are due to be aired later this week.

An officer walks down the driveway of Mr Roache's home following his arrest

A spokesman for Lancashire Police said: "An 81-year-old man from Wilmslow in Cheshire has this morning, Wednesday, May 1, 2013, been arrested by Lancashire Constabulary on suspicion of rape.

"The man will be interviewed at a police station in Lancashire during the course of the day.

"We take all allegations of sexual abuse extremely seriously and would encourage people with any information about sexual abuse, or anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse, to come forward and report their concerns confident in the knowledge they will be investigated appropriately and with sensitivity."

After his Coronation Street co-star Michael Le Vell was charged with 19 child sex offences, Mr Roache called for anonymity for those accused of such crimes because of the stigma they face even if innocent.

Bill Roache, with Anne Reid, who played his first wife in the TV soap

Speaking to Sky News in March, he said: "If there is to be anonymity for the accusers at this stage, then there should most certainly be anonymity for those accused, until such time as there is strong evidence to show that there was some truth to the allegations at least."

Le Vell, who will not appear as mechanic Kevin Webster while he awaits his trial, has stated publicly that he is innocent and will fight the allegations.

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Bangladesh Disaster: Mass Funeral For Victims

Dozens of Bangladeshi clothing factory workers crushed to death when an eight-storey building collapsed have been buried in a mass funeral.

The remains of some of the 410 who were killed in the Dhaka tragedy were too badly battered or decomposed to be identified.

Hundreds attended the traditional Muslim funeral, while others looked on from the roofs of nearby buildings as the bodies were brought to the graveyard on the back of trucks.

Some 34 bodies were unloaded and placed in the graves but it is only the start of the macabre process of burying the unidentified dead.

Workers at the cemetery have dug several long rows of graves as authorities expect to bury scores more in the coming days.

The death toll has passed 400 in the wake of a desperate rescue effort at the site of the building, which housed five clothing factories including one which made garments for Primark.

Workers have dug several long rows of graves to bury the dead

There were about 3,000 people inside the complex, which was built on a swamp. About 2,500 people have been rescued, but many remain unaccounted for.

The disaster has shone a spotlight on the unsafe practices and cheap labour that characterise the Bangladeshi clothing industry.

The European Union threatens to end beneficial trade agreements with the country unless it improves safety standards.

Bangladesh has a $19bn (£12) a year clothing industry with 60% of the garments manufactured going to Europe.

In a statement, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht said: "The European Union calls upon the Bangladeshi authorities to act immediately to ensure that factories across the country comply with international labour standards ... "

At the Vatican, Pope Francis said he was shocked by a headline about the building collapse that said some of the workers were living on 38 euros a month.

The collapse is thought to have generated 600 tons of rubble

"This was the payment of these people who have died ... and this is called 'slave labour,'" he said. Vatican Radio said the Pope made the remarks during a private Mass at the Vatican.

One of the mourners at the funeral, Rasel Islam, 32, said: "I would not have to take part in this if the government acted more responsibly."

The owner of the building Mohammed Sohel Rana, 38, had permission to build five storeys but added three more illegally.

He is expected to be charged with negligence, illegal construction and forcing workers to join work, which is punishable by a maximum of seven years in jail.

When huge cracks appeared in the building a day before its collapse on April 24, police ordered an evacuation, but Rana, a small-time political operative with the ruling Awami League party, told tenants it was safe.

Police have used tear gas on protesters

The next day, a bank and some shops refused to open but factory managers told their workers to go back in. Hours later the building came down in a heap of concrete.

Rescuers estimate the building turned into 600 tons of rubble, of which 350 tons have been removed.

Zillur Rahman Chowdhury, a Dhaka district administrator, said so far 149 people have been listed missing.

However, a police official, Aminur Rahman, said police have recorded up to 1,300 names as missing - although many may be duplicates.

The collapse has sparked a number of protests over the pay and conditions of clothing factory workers, some of which police have dispersed using tear gas and rubber bullets.

Mongidul Islam Rana, 18, who works in a different garment factory said: "I want the death penalty for the owner of the building.

"We want regular salaries, raises and absolutely we want better safety in our factories."

"I think it is a wake-up call for the nation, a wake-up call for the industry and for the trade unions," said Shirin Akter, founding president of Karmojibi Nari, a Dhaka-based group that lobbies for the rights of women in the workplace.

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Dubai: Grieving MotoGP Star Fined For Drinking

A grieving husband whose new wife fell to her death in Dubai has been hit with a fine for turning up to a police station smelling of alcohol.

Former British motorcycling champion Sean Emmett was fined £350 (Dh2,000) for drinking before turning up at the station to sign his wife's death papers.

Vicar's daughter Abbie Emmett, 27, was killed nine days earlier when she fell from the window of a five-star hotel while on their honeymoon.

Dubai's Misdemeanours Court was told that Mr Emmett had been "heavily drunk" and that he confessed to imbibing beer, sambuca and brandy the night before he met police.

Mr Emmett said he had been at the Jumeirah Creekside Hotel, where his wife fell to her death, before taking a taxi to the Al Rashidiya police station at 9am.

A blood test confirmed he had been drinking and he was arrested and released on bail four days later.

The fine for drinking without a licence was issued in his absence.

Under laws in the Arab emirate, anyone who drinks alcohol should have a licence.

However, bar staff rarely ask for proof and millions of tourists drink there every year.

The couple had flown to Dubai in February after getting married in South Africa.

Abbie had been drinking before she fell from the window of their hotel and died later in hospital.

Police said all the evidence pointed to suicide and closed their investigation.

He father, Rev Christopher Elson, said her family and friends were "shocked and devastated" at her death.

As a professional Grand Prix racer Mr Emmett won 19 superbike races and clocked up more than 50 MotoGP appearances.

Since retiring, he has worked as a private instructor in Addlestone, Surrey, and runs a bike taxi service.

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Boston Bombing: Three New Suspects In Custody

Three additional suspects have been taken into custody by police investigating the Boston Marathon bombings.

Boston Police Department announced on Twitter that three more suspects are in custody and said that there is no threat to public safety.

A lawyer said two of the three new suspects are men originally from Kazakhstan who were friendly with the main suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

Azamat Tazhayakov and Dias Kadyrbayev appeared via video for a visa violation hearing in immigration court in Boston earlier on Wednesday.

Boston lawyer Linda Cristello represented them and confirmed to AP that they now face separate federal charges and have a court appearance this afternoon related to the Boston Marathon bombing.

Police have been investigating if suspects the Tsarnaev brothers had help

She said lawyers do not know what the charges are and will not find out until later.

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, who said he was briefed on the investigation, told reporters he understands the suspects had nothing to do with the bombings but may have helped Tsarnaev later.

The two have been held for more than a week on allegations that they violated their student visas while attending the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth with injured bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

The third person arrested is understood to be a US citizen and investigators are probing whether the suspects disposed of a bag for the bombers, according to Sky sources.

The FBI has not commented on the latest arrests.

Three people were killed and more than 260 injured on April 15 when two bombs exploded near the finish line.

Suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev died after a gunfight with police several days later. His brother Dzhokhar was captured and lies in a hospital prison.

The surviving brother, 19, faces federal charges of using a weapon of mass destruction and malicious destruction of property resulting in death over the double bombing.

Katherine Russell says she does not want to claim her husband's body

Authorities say the brothers also killed an MIT police officer as they tried to escape, although no charges have been filed yet over his death.

The White House and investigators have previously suggested that the Tsarnaevs could have acted alone, without ties to any foreign government or terrorist organisation.

But law enforcement authorities have kept a close watch on some of the brothers' contacts as they try to establish whether they had any help.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev's relatives will claim his body now that his wife has agreed to release it, an uncle said. The 26-year-old's body has been at the medical examiner's office in Massachusetts since he died.

Amato DeLuca, the Rhode Island lawyer for Tamerlan's widow, Katherine Russell, said his client had just learned that the medical examiner was ready to release the body and that she wants it released to his side of the family.

Police said Tamerlan ran out of ammunition before Dzhokhar dragged his body under a vehicle while fleeing the scene.

His cause of death has been determined but will not be made public until his remains are claimed.

More follows...

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