Wootton Bassett marks the end of repatriations

The town of Wootton Bassett has held a special service to mark the end of military repatriations there.

The bodies of 345 service personnel have passed through the Wiltshire town in the past four years.
At 19:58 BST the townsfolk watched their union jack being lowered and blessed. It will be taken to RAF Brize Norton where repatriations will resume.
In recognition of its role in marking such flights, the town will be renamed Royal Wootton Bassett in the autumn.
More than 1,000 people lined the high street in the town to take part in the Sunset Service which started with the chiming of the bell at the Church of Saint Bartholomew.
The mayor then addressed the town and said the service was the "last full measure of devotion" to those who had died.
War veteran Peter Gray lowered the flag with his grandson. It will be laid on the altar in the church overnight before being presented to the people of Oxfordshire on Thursday.
The first service took place in April 2007 when the bodies of military personnel began arriving at the nearby RAF base at Lyneham.
'Best of British' Then, it was a few members of the local branch of the Royal British Legion (RBL) bowing their heads as the funeral corteges passed.
Now hundreds of residents turn out to pay their respects before the bodies are taken on to Oxford.
The last and 167th repatriation through Wootton Bassett took place on 18 August when the body of 24-year-old Lt Daniel Clack, of 1st Battalion The Rifles, was returned to the UK.

We felt it was appropriate to mark the passing of responsibility from Wootton Bassett to Oxfordshire ”

Councillor Paul Heaphy Mayor of Wootton Bassett

 

The town gradually became a focal point for those wishing to acknowledge the sacrifice of military personnel, and went on to attract international attention.

During Prime Minister David Cameron's first US visit, President Barack Obama said the townsfolk's solemn tributes marked "the best of British character".
Dr Peter Caddick-Adams, a military expert at Cranfield University, said Wootton Bassett had shown the nation it was at war.
"They've taught us the meaning of sacrifice, and I think we'd forgotten it," he said.
Speaking in 2009, the then mayor, Councillor Steve Bucknell, said: "We've been careful throughout this process not to get involved in the politics of the war.
"These repatriations are simply about the soldiers and their families and the support we give to the armed forces."
During Wednesday's service, the union flag will be lowered and then taken to be flown in a memorial garden at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire where future repatriation flights will land.
'Gives us closure' The mayor of Wootton Bassett Paul Heaphy, who will hand over the flag, said: "We felt it was appropriate to mark the passing of responsibility from Wootton Bassett to Oxfordshire and we felt it would be wrong not to recognise what has happened over the last number of years.

"We've had requests from the community to pull something together, so we have created this ceremony which hopefully people will feel fitting."
Anne Bevis, repatriation liaison officer with the RBL in Wootton Bassett, said: "The ceremony will bring closure to us, with the handing over to Brize Norton, it sort of ties it all up nicely and gives us closure, otherwise it is left high and dry."
The town of Carterton, near Brize Norton, is to continue the tradition started at Wootton Bassett with the creation of a special area where grieving families and local people can pay their respects.
It is expected to be used for the first time next week when the body of a Royal Marine serving with 42 Commando who was killed on Tuesday is flown home from Afghanistan.

Great white sharks 'could be in British waters'

 

Great whites can migrate distances of thousands of kilometres each year

Great white sharks could be "occasional vagrant visitors" to waters around the British Isles, according to an expert.

Richard Peirce, chairman of the Shark Trust, said the conditions and availability of prey made British waters an ideal hunting ground for the feared predator.
Mr Peirce said: "The real surprise is that we don't have an established white shark population, because the conditions here mirror those in parts of South Africa, Australia and northern California.
"Research has shown that white sharks tolerate water temperatures in a range which would make British waters perfectly suitable for this species."
British waters are home to many species of predatory sharks including blue and mako sharks which have been spotted off southwest England in the summer and threshers and porbeagles which are year-round residents.
There have also been sightings of other sharks in British waters over the summer. Earlier this month fisherman Jim Millar spotted a 15ft (4.5m) thresher shark off Dartmouth in Devon, where they are very rarely seen.
Another fisherman caught a 300lb (21 stone) porbeagle shark off the coast of Donegal, Republic of Ireland, last month.
And there were two separate sightings of what was believed to have been an oceanic whitetip shark, a species also known to attack humans, in St Ives, Cornwall, in June, although very few shark experts believe the sightings were oceanic whitetips.
Mr Peirce believes it is only a matter of time before proof is found that the species at the top of the marine food chain, the great white shark - Carcharodon carcharias - is occasionally present in British waters.

Jim Millar saw a thresher shark off the Devon coast, a rare visitor to the area

"Great whites are highly nomadic in movement around the north Atlantic so it's reasonable to say there's a good chance they may stray into British waters.
"I do suspect we do get the occasional vagrant visitor."
Mr Peirce claims he almost proved there is a great white occurrence in the UK with a photograph of a shark caught off the north east coast of Scotland.
"I sent the photo to some of the world's leading experts but as soon as they heard it was caught off Scotland they started looking at what else it could be."
Mr Peirce has investigated more than 80 reported sightings of great whites in British waters over the last 14 years but only seven were found to be credible.
'Compelling evidence' A fisherman in Cornwall reported a great white sticking its head out of the water, known as "spy-hopping" in the 1970s and fishermen onboard three different boats, also off Cornwall, described a sighting of a great white within three weeks of one another in 1999.
Mr Peirce said: "The reason the evidence is so compelling is that it's from independent witnesses who do not know each other on different boats.
"The problem is these things happen in a flash. Unless the shark jumps right out of the water or is caught, all we'll see is a dorsal fin sticking out the water.
"The closest capture of a great white was off La Rochelle (in western France) about 200 nautical miles from UK shores which is no distance to them."

In 5,000 hours of observing Seawatch SW has only seen one predatory shark

 

However Dr Russell Wynn, co-ordinator of the SeaWatch SW project and a senior marine scientist at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, said the odds of a great white being found in British waters were extremely low as the creatures are very rare in the northeast Atlantic.
The SeaWatch SW survey team has spent more than 5,000 hours scanning the seas off southwest England in the past five years but the only predatory sharks seen have been single blues and threshers.
"The only large shark the public are likely to see is the harmless plankton-feeding basking shark, which can grow to over 10m long and is occasionally seen leaping out of the water," he said.
But Dr Wynn accepted there was a small chance of a great white sighting off the British coast.
"It's certainly not impossible that a great white could be seen or caught in British waters one day, as we know they occur off southwest Europe in very low numbers."
But despite the recent sightings, the opportunity of seeing sharks is decreasing year on year.
Research carried out by Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, Canada, in the Western Atlantic indicate serious depletions of more than 50% for many shark species.
Mr Peirce said: "Unless we do something about shark mortality in the Atlantic we won't be having this conversation in 50 years time."

Charity swimmers swept out to sea during Joss Bay race

Up to 80 people had to be rescued after they were swept out to sea during a charity swim to rise cash for the RNLI.

All the swimmers had been taking part in a 3.8km charity race round Joss Bay, Broadstairs, Kent on Saturday.
Dover Coastguards said they were called to the bay at about 10:30 BST and spent about two hours searching for all the missing participants.
Watch manager Gordon Wise said: "It could have potentially been a very serious event, a very serious problem."
He added: "When we got down there we found that there was a number of swimmers that had gone out, I understand the numbers are in the high upper tens.
"In the end through a search between two inshore lifeboats, rescue boats, and some paddle boarders which were part of the event, all people were brought ashore and accounted for.

I didn't realise the seriousness of it until I got back to shore”

Mike Jennings

 

"It was a long job. It went on for nearly two hours.

"There are some bad tides that run along there, rip tiding. Especially at the moment we are coming up to some of the highest tides of the year."
'Just un-swimmable' One swimmer, Mike Jennings from Gravesend, said just three people managed to finish the race.
He added: "I managed to struggle round two [laps]. The latter part of the second lap I did, it took me 10 minutes to swim 50 yards to get past the marker buoy.
"After that I felt the current pushing me rapidly back up the Thames [Estuary] . So I headed for the lighthouse on top of the cliffs there.
"I don't suppose anybody out there has got more experience than me and I literally swam for that lighthouse and just about made it back to where we started.
"Other people behind me were being swept up the Thames."
Mr Jennings added: "I didn't realise the seriousness of it until I got back to shore.
"They were still bringing them back at least an hour after I'd finished.
"I did two of the three laps and I realised that there was no way I going back out there for that third lap, just un-swimmable in one direction."
The race had been organised by event and coaching company VoTwo to raise funds for the RNLI.

Notting Hill Carnival 2011 begins in west London

 

Revellers have covered themselves in paint and powder for the J'ouvert celebration at the carnival

 

The Notting Hill Carnival has begun in west London, as hundreds of youngsters take part in the children's day which traditionally starts the two-day event.

Police numbers have been increased in a bid to prevent trouble in the wake of this month's riots in London.
Events also have an earlier end time of 19:00 BST, on both Sunday and Monday.
The annual steelband competition, held on Saturday, was won by the Mangrove Steelband. It beat the Ebony Steelband, which has won on 19 previous occasions.
Hundreds of thousands of spectators are expected to line the route, along Ladbroke Grove and Westbourne Grove, over the Bank Holiday weekend.
The Metropolitan Police has deployed 5,500 officers to patrol the carnival area, with 6,500 working on Monday.
In both 2009 and 2010, there were 243 arrests across the two days of the event.
'Always special' There was already a large police presence but it had been a very peaceful morning so far with no sign of trouble.
One of the event's directors, Ancil Barclay, said it was important to show that the violent image of London, seen during the riots, was "really not applicable" to the city's Caribbean community.
"I would invite everyone to come out and look at the amount of young people we have in the streets of London, showing off their excellence in different forms,"

 

Mounted police officers have been gathering at the start of the carnival route to try to prevent disorder

 

Children have been spraying themselves with brightly-coloured paint and powder as part of the messy J'ouvert celebration at the beginning of the carnival.
The condiment entrepreneur Levi Roots said the Sunday of the festival was "fantastic" and was "always special".
"It's the first day - what we call it is 'the kiddies' day' - and today is when you get your 'eye candy'," he said.
"The most beautiful thing you will see on the street is these kids, dressed up in the costumes."
The London Ambulance Service has urged anyone feeling unwell during the event to go to one of the 11 treatment centres it has set up with St John Ambulance.
Although Sunday's parade began with sunny conditions, heavy rain has been forecast during the afternoon.
Some roads and Tube stations have been closed for the carnival and Transport for London has issued a guide with full details.

PC Yvonne Fletcher case: Suspect named by newspaper

 

The shots that killed PC Yvonne Fletcher were fired from inside the Libyan embassy

Police investigating the 1984 killing of Pc Yvonne Fletcher need to visit Libya after a new suspect in the case emerged, prosecutors say.

PC Fletcher, 25, was shot dead while policing a protest against the Gaddafi regime at the Libyan embassy in London.
The Daily Telegraph says a report for the Crown Prosecution Service includes a witness account claiming the shooter was diplomat Abdulmagid Salah Ameri.
The Foreign Office says concluding the investigation is a priority.
It says it stands "ready to help" Scotland Yard detectives visit Libya as soon as conditions allow.
BBC home affairs correspondent Tom Symonds says the CPS believes pursuing the case will require detectives to conduct interviews in Libya itself, something which could become easier once the situation in the country has stabilised.
Rebel fighters opposed to Col Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year regime have been fighting loyalist troops since an uprising in February and say they now have almost complete control of the capital Tripoli.
Britain has recognised the rebels' National Transitional Council (NTC) as the sole governmental authority for Libya.
Diplomatic immunity No-one has ever been charged with PC Fletcher's murder. While the shots that killed her were fired from inside the embassy, the Libyan staff claimed diplomatic immunity and were deported.

We in the UK do not allow killers of our police officers to go unpunished no matter what the time-frame has been between the perpetration of the crime and the current day”

Daniel Kawczynski MP Chair of the Libya all Party Parliamentary Group

 

Our correspondent says it is not clear whether the suspect would have to be stripped of diplomatic immunity in order to face prosecution.

According to the Telegraph, a witness statement given by painter and decorator David Robertson to an independent review of the evidence by a Canadian prosecutor claims to have seen a man shooting from the embassy.
The newspaper says junior diplomat Abdulmagid Salah Ameri was identified as the suspected gunman from television footage of staff leaving the embassy at the end of an 11-day siege that followed the shooting.
It quotes the CPS report as saying: "The man was holding the stock of the gun in his right hand, while his left hand was near the trigger area, as if he was about to fire. There were other men with him, with one to his left and at least two others standing behind him.
"Mr Robertson made a comment to someone to his left about the gun and, as he did so, he heard the gun being fired from the direction of the bureau, a 'rapid rat-a-tat-tat' lasting for two or three seconds."
Former police officer John Murray, who was standing next to Pc Fletcher when she was shot, said he was surprised when he saw a suspect's name published.

International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell: "We will pursue this in any way that we possibly can"

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme he said: "Over the last 27 years every time that I've made urgent requests both to the government and to the Metropolitan Police I've always been told that the investigation is ongoing and there's nothing new to be told.
"Suddenly in the paper today we have this named suspect and there's apparently good evidence against him that he pulled the trigger.
"How long have they known about this? Why hasn't anything been done to date? And why, 27 years later, are we still waiting for this person to be arrested if we've got such good evidence."
'Maximum resources' The chair of the Libya all Party Parliamentary Group, Conservative MP Daniel Kawczynski, said the regime change in Libya meant it was a "wonderful opportunity" to find PC Fletcher's killer.
He said there were protocols under the Vienna convention which would have to be followed in order to bring a suspect with diplomatic immunity to trial and that the UK would have to negotiate with the new Libyan government.

 

Mr Kawczynski said he would be "amazed" if former minister Musu Kusa did not know who the killer was

But he said: "I'm sure the new government will be wanting to help the UK in resolving not just this issue, but all the outstanding issues the UK has with the Gaddafi regime."
Asked whether Col Gaddafi's former foreign minister, Musa Kusa - a high-profile defector to the rebels who was debriefed in the UK - would be likely to know who shot PC Fletcher, he said: "I would be amazed if he didn't know who was the key suspect."
Mr Kawczynski added: "We will get to the bottom of this.... We in the UK do not allow killers of our police officers to go unpunished no matter what the time-frame has been between the perpetration of the crime and the current day."
International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell said the government would raise the question of whether a diplomat had been responsible for PC Fletcher's death with Libya's NTC as soon as possible.
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police would not comment on the Telegraph's naming of the alleged suspect, but said: "The murder investigation has always remained open and the MPS remains committed to identifying those people responsible for killing WPc Yvonne Fletcher," he said.
"Detectives remain in regular contact with WPc Fletcher's family and update them on developments."

Facebook victim Ashleigh Hall's mother to sue police

 

A post-mortem examination revealed Ashleigh Hall had been smothered

The mother of a teenager murdered by a man she met on Facebook is planning to sue four police forces.

Ashleigh Hall, 17, from Darlington, was smothered to death in 2009 by Peter Chapman, a convicted sex offender.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) found mistakes were made in the monitoring of Chapman.
Miss Hall's mother Andrea, is planning to sue Merseyside, Cleveland, Durham and North Yorkshire forces for failing to keep track of the 32-year-old.
The IPCC concluded inadequate resources resulted in the poor management of Chapman.
It also found that Merseyside Police had allowed the sex offender to "slip away" by losing track of him in the months before the murder.
A spokesman for Durham Police referred all queries about the case to Merseyside Police.
Merseyside, North Yorkshire and Cleveland Police all said it would be "inappropriate" to comment if a legal case was pending.
False profile picture The IPCC inquiry also found that the police officer in the Chapman case had not received proper training in monitoring sex offenders.
Chapman, of Merseyside, a convicted rapist, was placed on the sex offenders register in 1996.

 

Chapman pretended to be a teenager on the social networking site

 

He was jailed in March 2010 after admitting Miss Hall's, kidnap, rape and murder.
He had claimed on the social networking site that he was a teenager and posted a picture of an unknown man as his online profile image.
Andrea Hall, said, that she was taking legal action to "prove police were wrong" and to get compensation.
The IPCC said that between being registered and committing the murder, Chapman had come under suspicion of two sex offences, was convicted of motoring offences and theft and was jailed for failing to comply with his registration order.
It also found after May 2005, when Chapman moved within Merseyside and came under Knowsley's sex offender unit, he should have been visited every three months.

'I Love MCR' banner to be unveiled on CIS Tower in Manchester

 

Manchester City's Sergio Aguero has backed the campaign

A giant "I Love MCR" banner will be unveiled on a skyscraper in Manchester city centre later.

The poster will cover the top 15 floors of the 400ft (122m) CIS building, the Co-operative's head office.
An "I Love MCR" campaign was set up by Manchester City Council in the wake of the riots in the city centre and Salford on 9 August.
Billboards have been put up across the city and many businesses have displayed them in their windows.
People also gathered in Market Street on Sunday, holding up posters, taking part in a "Manchester moment". T-shirts have also been printed and badges made.
Celebrities have also shown their support for the campaign, including Coronation Street stars and Manchester United and Manchester City players.
Peter Marks, chief executive of the Co-operative group, said: "We are extremely proud of our Manchester roots and the role we play in the commercial life of this great city.
"We have been here for almost 150 years and we intend to be here for the next 150.
"We were all shocked to see the disgraceful scenes of rioting and violence but the way everyone has rallied behind the I love MCR campaign is testimony to the real spirit of Manchester.
"We wanted everyone to know that we are backing the campaign and what better way to do it than erecting a poster that everyone can see for miles around."
Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, added: "The I Love MCR campaign makes us all feel rightly proud of our city and its people and shows the world what real Mancunians look like.
"The city has embraced it with enthusiasm and there is no better way of demonstrating that spirit than getting out and enjoying everything the city centre has to offer - whether it's shopping, culture or nightlife.
"Manchester won't take this lying down and won't let the actions of a small minority of yobs cast a lasting shadow over our fantastic city."

Blood pressure guidelines revised in England and Wales

Patients thought to have high blood pressure should have the diagnosis confirmed at home, according to new guidelines.

Patients in England and Wales will be offered extra checks using a mobile device that records blood pressure over 24 hours, says the watchdog NICE.
A quarter of patients may find visiting a GP stressful, leading to misdiagnosis and being given drugs they do not need.
The move could save the NHS £10.5m a year, predictions suggest.
High blood pressure (blood pressure of 140/90mmHg or more) affects about a quarter of all adults in the UK. It is a leading risk factor for heart disease or stroke and costs the NHS about £1bn a year in drugs alone.
Currently, most patients found to have high blood pressure for the first time are given a formal diagnosis if their blood pressure is raised at two subsequent visits to the doctor.
They may then be prescribed medication to lower their blood pressure.
Day and night Research suggests, however, that about a quarter of patients actually have "white coat" hypertension - where blood pressure is raised temporarily due to stress.

This new guidance will refine the way we test and treat people for hypertension, particularly by helping to identify people suffering from 'white coat' hypertension”

Cathy Ross Senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation

 

Now, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has advised doctors in England and Wales to move towards "ambulatory" monitoring of patients at home, using a device that automatically takes blood pressure readings every 30 minutes day and night.

Around one in 10 GPs are already offering ambulatory monitoring, either directly or by referring patients to a hospital specialist.
The new guidelines were issued at the same time as the publication of a research study in The Lancet.
One of the authors of the paper, Professor Richard McManus of the University of Birmingham, said: "This research shows that ambulatory blood pressure monitoring at the time of diagnosis of high blood pressure would allow better targeting of treatment and is cost-saving.
"Ambulatory monitoring is already available in some general practices and we have shown that its widespread use would be better for both patients and the clinicians looking after them.
"Treatment with blood pressure lowering medication is usually lifelong and so it is worth getting the decision to start right in the first place."
It is expected to take about a year to implement the advice at a net cost of about £2.5m. However, in the long-term the costs will be recouped, say experts, eventually saving about £10.5m a year.
'More accurate' Cathy Ross, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said the number of people with high blood pressure in the UK was "staggering".
"Some 12 million people are diagnosed with the condition and it is estimated another 5.7 million people have it but are unaware. It's a major risk factor for heart disease and strokes so it's crucial we do all we can to get people diagnosed and properly treated as soon as possible.
"This new guidance will refine the way we test and treat people for hypertension, particularly by helping to identify people suffering from 'white coat hypertension'.
"It doesn't mean that current methods aren't working, only that they can be improved further. Anyone currently concerned about their blood pressure or treatment should speak to their GP or practice nurse."
Professor Bryan Williams, chairman of NICE's Guideline Development Group, told the BBC there would be an "upfront cost" of introducing the ambulatory equipment.
But he added: "When you offset that against the reduced treatment costs of people who don't require treatment, and the reduced number of visits to doctors, we estimate that the NHS within about four or five years will save £10m.
"So it's a win-win situation for patients because it's a better way of making a diagnosis and the NHS actually saves money."
British Hypertension Society president Professor Mark Caulfield said the move was supported by research.
He said: "We've recommended that if high readings are found in the practice, that a 24-hour blood pressure monitor is worn because we found that the evidence now makes it very clear to us that this is a much more precise way of diagnosing high blood pressure."
In response to the new guidelines, Health Minister Anne Milton said: "These guidelines show that the use of innovations such as ambulatory monitors can provide more accurate blood pressure readings for patients as they go about their daily lives.
"This is not only better for patients, but also a better use of NHS resources."

Man woke on Deal beach with amnesia

 

The man told police he could not remember anything

 

Police are trying to identify a man who woke up on a beach in Kent apparently suffering from amnesia.

The man, in his late 50s or 60s, walked into the Victoria Hospital, Deal, on 18 August, complaining of head pains but does not have any obvious injuries.
He was moved to hospital in Margate but he has told police he cannot recall any personal details.
The man was wearing black jeans, a white T-shirt and beige walking boots, and had sunglasses and a walking stick.
Not reported missing A Kent Police spokesman said: "The man says he doesn't have any memory of himself, his family, home or any other personal details.
"He claims he woke up on the beach at Deal on 17 August and asked for directions to the hospital. However, he doesn't have any obvious injuries.
"Details of the man have been circulated to all police forces but it doesn't appear that he's been reported missing.
"Information has also been provided to various agencies in East Kent, like the NHS, but so far nothing has led to the man's identity.
"If anyone recognises the man from the photograph, or has any information that they think would be useful, Kent Police would very much like to hear from them."

More than one in 10 city centre shops vacant, says BRC

 

The BRC said people were shopping less

More than one in 10 town and city centre shops across the UK were vacant at the end of May, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has said.

Its study found the average vacancy rate was 11.2%, rising to 17.1% in Northern Ireland, the worst affected nation or region.
Wales was next, with a rate of 13.4%, with the north of England on 13.1%.
The BRC says consumer spending is being hit hard by higher inflation, job losses and low wage growth.
Its report also found that overall footfall - the number of people entering shops - was 1% lower in July than a year earlier.
Wales was hardest hit, seeing a 9.2% fall, followed by the West Midlands, down 6.6%, and the east of England, 6.2% lower.
By contrast, footfall rose by 1.6% in London, increased 0.4% in the South West, and was up by 0.2% in Scotland.
Stephen Robertson, British Retail Consortium director general, said: "This is the first time we've been able to publish footfall and vacancy figures in this level of detail and it shows stark differences in retail health between some of the UK's nations and regions.
"Generally, the parts of the UK where the public sector is a bigger proportion of the economy are the ones where customer spending is most likely to be hit by worries about job prospects and cuts, meaning people are shopping less and more retail businesses are failing."
The BRC report comes after official figures released last week showed that retail sales grew only slightly in July, up 0.2% from June.

Red Arrows pilot dies in Bournemouth Air Festival crash

 

Flt Lt Egging flew on the right hand outside of the Diamond Nine formation

An RAF Red Arrows pilot died when his plane crashed following a display at the Bournemouth Air Festival in Dorset.

Flt Lt Jon Egging, 33, from Rutland, was killed when his Hawk T1 aircraft - Red 4 - crashed about 1km south east of Bournemouth Airport at 13:50 BST.
Eyewitnesses described seeing the plane plunge to the ground in a field near the River Stour at Throop village.
It was one of nine Red Arrows aircraft that had earlier taken part in a display over the seafront.
In a statement Flt Lt Egging's wife, Dr Emma Egging, described her husband as "an exemplary pilot" and said watching him during the display was the "proudest" she had ever been.
"Jon was everything to those that knew him, and he was the best friend and husband I could ever have wished for," she said.
"I know that he would have wanted me to say something from the heart at this time. There was nothing bad about Jon.
"He loved his job and was an exemplary pilot.
"I loved everything about him, and he will be missed."
Flt Lt Egging was inspired by his airline pilot father who used to take him 'down route', allowing him into the cockpit for take off and landing.
Speaking to his local newspaper, The Leamington Observer, in May, the 33-year-old said being part of the world-famous team was "an absolute privilege".
"You are so focussed and working so hard to concentrate you just don't get a chance to feel scared," he added.

Ch Insp Steve White of Dorset Police: ''Sadly the pilot... was pronounced dead at the scene''

Gp Capt Simon Blake, the commandant of the RAF's Central Flying School, said Flt Lt Egging, known as 'Eggman', had joined the team as Red 4 in the autumn of 2010 and flew on the right hand outside of the famous Diamond Nine formation.
He said this was "an accolade in itself - being the most demanding position allocated to a first-year pilot".
"Throughout his winter training and the display season to date, his professionalism, skill and humility have shone through," he said.
"A true team player, his good nature and constant smile will be sorely missed by all."
'Cracking sound' Air Vice Marshal Mark Green, Air Officer Commanding 22 (Training) Group, also paid tribute to the pilot saying: "Jon's professionalism, competence and ever-present smile made him stand out from the crowd."

Red Arrows Hawk T1 Aircraft

• Two-seater, single-engined advanced training aircraft
• Length: 38ft 11in (11.8m)
• Wingspan: 30ft 10in (9.5m)
• Thrust: 5,200lbs
• Max altitude: 48,000 ft (14,630 m)
• Max speed: 638 mph (1,025 km/h) in level flight and 915 mph (1,472 km/h) in a dive
• The Red Arrows are based at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire
• Manufacturer: Hawker Siddeley/BAE Systems (United Kingdom)
• Used by the Red Arrows since 1979

Shaun Spencer-Perkins, who witnessed the crash from Throop Mill, said: "I heard a rushing sound and I saw a plane about 15m above the ground racing across the fields.

"It impacted and bounced across the field - made it across the river."
Another eyewitness, Nicholas Gore, 22, from Throop, was walking with a friend near the river when he saw all nine Red Arrows go over.
"There were quite a few people watching and we saw them go over but one seemed quite low," he said.
"They then disappeared behind trees and I heard a crack, not an explosion, just a crack and we got further down and I saw the plane with its red tail in the air and its nose in the river."
The mayor of Bournemouth, councillor Chris Rochester, said: "I cannot express strongly enough the immense sympathy I have, both personally and on behalf of the people of Bournemouth, for the family of Flight Lieutenant Jon Egging.

 

The plane plunged into a field near the River Stour

 

"The RAF has clearly lost an exceptional pilot and his family a man who was loved and cherished."
Bournemouth Borough Council leader Peter Charon said he had arranged for the authority to open two books of condolence on Sunday for people to express their sympathy after the crash.
In a statement, the borough council asked anyone wishing to leave floral tributes to place them on the grass banks around the Town Hall.
A statement on the Bournemouth Airport website said the airport was closed "for a short time but is now back to normal operations".
'Truly magnificent' Organisers of the Bournemouth Air Festival said events were continuing as scheduled.
Mark Smith, head of Bournemouth Tourism, said: "It is the wishes of the RAF to continue with their other flying displays at the Air Festival tomorrow, and the pilots have expressed their wishes to continue. The Red Arrows will not be performing."
He said the Red Arrows display prior to the crash had been "truly magnificent and magical".

Gp Capt Simon Blake from the RAF Central Flying School spoke of his ''great regret and sorrow"

A Ministry of Defence spokesman it was investigating the incident.
The crash site remains cordoned off by police and only people living inside the zone are being allowed access.
The Military Air Accident Investigation Branch were also admitted through the cordon to start work on identifying the cause of the crash.
All nine Red Arrows display pilots are fast jet pilots from frontline Royal Air Force squadrons.
Each aircraft can carry enough diesel and dye to create five minutes of white smoke, one minute of red and one minute of blue.
Both cockpit seats are fitted with Martin-Baker Mark 10B rocket boosted ejection seats.

Liam Gallagher sues brother Noel Gallagher for libel

 

Noel and Liam Gallagher have had a long-running public spat since they found fame in the mid-1990s

Former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher is suing his brother Noel over his claims the band once cancelled a gig because the singer was hungover.

Noel Gallagher told journalists at a press conference in July that it was the real reason why the band pulled out of the V Festival in 2009.
The official explanation at the time was that Liam Gallagher had laryngitis.
In a statement, he said he had "tried to resolve this amicably but have been left with no choice but legal action".
"All I want is an apology," he added.
The brothers have had a long-running public spat since they found fame in the mid-1990s.
However Liam, 38, said his brother's comments "went way beyond rock-and-roll banter and questioned my professionalism".
Noel, 44, made the claims as he promoted his debut solo album Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.
Explaining the demise of the band, he cited the V Festival incident as a contributing factor and further claimed his younger brother demanded free advertising space for his clothing label, Pretty Green, in the band's tour programme.
However Liam branded the claims "lies".
"I want Oasis fans, and others who were at V, to know the truth," he said.
"I was gutted when I couldn't play the gig because I didn't want to let the fans down. The truth is I had laryngitis, which Noel was made fully aware of that morning, diagnosed by a doctor."
He also disputed suggestions of an argument over his clothing line, saying "there was no such discussion or row".
The band split up soon after. Liam now fronts Beady Eye, made up of former Oasis band members.
Representatives for Noel have not commented on the action.

England riots: Prison population rising by '100 a day'

 

The Prison Governors Association has warned jails could run out of space

The prison population has increased by more than 100 a day over the past week as courts process cases of rioting and looting, prison governors have said.

They said total jail numbers were 86,608 in England and Wales, a rise of 677 in the six days up to Thursday.
The Prison Governors Association warned jails would run out of space if they continued to fill up at such a rate.
However, the organisation said there was no immediate crisis. Official figures have yet to be released.
Contingency plans The prison population normally decreases or remains stable in August because there are fewer court sittings and offenders sent to jail.
But this year because of the disorder in London, Manchester, Birmingham and other English cities, numbers are rising sharply. Demand for cells is particularly high in London.
It means the number of spare places in the system - about 1,200 in prisons and 200 in immigration removal centres - is declining.
Last week, the Ministry of Justice released figures showing the prison population had increased by 440 since the riots and was at a record high. It said it was "fairly confident" it could get the "headroom" it needed in prisons but that contingency plans were in place.
'Aggravating features'
These included putting an extra bed in a two-person cell, so that three prisoners would have to share one cell. The Youth Justice Board said there was also "ample" spare capacity in secure children's homes and secure training centres which hold young offenders from the age of 10.

Last year, Justice Secretary Ken Clarke hoped in his prisons and sentencing Green Paper to cut the jail population by 3,000.
Now, prisons are fuller than ever and officials are developing contingency plans as governors worry about running out of cells.
Magistrates have remanded almost 800 riot suspects - a six-fold increase in the usual numbers they lock up before trial. Many of those being remanded are first-time offenders who, at other times, would have been bailed.
Ken Clarke's original proposals included cutting remands by 1,300, reserving it only for those definitely going to jail. That would have saved prisons an estimated £50m.
As communities clean up and repair the damage, the hidden costs and challenges for prisons will grow as governors squeeze in hundreds of glum-faced looters, while trying to deliver reforms aimed at cutting reoffending.

Ministers may come under pressure to keep open two prisons that were due to close next month - Brockhill in Worcestershire and Latchmere House in south-west London.

Prime Minister David Cameron has defended courts for handing out "tough" sentences for those involved in the riots.
Rioters are being given prison terms that are on average 25% longer than usual. It also says 56 of 80 offenders sentenced by magistrates - or 70% - have been jailed, compared with a rate of 2% normally.
Some MPs and campaigners have said there have been examples of prison terms being too harsh.
Lib Dem peer and Howard League for Penal Reform president Lord Carlile said some decisions were "questionable".
On Tuesday, two men were jailed for four years at Chester Crown Court for using Facebook to incite riots. Both are to appeal against the sentence.
Max Hill QC, vice-chairman of the Criminal Bar Association, said it was not the job of judges "to deliver a political message on behalf of the government" when passing sentence but part of their role was to identify "serious aggravating features that elevate the crime beyond the ordinary".
He added: "In the case of the two in Chester, it seems that is exactly what the judge has done."

Riots show Britain in last-chance saloon, Duncan Smith says

 

Mr Duncan Smith's report on tackling gangs is to be unveiled in October

Britain is in "the last-chance saloon" when it comes to solving the "social crisis" at the root of the riots, the work and pensions secretary has said.

In a Spectator interview, Iain Duncan Smith predicted the unrest on England's streets would prove to be a turning point in David Cameron's leadership.
He said he believed the PM saw the riots as just as important to his time in office as 9/11 was for Tony Blair.
"This is our warning... the crisis is coming," he said.
Mr Duncan Smith's comments came hours after Prime Minister David Cameron had defended the courts for handing out "tough" sentences for those involved in the riots amid criticism from some MPs and campaigners that certain sentences were not proportionate to the crimes.
In other rioting-related developments:

• A fourth person has been charged with murdering three men who were hit by a car during riots in Birmingham. The men's funerals will take place later
• The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall visited parts of London hit by violence and looting. The Prince's Trust charity announced a £2.5m investment in the hardest-hit areas across England
• Ex-Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell, a QC and former leading criminal prosecutor, said any attempt by MPs to influence judges' decisions was "not consistent with the rule of law"
• Nottinghamshire Police said the disorder had cost it more than £1m in extra policing
• The Metropolitan Police announced that more than 1,000 people had now been charged in connection with rioting in the capital

Mr Duncan Smith, along with Home Secretary Theresa May, is to present a report in October on tackling gangs.
'Determined' He told the Spectator: "There has been a lot of focus on debt and the economic crisis. Now, we have to focus on the social crisis.
"The prime minister made it clear that this, now, is his big focus. It is not possible to have watched or experienced any of these riots without realising that we're in the last-chance saloon.
"This is our warning. That wasn't the crisis, but the crisis is coming. We can't let this go on any more, and I think the prime minister sees that."
Asked whether the riots would influence Mr Cameron's leadership in the same way as the September 11 attacks on the US affected Tony Blair's tenure in Number 10, he added: "Well, I think he sees it like that. It's been a reminder to him. He's now determined this is what he wants to do."

It's up to the courts to make decisions about sentencing”

David Cameron

 

He went on to say that the Tory government under Margaret Thatcher may have "freed up the markets" but missed "the next bit".

He added: "Getting society in Britain ready to meet that change. We never did. We ended up with a sort of mid-20th Century society, many locked away in welfarism, and a 21st Century economy. We see now that one cannot meet the results of the other."
He said the report on gangs would "set a template for what we believe as a national position every area should do and we'll expect that to happen".
Mr Cameron has already promised to boost a plan to help 120,000 troubled families through early intervention and Mr Duncan Smith denied that such a programme was unaffordable.
"We're spending a lot of money sending them off to offenders' institutions, to prison, intervening at all sorts of stages," he said.
"You can save a lot of that by getting these interventions right, earlier on."
Measures would include remedial education, work programmes, job interviews and drug addiction rehabilitation, he said.
'Questionable' sentences So far, more than 3,000 people have been arrested in connection with the riots and more than 1,200 people have been before the courts.

England riots

• 1,297 appeared in court to midday 17 August
• 21% Under 18
• 90% male
• 65% remanded in custody

Speaking in Warrington on Wednesday, Mr Cameron said: "It's up to the courts to make decisions about sentencing, but they've decided to send a tough message and it's very good that the courts feel able to do that."

However, some MPs and campaigners have criticised the sentencing as too harsh. Lord Carlile, a Lib Dem peer and Howard League for Penal Reform president, said some decisions were "questionable".
The barrister told the BBC "ringleaders should receive very long sentences" but warned "there was an issue of proportionality" over the way people already before the courts had been treated.
Lord MacDonald, a former director of public prosecutions and also a Lib Dem peer, said it was "difficult to see, on the facts that we know, that there's justification for [the] disparity" seen in some of the sentences handed out.
"I think that leads to injustice in individual cases," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme, adding that judges must remain "dispassionate" and should not get "swept up in any sort of moral panic".
He said the Sentencing Council currently did not have guidelines for judges and magistrates on how to deal with individual cases in the context of widespread looting and disorder. He urged it to publish some as soon as possible.

Man dies after Taser arrest in Cumbria

Cumbria police said a Taser gun was used to arrest a man who later died. 

A man in his 20s has died in Cumbria after being shot with a Taser by police during his arrest.
Police were called to Hartington Street in Barrow at 6.30pm on Tuesday following reports of a man causing a disturbance.
A Taser was used during the arrest and the man later complained of feeling unwell. He was taken to hospital, where he died.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission has been called in.
The man has not been formally identified but was named locally as Dale Burns.
A friend, who did not want to be identified, said: "Dale worked the doors around here at different pubs. He had a girlfriend and two young kids, aged four and two and a half.
"I went to the hospital last night and his mum Donna was there. She didn't know why he had been Tasered or what had happened.
"Apparently he had been Tasered three times.
"Dale was a really good lad, we went to the gym together, he'd been going since he was 15."
A Cumbria police spokesman said: "Neighbourhood police officers attended the scene and arrested a male on suspicion of causing criminal damage and, during the arrest, a Taser was deployed.
"The man became unwell following the arrest and was taken to Furness general hospital by officers.
"At around 9pm the man, who was in his 20s and lived locally, was pronounced dead."
Stan Dewhurst, the owner of Flexappeal gym in Barrow-in-Furness, said: "Dale was a good lad, he worked for me at the gym for five years. He worked as a gym instructor but he would lock up for me and look after things while I was away.
"He entered bodybuilding competitions, regional and national, and was into his sports."
He said Dale had won three gold medals in a judo competition this year. He was "very dedicated and hardworking and was a good dad".
"This year he entered a judo competition and won three gold medals. Today was his daughter's fourth birthday."
It is believed Dale was in his flat on Hartington Street when the police were called, and that there were no others present in the flat.
The last person in Britain to die after being Tasered was Brian Loan, 47, from Sacriston, County Durham, in October 2006. An inquest into his death ruled he had died of heart problems.
But his sister, Barbara Hodgson, said the father-of-seven was in good health, ate well, took regular exercise and had never complained of chest pains.
She said his death was the result of police action and the use of the controversial Taser gun, which discharges up to 50,000 volts and has been used repeatedly in the north-east. Loan died after a two and a half hour siege at his home.

UK riots: police could get new curfew powers, says Theresa May

Theresa May says police may get power ‘to impose a general curfew in a particular area’. 

New powers allowing police to clear the streets and create "no-go" areas for the public are being considered, the home secretary, Theresa May, has said.
May said it was time to consider whether the police needed a power "to impose a general curfew in a particular area" in the aftermath of last week's riots.
The home secretary said the government was also contemplating tougher powers to impose curfews on individual teenagers under the age of 16.
In a speech in London, she said the power to declare a general curfew was needed because existing dispersal powers only allowed the police to declare a "no go" area with advance notification.
"In the fast-moving situation we have seen in the last week, we need to make sure the police have all the powers that are necessary," she added.
Asked about the curfew powers, May said: "It's something that we're going to look at to address whether, and to what extent, we may need to change the law.
"There are two issues – one is the availability of curfew powers in relation to individuals who are under the age of 16, and the other is whether … at the moment the curfew powers are specific in terms of individuals and attached to individuals, and it's whether more general powers are needed.
"I think we need to look at dispersal powers as well, because those do require an upfront designation of an area.
"It's clear to me that, as long as we tolerate the kind of antisocial behaviour that takes place every day up and down the country, we will continue to see high levels of crime, a lack of respect for private property and a contempt for community life."
She said the police "need to have the legal powers to take robust action against criminals", adding: "They also need strong leaders – single-minded crimefighters who get to the top and measure their own performance on nothing but taking the fight to lawbreakers.
"I want police officers to hear this message loud and clear: as long as you act within reason and the law, I will never damn you if you do."
May praised officers who put themselves in harm's way during the riots, saying everyone owed them "a debt of gratitude".
She added that controversial proposals to replace police authorities with elected police and crime commissioners from next year, and the introduction of a new National Crime Agency, were now more important than ever.
The home secretary also defended her decision not to delay the appointment of the new Metropolitan police commissioner to enable a foreign national, such as Bill Bratton, to apply for the job.
She is also writing to Sir Denis O'Connor, the chief inspector of constabulary, saying forces should be given clearer guidance on tactics, pre-emptive action, the number of officers trained in public order policing, the need for forces to assist others, and the appropriate arrest policy.
O'Connor warned earlier this year that more than two in five forces were unprepared to help police major protests.
May rejected calls from senior officers to reconsider the government's 20% cuts to police budgets in the wake of the riots.
"I am clear that, even at the end of this spending period, forces will still have the resources to deploy officers in the same numbers we have seen in the last week," she said.
"It's clear to me that we can improve the visibility and availability of the police to the public.
"It's more important than ever that we do so, because we are asking the police to fight crime on a tighter budget."

England riots: Broken society is top priority - Cameron

 

David Cameron says a security and a social fightback is needed

David Cameron has promised to prioritise tackling the "broken society" and to review all government policies following last week's riots.

The PM said he would speed up plans to deal with anti-social behaviour and improve parenting and education.
He said he aimed to "turn around the lives of the 120,000 most troubled families" by 2015 and pledged an "all out war" on gang culture.
Labour leader Ed Miliband has renewed calls for a "commission of inquiry".
Mr Cameron described the rioting, looting and arson that spread from London to parts of the East and West Midlands, Merseyside, Bristol, Manchester and Gloucester as "a wake-up call for our country".
He said the "worst of the British people" had been seen during the riots but praised those who had helped clean up shops and defend their homes, as well as the emergency services on the front line.
In a speech in Oxfordshire, he said politicians had been "unwilling for too long to talk about what is right and what is wrong", but such moral neutrality would not "cut it any more" and pledged a social, as well as a security, fightback.
He included children without fathers, schools without discipline and communities without control in a long list of what he believes has gone wrong in parts of the country.
"The broken society is back at the top of my agenda," Mr Cameron said.
He said more police officers were needed on the streets "deterring crime, ready to regroup and crack down at the first sign of trouble".
'Criminal disease' And he argued that those demanding he reverse government plans to cut police funding were "missing the point" - as ministers would cut the bureaucracy that was suffocating forces.
He pledged a "concerted, all out war on gangs and gang culture", which he said was a "major criminal disease that has infected streets and estates across our country".

“Start Quote

The politician's instinct - reach for new legislation, appoint a new adviser, wheel out your old prejudices - will not meet the public's demand for real answers and deep rooted, lasting solutions”

Ed Miliband

 

"Stamping out these gangs should be a new national priority," he said - adding that a cross-government programme would look at "every aspect of this problem".

The PM criticised parents who did not even attend court when their children were faced with rioting charges and said he wanted a "family test" applied to all domestic policies.
"If it hurts families, if it undermines commitment, if it tramples over the values that keep people together, or stops families from being together, then we shouldn't do it."
Plans to improve parenting would be "accelerated, expanded and implemented as quickly as possible", he said, pledging to put "rocket boosters" under work to target "troubled" families.
"I have a clear ambition that within the lifetime of this Parliament we will turn around the lives of the 120,000 most troubled families in the country," he said.
And he said he wanted to push "further, faster" on plans to help schools discipline those who misbehave and reinforce the message that hard work pays off.
Ministers would look at the Human Rights Act and health and safety legislation - saying they had been "twisted" and misrepresented by some in a way that had undermined personal responsibility.
But in a speech at his old school in north London, Mr Miliband warned against knee-jerk gimmicks which have not been thought through.
"The politician's instinct - reach for new legislation, appoint a new adviser, wheel out your old prejudices - will not meet the public's demand for real answers and deep rooted, lasting solutions," he said.
He accused Mr Cameron of "reaching for shallow and superficial answers" when lasting solutions were needed and urged a "national conversation", starting in those areas that were worst affected, about the causes of the riots.
And he accused the government of undermining police forces with "an unseemly attempt by government to take credit for operational decisions that went right and blame the police for those that didn't work out".
Benefits penalty In other developments following last week's riots:

• A 16-year-old boy is being questioned by police on suspicion of murdering Richard Bowes, 68, in Ealing last week. A 22-year-old man also arrested over his death has been bailed
• Joshua Donald, 26, and a 17-year-old boy will appear at Birmingham Crown Court charged with the murders of three men hit by a car during disturbances in the city last week. A third man, Adam King, 23, will also appear at magistrates' court charged with three counts of murder
• Bill Bratton, the former US police chief now advising the government on gangs, has told the Guardian he can bring about "transformational" change in the UK - and reduce crime despite cuts to police budgets
• Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith has told the BBC that people convicted of involvement in rioting could lose their benefits even if they do not receive a custodial sentence
• Mayor of London Boris Johnson says he wants courts to have the power to send 11 to 15-year-olds convicted of being involved in riots to pupil referral units
• In Manchester, those convicted of looting or public disorder will be barred from 400 stores in the city centre

Elsewhere on Monday, MPs on the home affairs select committee are expected to hold a private meeting with Acting Metropolitan Police Commissioner Tim Godwin to find out how anti-riot tactics developed and with Sir Hugh Orde, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers.
In recent days, the police and the government have clashed over the handling of the police response.
Home Secretary Theresa May said it was her job to tell the police what the public wanted them to do, as acting Met chief Mr Godwin accused MPs of "inconsistency of guidance".
Over the weekend, extra police patrolled city streets but there were no signs of any unrest. In London and Birmingham, magistrates continued to wade through the latest cases in weekend sittings.

Birmingham disorder: Thousands attend peace rally

 

Communities gathered at the rally to show their support for the city

 

Thousands of people have attended a peace rally which followed the looting and violence in Birmingham.

Community groups arranged the rally in response to the disorder and the loss of three lives in Winson Green.
Haroon Jahan, 21, and brothers Shazad Ali, 30, and Abdul Musavir, 31, died on Wednesday as they protected businesses from looters
Police estimated up to 5,000 people were at the rally in Summerfield Park, Winson Green.
A minute's silence was observed during the event.
'Unity and solidarity' Religious leaders said the aim was to promote unity and to show solidarity against the rioters.
Tariq Jahan, father of Haroon Jahan, made an emotional speech, along with relatives of Shazad Ali and Abdul Musavir.

Mr Jahan said seeing the community standing together gave him strength in his heart.
He asked the communities not to let their sons die in vain.
"I hope that this community will remember them," he said.
He said he had received so much mail so many emails of support he had not had chance to respond.
"I don't know how to respond," he said. "I am one of the people. I am nobody special.
"I am not important but thank you from bottom of my heart from my wife and all our families."
'Set good example' The Reverend Mark Ryan, of the Birmingham Christian Centre, said beforehand there was a slight risk of trouble but that it was worth taking the risk.
He said: "I think it is a great thing that all the communities want to come to say 'one Birmingham, one city, one voice for peace'."
Police said they expected the rally to pass without incident.Click to playeople at the rally spoke to the BBC's Anthony Bartramve Clayton, 65, of Oldbury, West Midlands, said he wanted to share his condolences with the families of the men who were killed.
"I think (events like these) want to be more widespread around the country," he said.
"There are other cities with problems."
Akhar Ali from Sparkhill, Birmingham, said: "I came to show the respects to the family and to share their grief.
"I hope an event like this will create unity amongst all communities and all religions."
Margaret Osahan of Edgbaston, Birmingham, said: "We have a situation where people don't respect each other.
"We have to set a good example. I hope some of the young people who were rioting are here so we can set them an example."
'Damaged young people' West Midlands Chief Constable Chris Sims also spoke at the event, along with Birmingham City Council leader Mike Whitby.

 

Abdul Quddoos, brother of Shazad Ali and Abdul Musavir, delivered an emotional speech

 

"We are working together, politicians, faith leaders, community leaders - the desire for normality in this city is tangible," said Mr Whitby.
Before the event, Mr Sims said: "Officers have been overwhelmed by the support shown by the public and it felt a million miles from the debates apparently raging in Westminster."
Sentencing of those in court had been "justifiably harsh", he said.
But he added people must not abandon compassion for some "damaged young people who have been caught up in these incidents".
Earlier on Sunday, two people, a 26-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy appeared in court charged with the murders of the three men in Winson Green.
They were remanded in custody and will appear at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday.

Sea eagles released into the wild from Fife

 

With a wing span of 8ft, the white-tailed sea eagle is the UK's largest raptor

A new batch of 16 young sea eagles has been released in Fife as part of ongoing efforts to reintroduce them across Scotland.

The white-tailed sea eagles, released from a secret location, are the UK's largest bird of prey.
They were reared until they were old enough to fledge, after arriving from Norway in June.
The eagles have been raised in specially built aviaries on a diet of grey squirrel, roe deer and haddock.
The East Scotland Sea Eagle reintroduction scheme is run by RSPB Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and Forestry Commission Scotland.
Chick hopes Since the sea eagle reintroduction initiative began in 2007, a total of 80 birds have been released on the east coast of the country.

Every day our older birds are spotted in locations up and down the country”

Claire Smith RSPB Scotland

 

With a wing span of 8ft, the white-tailed sea eagle is the UK's largest bird of prey.

It was completely wiped out in Britain in the early 20th Century and only returned when a reintroduction programme began on the island of Rum in 1975.
Claire Smith, RSPB Scotland east Scotland sea eagle officer, said: "It's great to see these birds fit, ready and raring to try out those impressive wings for the first time.
"Each bird has been fitted with a radio and wing tags so both project staff and the public can follow their progress.
"For 2011 we've chosen red wing tags with white letters and numbers, and as usual any sightings can be reported to us via email.
"Every day our older birds are spotted in locations up and down the country and we're hopeful in the next couple of years the east of Scotland could have its first wild-bred chick."
Susan Davies, SNH policy and advice director, said: "More and more people in the east of Scotland are starting to spot these spectacular sea eagles in places like Loch Leven and throughout Fife, as well as further afield.
"This is a firm sign that the sea eagle is spreading back out into areas of its former range in Scotland.
"All of this is of course about protecting and restoring our wildlife, something that is everyone's responsibility and to all our benefit."

Average UK student debts 'could hit £53,000'

 

The decision to raise tuition fees in England sparked angry street protests

Average debts may reach £53,000 for UK students starting in 2012 - double the figure for 2011 - an annual survey suggests.

The Push university guide said average annual debts had risen 6.4% in the past year - more than inflation - to £5,680.
Researchers interviewed 2,800 students and based the projection on an average course length of 3.4 years.
Tuition fees in England will rise in 2012, but ministers say students should not be put off for financial reasons.
The survey is published a week before A-level pupils are due to receive their results, with heavy competition expected for remaining university places as prospective students seek to avoid the fees increase.
Projected rise Push researchers looked at all the debts, apart from mortgages, accrued by students at different stages of study around the UK, including some on longer courses such as medicine, and some postgraduates.
They then used the rate at which debts have increased in the past to project future rises, as well as factoring in the almost tripling of tuition fees in England to a maximum of £9,000 from 2012.
The average predicted debt on leaving university for UK students is £26,100 for those starting in 2011, rising to £53,400 for 2012 entrants.
For students in England, the projected average is £59,100, with the difference largely due to the fact that Scottish students do not have to pay tuition fees and increases for Welsh students' will be covered by government subsidies.
The prediction assumes average tuition fees in England of £8,630 per year.
This takes into account of bursaries and fee waivers already announced, although some universities may still offer further student support.
Economic climate Push publisher Johnny Rich said he thought the projection had an error margin of about 10%, and was higher than he had expected.
This was partly because debts had risen faster than inflation in the past year, he said.
This may be the result of students struggling to find part-time and temporary jobs because of the economic climate, as well as rising costs of expenses, such as travel and energy, he said.
Mr Rich said students may also be struggling to control their spending in the face of rising debts.
"The moment you start talking about such massive debts people stop being so careful... they realise they're in a deep hole and small amounts of effort won't dig them out again," he said.
But he maintained that prospective 2012 students "shouldn't be put off", as "the debt will not be a normal debt".
Regional variations Graduates will have to pay back their loans only once they start earning £21,000, and outstanding debt will be written off after 30 years.
However, Mr Rich said the current pattern was likely to continue, where one-quarter of student debt is held outside the student loans system.
This is mostly borrowed from family members, but nearly 7% is owed to banks and on credit cards.
According to the survey, average annual debt accrued by students currently at university varies widely across the UK, from £2,025 in Scotland to £6,231 in Wales.
Push said opportunities for paid work for students in Wales "appear to have dried up".
Most of the universities where students had the largest debts were in London.
Mr Rich said the size of debt meant it was increasingly important that students chose their university and course carefully.
"Basically you have one shot at this - you can return later in life, but it's a very expensive option. Get it right first time," he said.
'Lower repayments' A Department for Business, Innovation and Skills spokesman said no-one should be put off going to university for financial reasons.
BIS says the majority of students will not pay £9,000 for their tuition, no first time undergraduate will have to pay up-front costs, and there is also a more generous package of financial support available, including higher living-cost grants, fee waivers and scholarships.
Ministers also point out that graduates will make lower monthly repayments than they do under the current system.
University and College Union (UCU) general secretary Sally Hunt said: "Average student debt is already staggeringly high and is now set to get much worse."
National Union of Students president Liam Burns raised concerns about the extent to which students were using bank and credit card loans.
"The fact that the government thinks it's OK to hang an amount of debt equivalent to a small mortgage over someone's head while they study is one thing, but leaving young people reliant on commercial credit just to stay in education is scandalous," he said.

David Cameron to outline further riot measures

 

More than 1,300 arrests have been made in London, the West Midlands and Greater Manchester since the unrest began

 

David Cameron is expected to outline further measures to deal with recent disorder in England when MPs are recalled for an emergency debate.

A huge police operation and heavy rain in some areas appear to have prevented a fifth night of disorder.
And magistrates in several cities have been working through the night to deal with those arrested on previous nights.
In Birmingham, a vigil has been held for three men who died after being hit by a car while protecting property.
The prime minister has chaired a meeting of the government's emergency committee Cobra to discuss the violence with cabinet ministers and he will later make a statement on the rioting during an emergency session of Parliament.
He is expected to give details of financial help for people who have lost homes or businesses.
Meanwhile, Keith Vaz, chairman of the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, has told the BBC its members have voted unanimously to hold an inquiry into the causes of the riots.
It will also look at the role of social networking, the police response and police resources.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said the government's first obligation was to "show that we can keep our streets safe".
"It's a basic need that we've all got to know that our homes, our shops, our communities can be kept safe at times like this," Mr Clegg told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
"I think the immediate priority is to see through what the police have been doing successfully in the last few days, which is getting on top of the situation, making sure that the streets are safe again, getting people into court and getting them behind bars where appropriate."
He said longer-term debates were needed in the coming weeks and months but this would start in Parliament later.
On Wednesday, Mr Cameron said the "fightback" was under way and said every action would be taken to restore order, with contingency plans for water cannon to be available at 24 hours' notice.
It is the second time in less than a month that MPs have been recalled for an emergency session - the first was for the phone-hacking scandal at the News of the World newspaper.
In other developments:

• More than 90,000 people have signed an online petition calling for anyone convicted of taking part in the riots to lose any benefits they receive
• Up to 250 officers were sent from Scotland to help police in the Midlands and North of England deal with rioting and disorder
• The Met says 16,000 officers will be available in London for the next 24 hours and this will be reviewed on Friday
• Police in London say they have more than 100 arrest warrants to work through "in the coming hours and days"
• The government launches a website with advice to the public on how to cope with the unrest
• Saturday's Premier League match between Tottenham and Everton at White Hart Lane has been postponed

Meanwhile, the Met Police have made a total of 888 arrests and charged 371 people in connection with violence, disorder and looting in the capital since Saturday night.
More than 330 people have been arrested in the West Midlands and a further 140 people have been arrested so far over the trouble in Manchester and Salford.

Spotlight on Cameron

Norman Smith Chief political correspondent, BBC Radio 4

For David Cameron the riots were a moment of maximum crisis - and yet there are those around him who hope he may yet emerge strengthened.
The looting and violence, they argue, actually plays to one of Mr Cameron's long standing narratives about the Broken Society.
The response of ordinary people in coming together and cleaning up their local communities also chimes with his belief in the Big Society.
Many traditional Tories, they say, will also have been delighted by his clear and uncompromising stance on law and order, with his promise of more arrests, more prison places and his dismissal of "phoney concerns about human rights".
But their biggest hope is that though Mr Cameron appeared to stumble at the start of these riots with his belated return from holiday, he has since got a grip and shown leadership.
In short the hope is the riots need not prove the potential political catastrophe for his premiership that many had predicted.

Courts sat through the night in London, Manchester and Solihull in the West Midlands to deal with people arrested during the four nights of disturbances, with those appearing in court mainly facing disorder and burglary charges.

Mr Cameron said anyone convicted of violent disorder would be sent to prison.
But Met Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stephen Kavanagh said some officers who had been on the streets had voiced disappointment at the sentences handed out so far.
Mr Kavanagh added that there had since been "constructive conversations" between the home secretary, the Met commissioner and the courts.
"We're very keen to make sure that communities within our cities feel confident in the policing and that we can then get back to some sense of normality," he told BBC News.
London Mayor Boris Johnson praised the police, and insisted the authorities were not "complacent" despite the violence subsiding.
"Nobody should be in any doubt that the problem is over or that we are remotely complacent about this," he told reporters after the Cobra meeting.
Met Acting Commissioner Tim Godwin paid tribute to his officers after the meeting.
"We faced unprecedented violence and damage and criminality and looting, and they were so brave," he said.
"Any suggestion the officers stood back is wrong."
Police cuts A deputation of Labour MPs from London went to the Home Office on Wednesday to demand a "moratorium" on plans to reduce numbers in the Metropolitan Police.
Labour shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: "It is staggering and utterly shameful if it has taken these appalling events for ministers to start waking up to what everyone else has known all along," she said.
"Cutting 16,000 officers - the equivalent of every officer on the streets of London last night - at a time like this is deeply irresponsible."
But Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said it was "simply ridiculous" to link the disorder to government policies or police cuts which had not been implemented yet.
He said the government believed the cuts were "entirely manageable - and will allow the police in the future, just as they have today, to deploy large numbers into areas where that is needed".
London's Conservative mayor Boris Johnson is standing by his call for a rethink on police funding but senior government sources say the Treasury will not reopen negotiations on the spending review.
Home Secretary Theresa May has repeated her belief that police budgets can be reduced without damaging their ability to do their jobs.
'Truly dreadful' A candle-lit vigil has been held for Haroon Jahan, 21, Shahzad Ali, 30, and Abdul Musavir, 31, who died when they were hit by a car in Birmingham on Tuesday night.
Police have been given more time to question a 32-year-old man on suspicion of murder.
Mr Cameron said the deaths were "truly dreadful" and offered his condolences to the men's families.
The riots first flared on Saturday after a peaceful protest in Tottenham over the fatal shooting of Mark Duggan, 29, by police.

Three killed in crash on night of Birmingham riots

 

About 200 people from Birmingham's Asian community gathered outside City Hospital

Three men have been run over and killed as they protected property in a second night of violence in Birmingham.

The men aged 31, 30 and 20 were hit by a car in Winson Green. They were taken to City Hospital where about 200 people from the Asian community gathered.
Witnesses said the men were in a group protecting their community after riot police were called into the city.
Police have arrested a 32-year-old who is being questioned on suspicion of murder following the deaths.
The father of one victim has paid tribute to his son.
Tariq Jahan said son Haroon Jahan "had his whole life ahead of him".
"He was a very good lad, a good man starting at the beginning of his life and had his whole life ahead of him.
"I've got no words to describe why he was taken and why this has happened and what's happening to the whole of England.
"It makes no sense why people are behaving in this way and taking the lives of three innocent people."

They were protecting the community as a whole”

Mohammed Shakiel Eyewitness

He said his son was a mechanic who worked at the bottom of the street where he lived.

"He never got into any mischief, any trouble - a good kid," he added.
Witnesses to the incident said the three victims - two of them brothers - were part of a group protecting shops from looting.
Kabir Khan Isakhel said: "People came out of prayers [at a local mosque] and they were protecting the area.
"They were standing on the side of the road and the car just came and ran them over."
Mohammed Shakiel, 34, a carpenter, said the men "lost their lives for other people".
"They weren't standing outside a mosque, a temple, a synagogue or a church - they were standing outside shops where everybody goes.
"They were protecting the community as a whole."
Another eyewitness said the victims were thrown into the air after a car mounted the kerb where they were standing.

 

The road in Winson Green has been closed off to collect evidence

 

"A car came flying at a bunch of lads standing there," one young man, who was not named, told BBC News.
He said the three men went flying into the air and "within six seconds it was all over".
West Midlands Police said: "Three men have died following a road collision in the Winson Green area of Birmingham which detectives are treating as murder.
"Three men were taken to hospital where two later died from their injuries. A third man was in a critical condition but confirmed dead at around 6.30am.
"West Midlands Police have launched a murder enquiry, arrested one man in connection with the incident and recovered a vehicle nearby which will be examined by forensics experts."
Officers have appealed for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward.
There was looting in Birmingham city centre, Wolverhampton and West Bromwich on Tuesday night.
Police said there were 163 arrests on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning up to 03:00 BST. That brings the total number of arrests in the West Midlands to about 300 since the disorder began.
Police have been investigating reports that shots had been fired in the Aston area of Birmingham.
Riot police were on the streets and surrounded The Mailbox shopping complex in the city centre.