'Reinstate Clarkson' Petition Signed By 150,000

More Funds Urged For Struggling New Mums

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 14 Maret 2015 | 14.43

By Emma Birchley, East Of England Correspondent

A letter has been sent to the Chancellor urging him to allocate funds in the Budget to support women struggling to cope before and after the birth of a baby.

More than one in 10 women suffer from ante or post-natal depression.

But research by the parenting charity NCT has found that only 26% of NHS trusts offer them any specialist mental health support.

Now 29 organisations have signed the NCT's letter to George Osborne on the weekend of Mother's Day calling for that to change.

The organisations include The Royal College of Midwives, the Mental Health Foundation and Netmums.

Elizabeth Duff, senior adviser at NCT, said: "One of the things mothers really need is better services when they are suffering poor mental health around having their baby.

"So that's what we're asking Osborne to do - make sure there are services for those women."

Marianne Ryan, from Peterborough, struggled after her daughter Jessica was born with a genetic condition that affected her breathing and feeding.

She was given anti-depressants but had to wait 10 months for counselling.

And it was no better when she became pregnant with Edward, now five months old.

"I felt let down," she said.

"Nobody asked me how I was feeling during the pregnancy and when I asked about counselling they said it was not available.

"I could apply for it, but it would take a long time so there wasn't much point. It took quite a lot for me to admit it first time around.

"I felt quite ashamed so I was quite brave doing it again - but there was no help and you feel ashamed again and go home and get on with it."

Last year the Government allocated extra funding for mental health services.

But the organisations behind the letter say money must be specifically allocated to help mothers.

The letter states: "More than one in 10 mothers in the UK experiences some form of ante-natal or post-natal depression, yet despite the prevalence of this condition and the current political focus on parity of esteem between mental and physical health, there are still huge gaps in the services available.

"A commitment in the Budget to dedicated funds for treating perinatal mental health problems would help to reduce financial burden by ensuring the health service is better equipped."

Of the quarter of trusts which do provide some kind of support, half have just one member of staff to do the work.

Marianne is delighted that action is being taken.

"I think the letter is brilliant," she said. But she added: "I think it's a shame that it has to be done because it's pretty obvious that's what women need."

A Government spokesperson said: "It is vital that pregnant women and new mothers with mental health problems get the specialist care they need.

"This is why we have employed more than 2,300 more midwives and an extra 3,100 health visitors since 2010 to provide personalised care and support to women during pregnancy and the perinatal period.

"We are also ensuring that every birthing unit has trained specialist mental health staff available to support pregnant women and new mums by 2017."

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Clarkson Hints At Possible Top Gear Exit

Jeremy Clarkson has hinted he may be ready to leave Top Gear after being suspended over a bust-up with a producer.

Writing in his column for the Sun newspaper he appeared to refer to himself as a "dinosaur", explaining that "the day must come when you have to wave goodbye to the big monsters".

He wrote: "Nature made a mistake when it invented the dinosaur. It was too big, too violent ...

"All the dinosaurs died and now, years later, no-one mourns their passing.

"These big, imposing creatures have no place in a world which has moved on."

Clarkson, 54, has been suspended over a row in which he allegedly tried to hit a producer, named in reports as Oisin Tymon.

A petition calling for Clarkson to be reinstated has reached more than 840,000 signatures.

But the controversial presenter wrote: "You can start as many campaigns as you like and call on the support of politicians from all sides, but the day must come when you have to wave goodbye to the big monsters, and move on.

"We lose one animal and get another. The world turns."

He goes on to say: "As you may have heard, I've been suspended by the BBC following a fracas at a North Yorkshire hotel.

"I don't intend to dwell here on what happened then or what will happen in the future. I'm sure you're as fed up with the story as I am.

"One of the things which has cheered me is how many people have expressed support in the last few days. I'm touched and grateful."

Clarkson is being summoned to appear before a BBC disciplinary panel that will decide his fate.

The panel will be chaired by Ken MacQuarrie, the head of BBC Scotland who conducted the investigation into Newsnight's false expose of Lord McAlpine.

The corporation has not revealed when or where the hearing will take place.

:: Read Sky News' interview with a family who say Clarkson launched into an expletive-ridden rant at the producer.

According to reports, he lashed out because he was unable to order a steak at the Simonstone Hall Hotel near Hawes, North Yorkshire, where the production team were staying.

The Sun and Daily Mirror said the hotel's chef had gone home by the time they arrived and they were only offered cold meat platters, although Clarkson had ordered a £21.95 steak.

The papers quoted a source who claimed Clarkson blamed Mr Tymon for not arranging hot food and said there had been a "scuffle".

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ebola Nurse And Two Colleagues Back In UK

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 13 Maret 2015 | 14.43

A British healthcare worker who contracted Ebola while working in Sierra Leone has arrived in the UK for specialist treatment.

The unnamed woman, who works for the British military in Kerry Town, is being treated at a special high-level isolation unit at the Royal Free Hospital in northwest London.

Two fellow military healthcare workers who came into contact with the woman returned to the UK on the same RAF plane, Public Health England (PHE) said.

The pair will be assessed at the Royal Free, the hospital said.

"Neither is displaying symptoms of the disease," it said.

Two other co-workers who also came into contact with the woman are still in Sierra Leone under observation, but will be flown to Newcastle on Friday on an EU Medevac flight.

They will be taken to the city's Royal Victoria Infirmary.

Rapid tracing was undertaken to identify anyone who had been in recent close contact with the worker after she tested positive to the disease, a PHE spokeswoman said.

"This contact tracing identified four military healthcare workers requiring further assessment," she said.

An investigation has been launched into exactly how the woman fell ill, at the same British-run clinic where Scottish nurse Pauline Cafferkey contracted the virus.

Ms Cafferkey had volunteered with Save The Children at the Ebola Treatment Centre in January. She returned to the UK before making a full recovery.

Another British nurse, Will Pooley, also survived the highly-contagious disease after contracting it while working in Sierra Leone last year.

No British nationals have died from Ebola, but there have been more than 9,500 fatalities in West Africa since the outbreak began.

Ms Cafferkey and Mr Pooley were the only Britons to have tested positive for the disease until the latest case.

A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said: "Despite there being stringent procedures and controls in place to safeguard UK service personnel, there is always a level of risk in deployments on operations of this type."

An estimated 700 British servicemen and women have been deployed to Sierra Leone to help in the response against Ebola, which swept through West Africa last year.

They have helped build and staff medical centres such as the Kerry Town Ebola Crisis Centre which opened in November last year, along with a number of volunteers from the NHS.

The 80-bed hospital is managed by Save the Children. It has several beds reserved for health workers who fall ill with the potentially deadly virus.

The World Heath Organisation said the death toll from the Ebola epidemic has surpassed 10,000.

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Family: Clarkson Said He'd Have Colleague Fired

By Gerard Tubb, North of England Correspondent

Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson is facing new allegations over the "fracas" at a Yorkshire Dales hotel that led to his suspension by the BBC on Monday.

Four members of the same family who overheard the row say Clarkson told a colleague he would have him fired because there was no hot food at the end of a day's filming.

The Ward family from Leeds told Sky News that Clarkson ranted for up to half-an-hour at the Simonstone Hotel near Hawes and say they were shocked at his language and the way he treated his colleague.

They also claimed he criticised the BBC, saying it was "getting worse".

Sue Ward, 54, a medical receptionist, described Clarkson's behaviour towards the unnamed employee as shocking.

"He said he hadn't done his job properly, it was ridiculous that there was nothing to eat, obviously there was lots of expletives in between all this, and that he would be losing his job, he would see to it that he would lose his job," she said.

"Even someone who's really inept at their job should be told properly, in a proper manner," she said

"But the fact that it was in a public place, I didn't want to listen to that language."

Sue's brother in law Bob Ward, 60, said Clarkson arrived with his co-presenters by helicopter at around 9.30pm and refused to have his picture taken.

"I said 'Any chance of a selfie Jeremy?' and he said 'No, not with the day I've had today'."

Within minutes, Bob's wife Denise, 51, said Clarkson was shouting and swearing and had spoiled the evening they had been looking forward to.

"We were sort of, 'Ooh, celebrities, will we see them?' and then it was just the shock of how can someone be so rude?" she said.

"It was just the swearing and the length of time and this poor guy that he was ripping into," she added.

Top Gear is the BBC's biggest global brand, worth more than £50m a year, but with Clarkson suspended the next three episodes have been scrapped.

The only Top Gear fan among the Ward family, Sue's husband Alan, 56, agreed with the three quarters of a million people who have signed an online petition for Clarkson to keep his job.

"He's brash, we know what he's like, he's been in trouble before and I think he'll be in trouble again," he said.

"I think he'll continue to do that job because without Clarkson there's no Top Gear."

Sky News has approached Clarkson for a comment but he has not responded.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that Clarkson's Twitter profile has changed from saying, "I am a presenter on the BBC2 motoring show, Top Gear" to "I am probably a presenter on the BBC2 motoring show, Top Gear".

One fan responded by tweeting "brilliant", while an opponent wrote "You'll soon be changing the verb tense in your profile then?"

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

DUP: Future Coalition Must Commit On Defence

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 12 Maret 2015 | 14.43

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

A future coalition government would have to commit to maintaining defence spending if it wants DUP support, the party has told Sky News.

The Northern Ireland party has set the red line as part of its national strategy in the event of a hung parliament.

"We are very clear, whether it be Labour or Conservative, that we need to see a very clear commitment on 2% GDP on spending and that must be upheld. It's not just a NATO requirement, we need this for our defence," the party's defence spokesman Jeffrey Donaldson told Sky News.

It is a significant announcement from a party that could potentially hold the balance of power on 8 May.

The Democratic Unionist Party is seen as a possible ally for the Conservatives in the event of a hung parliament. They are expected to win eight or nine seats at the election meaning their support could swing it for the Conservatives looking to form a government.

They also insist any new government must equip and deploy both of the two new aircraft carriers currently under construction.

The announcement comes on the same day politicians debate the defence budget in the House of Commons. The debate was called by backbenchers after repeated refusals by Downing Street to commit to the budget beyond the next spending review later this year.

One of those taking part in the debate is Conservative MP and member of the Defence Select Committee James Gray.

"The world is an incredibly dangerous place," he said. "We need defence spending, the Americans have made it plain we need defence spending and the Prime Minister is personally committed to doing it, so all we are saying is please live up to what you previously promised."

Tory backbenchers are cross their party is committed to protecting the International Aid budget - a Lib Dem policy - but will not give such commitments to the defence budget.

It is believed the Chancellor is in favour of further cuts to the military, but David Cameron would like to see the budget protected. The MPs hope to put pressure on him ahead of next week's Budget.

Currently Britain is only one of four NATO countries to spend 2% of its national wealth on defence. The others are Greece, Estonia and the United States.

At the NATO Summit in Wales last year, David Cameron forced other member states to pledge to meet the target. Later this year there will be another Defence and Security spending review. If the UK economy continues to grow but the defence budget is not increased, then the UK will slip below that 2%.

The military has already taken a huge hit after the last spending review in 2010.

The Army has shrunk from 102,000 personnel to 82,000 and pessimistic forecasts predict it might be cut further still, taking it beyond a credible force.

Washington is putting pressure on the government not to cut further. Barack Obama has spoken to the Prime Minister in private, but recently the US Army Chief of Staff, General Raymond Odierno, publicly warned against further cuts.

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

France Overtakes Britain In IS Air Campaign

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

France has overtaken Britain as the second biggest contributor to the air campaign against Islamic State, Sky News can reveal.

The UK government has long claimed that position but since the arrival of French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in the Gulf last month, the French are putting up more planes on more sorties over Iraq.

French warplanes now fly between 12 and 15 sorties a day, more than three times the amount of RAF jets.

There are more than four times as many French fighter jets involved in the campaign.

The Charles de Gaulle has 21 jets on board, including 12 Rafale, nine Super Etendard and a further 15 are based on land in Jordan and the UAE.

In contrast, the UK has eight Tornados based at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, flying an average of two sorties a day in pairs.

The Tornados are supported by a Voyager refuelling aircraft, which also contributes to the French mission when needed.

The French also have considerably more personnel assigned to the campaign: 3,200 compared to 500 from the UK.

Sky News' research undermines David Cameron's repeated claim that Britain is the major partner to the United States in the air effort.

Only last week he told an audience: "The second largest contributor in terms of airstrikes and air patrols is Britain by a very large margin. I think you have to add up several other countries to get to the scale of what we're doing."

French officials told Sky News they do not see it as a competition but consider their military to be the second biggest contributor, not the RAF.

In response, the Ministry of Defence said British planes had carried out a greater number of airstrikes.

"We have been focussing our military contribution where it can have the most impact - airstrikes in support of Iraqi forces, providing vital intelligence, surveillance and air-to-air refuelling capabilities to the coalition.

"We continue to fly daily Reaper and Tornado missions and our Voyagers routinely refuel coalition aircraft, including French."

The international coalition has been flying missions over Iraq and Syria for 31 weeks.

1/14

Gallery: Sept: British Jets' First IS Combat Mission

British jets armed with missiles have taken off on their maiden combat mission over northern Iraq

Two Tornado GR4 fighter jets left RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus on Saturday morning, the day after MPs approved airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq

]]>

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Reinstate Clarkson' Petition Signed By 150,000

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 11 Maret 2015 | 14.43

'Reinstate Clarkson' Petition Signed By 150,000

We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.

An online petition calling for the BBC to reinstate Jeremy Clarkson has been signed by more than 150,000 people.

The Top Gear presenter was suspended and the show put on hold after he allegedly tried to hit one of the producers.

A spokeswoman for the BBC said no one else was suspended over the alleged "fracas" after filming in Newcastle.

It has been reported the alleged row was over a lack of catering facilities.

"No-one else has been suspended. Top Gear will not be broadcast this Sunday. The BBC will be making no further comment at this time," she added.

1/17

Gallery: Top Gear In Production In North Yorkshire

These photographs taken last week show the Top Gear team filming in the Yorkshire Dales near Hawes. Pictures: Thomas Beresford @ North Yorkshire Snow Updates www.facebook.com/NorthYorkshireWeatherUpdates

]]>

The online campaign on Change.org was created with the social-media hashtag #BringBackClarkson by right-wing blogger Guido Fawkes.

The presenter's daughter Em Clarkson also tweeted her support: "Oh God, BBC please take him back... he's started cooking..."

Hours after the suspension was announced, Clarkson's co-presenter James May also took to Twitter: "No Top Gear this weekend, apparently. How about [the film] 633 Squadron instead?"

Fellow host Richard Hammond replied: "No, surely, Last of the Summer Wine; no one will notice the difference. Job done."

Clarkson, who has been involved in a number of high-profile gaffes in recent years, was put on what the corporation called his final warning in 2014.

It followed claims he used the n-word while reciting the nursery rhyme Eeny, Meeny, Miny Moe during filming of the BBC2 programme.

Clarkson said he was "horrified" that it sounded as though he used racist language in the out-take, which was not broadcast.

The Sun newspaper, for which Clarkson writes a column, said he shrugged off his suspension and quoted him as saying: "I'm having a nice cold pint and waiting for this to blow over."

The paper also quoted a source as insisting the star was innocent, adding: "He didn't punch anyone."

Recommended by Outbrain Recommended by Outbrain

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 10 Maret 2015 | 14.43

By Martin Brunt, Crime Correspondent

Police have lost track of almost 400 registered sex offenders they should be monitoring, include a child rapist who vanished two years ago, official figures have revealed.

Others have been off the police radar for much longer, one for 14 years.

Claude Knights, of the child protection charity Kidscape, said: "The horrifying prospect is that these offenders will have rebuilt their lives in communities who don't know them.

"Re-offending is high and particularly among those who have left the support system that was designed to help them."

Everyone on the register - currently around 60,000 - is required to say where they are living. They are monitored by police, probation officers and the prison service under the multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA).

But a total of 396 registered sex offenders have vanished after moving home without telling the authorities their new address.

Some of those missing are foreign nationals who may have returned to their own countries. That could include failed asylum seeker Patrick Kanda, 36, who was convicted of child rape.

He was monitored for several years after he was released from prison, but vanished two years ago from his home in Dagenham, Essex.

He is one of 167 offenders who have stopped reporting to monitors at the Metropolitan Police.

West Midlands Police has "lost" 39 registered offenders, Greater Manchester Police is missing 25, and Essex and Sussex have no contact with 11 offenders.

There are offenders missing from their homes in most of the UK's 45 forces, but only Scotland says it knows where all its 4,775 sex offenders are living.

The figures were revealed in response to a Freedom of Information request by the Press Association news agency.

Jim Gamble, who runs child protection consultancy Ineqe, said: "Offenders who have chosen to go off the radar should be pursued and punished.

"By disappearing they are removing the incentive for staying in the system for the many others who choose to comply."

A Home Office spokesperson said: "The UK has some of the toughest powers in the world to deal with sex offenders and we are committed to ensuring the system is as robust as possible.

"Under this government more adult sex offenders are being imprisoned, and they are being imprisoned for longer. The latest published figures show there are more than 11,000 sentenced adult sex offenders in prison - up by more than 2,500 since 2010.

"We have also reformed civil orders by introducing new measures that give police and the courts further powers to restrict and monitor the activities of sex offenders and those who pose a risk.

"It is for the police to manage offenders in their area, but we work closely with forces to ensure legislation is effective and that officers have all the tools they need."

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hillsborough Police Chief To Face Inquests

By Mike McCarthy, North of England Correspondent

The man who was in charge of policing on the day of the Hillsborough disaster will today give evidence to inquests into the deaths of 96 football fans.

David Duckenfield was match commander on 15 April, 1989, and has been heavily criticised for blaming Liverpool supporters for creating the incident.

The inquests have already heard that Mr Duckenfield, a former chief superintendent, gave the order to open an exterior gate to ease congestion at the Leppings Lane end outside the Sheffield stadium, but is alleged to have told officials that Liverpool fans had forced it open.

For many relatives of those who died in the disaster Mr Duckenfield is the most important figure from South Yorkshire Police to give evidence.

At the opening of the hearings last year the coroner, Lord Justice Goldring, told the jury that Mr Duckenfield was in overall control of "F" Division, where the Hillsborough stadium is based.

The police officer had been promoted just weeks earlier and had never been in charge of a match at Hillsborough before the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.

Lord Goldring told the jury: "Whether that was a sensible decision may be something for you to have to consider."

Members of the jury have been told that the then chief executive of the Football Association, Graham Kelly, went to the police control box after the match had been stopped and spoke to Mr Duckenfield.

Mr Kelly told an earlier hearing: "I said 'what has happened?' and Mr Duckenfield said 'the Liverpool fans have forced a gate'."

The officer in charge of the Leppings Lane turnstiles, Superintendent Roger Marshall, has already told the inquests that was a lie.

Michael Goddard, a former police sergeant who shared the control box with the match commander, told the inquests that Mr Duckenfield "did not step up to the plate" as the disaster unfolded and had made a "gross error" in failing to consider the effect of opening an exterior gate.

Although Mr Duckenfield was in charge of policing the Hillsborough match he was not the most senior South Yorkshire Police officer at the stadium. Assistant Chief Constable Walter Jackson was the senior officer on call for the day.

Asked during his evidence whether it had been right for Chief Supt Duckenfield to take control of the semi-final he said: "He had reached a senior rank in the service and you don't get to be a deputy divisional commander if you haven't got tremendous experience."

Mr Duckenfield is due to give evidence at the inquests for four days.

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Three Missing British Schoolgirls 'In Al Raqqa'

Written By Unknown on Senin, 09 Maret 2015 | 14.44

Three missing schoolgirls who left Britain to join Islamic State have crossed into Syria and are believed to be staying at a house in al Raqqa, Sky sources say.

Shamima Begum, 15, Kadiza Sultana, 16, and Amira Abase, 15, boarded a flight from Gatwick Airport bound for Istanbul last month.

Authorities feared the teenagers, who attended Bethnal Green Academy in east London, were seeking to join the Islamist militants.

Sky's Stuart Ramsay said: "We're being told tonight that they've crossed into Syria through a crossing... which is not too far from Kilis.

"They're now apparently in a house that is owned or controlled - or at least hosted by - a British girl who had been in contact with them through the internet, and had brought them through Turkey and into Syria.

"We are told by... good sources within the city of al Raqqa that they are there, that they are safe.

"That is where they are staying - with this British girl who is hosting them.

"There's been a lot of discussion about where they are, (and) how they got there. But we are told they are now inside Syria, they are inside al Raqqa, and they are under the control of Islamic State."

Last week CCTV footage emerged which appeared to show the three teenagers at a bus station in Istanbul.

The girls were seen wrapped in heavy winter jackets, two with hoods pulled up, and carrying packed sports bags and holdalls.

The footage was recorded in the early hours of 18 February, less than 24 hours after the trio left their London homes, telling their families they would be out for the day.

1/7

Gallery: Three Schoolgirls From East London Go Missing

These pictures were taken from Kadiza Sultana (l) and Shamima Begum's (r) Twitter accounts

Kadiza and Shamima are feared to be on their way to Syria with a third girl, 15-year-old Amira Abase

]]>

14.44 | 0 komentar | Read More

Crufts Poison Claims: Dog Owners' Devastation

The owners of a prize-winning Irish setter who they claim was poisoned at the world famous Crufts dog show have spoken of their loss.

Jagger, who died in Belgium the day after appearing at the show in Birmingham, was owned by Belgian Aleksandra Lauwers and Leicester-based breeder Dee Milligan-Bott.

Ms Lauwers wrote on her Facebook page: "To person (sic) who has done it, hope you can sleep well knowing you have killed our love, family member and best friend to our son."

Ms Milligan-Bott described the dog's painful death as a "heinous crime" claiming poisoned beef cubes were discovered after an autopsy, although a full toxicology report has yet to be released.

In a post on her Facebook page Ms Milligan-Bott said: "This (poisoning) resulted in a very painful death for our beautiful boy.

"The timings from the autopsy will make it clear the only place this could have been given to Jagger was while on his bench at Crufts."

Appealing for information to find the person responsible she said she was hopeful a fellow competitor was not involved.

"We can't and we won't think that this was the act of another exhibitor, if we thought this we couldn't go on, and the last 30 years would be a complete waste," she said.

"So I ask all of you to unite in finding the perpetrator who did this, and let's continue to produce and breed our gorgeous dogs who we are all so proud of."

Police in Belgium have launched an investigation and CCTV footage is being analysed from the event.

The Kennel Club, which organises the Crufts show, released a statement confirming the dog's death.

"The Kennel Club is deeply shocked and saddened to hear that Jagger the Irish Setter died some 26 hours after leaving Crufts," it said.

"We have spoken to his owners and our heartfelt sympathies go out to them.

"We understand that the toxicology report is due next week and until that time we cannot know the cause of this tragic incident."

Crufts presenter Clare Balding said the situation is "awful for all concerned".

The four-day show finished on Sunday, with Scottish Terrier Knopa named Best In Show.

14.44 | 0 komentar | Read More

Five Teens Arrested As Four Die In Car Smash

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 08 Maret 2015 | 14.43

Five teenagers are being held on suspicion of dangerous driving after four people were killed in a collision between two cars.

Three 17-year-olds and a 68-year-old woman died and two others are in hospital following the crash in Powys, Mid Wales, just before 10.15pm on Friday.

The 68-year-old has been named by police as Margaret Elizabeth Challis, from the Merthyr area.

The teenagers who were killed - two males and a female - were all from Barry. They have not been named.

The crash happened as a number of vehicles travelled in a convoy on the A470 near Storey Arms, Brecon, between Libanus and RAC bends.

The two cars involved in the collision were a black Volkswagen Golf estate and a green Volkswagen Golf.

The teenagers were in the green Golf and Mrs Challis was a passenger in the black Golf estate, which was not believed to be part of the convoy.

Five male drivers, aged 17 and 18, who were in other vehicles, have been arrested, Dyfed Powys Police said.

The driver and front-seat passenger in the black Golf estate have been taken to hospital. The driver's condition is described as serious.

Superintendent Chris Curtis said: "This is a tragic incident and our thoughts are with the families at this difficult time.

"We are working with South Wales Police in order to provide support to the families affected and also the communities they live within.

"We will work with partners to ensure that the incident is fully investigated."

Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to contact Dyfed Powys Police on 101.

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

UK Kurds Mixed About Britons Fighting IS

By Richard Suchet, Sky News Reporter

"You lost one son but you have earned thousands of other sons."

That is the message from the editor of the UK's only Kurdish newspaper, Aladdin Sinayic, to the family of the first British person to die fighting Islamic State extremists.

Ex-Royal Marine Konstandinos Erik Scurfield, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, travelled to Syria in December to fight alongside Kurdish forces but was killed on Monday.

It is believed he quit his military career in order to join the fight against IS alongside Kurdish forces.

At the Kurdish Community Centre (KCC) in Haringey, north London, he is considered a hero.

One visitor to the centre told Sky News: "We think that these people must be very, very sensitive about Kurds and very intellectual. They have a big heart for us."

Another said: "When Erik's body is returned to the UK, we would like to do something special for his family - we want to invite them here and have a ceremony for them."

London is home to thousands of Kurds - a community united not by statehood but by language and culture.

Haringey is more than 3,000 miles from the fight against IS but the suffering of their people in the geocultural region of Kurdistan is at the forefront of their minds.

The walls of the KCC are plastered with pictures of Kurdish martyrs, many of whom have family in London.

"As long as we are awake we talk about these issues," says one man.

"It is part of our lives. Our minds have never been free of thinking about what is going on in Kurdistan."

Another added: "We came here two hours ago together, we are having our tea but at the same time we are talking about what is going on in Kurdistan.

"What, for example, is going to happen tomorrow?"

Telegraf editor Mr Sinayic believes the country's Kurdish community would like to see more Westerners travel to the Middle East to take on IS.

"When you see Britons or other nationalities going there and being in the fight, this is something very very important for us," he says.

"They are honourable."

But one British Kurd who has fought IS does not want to see other Brits risking their lives.

Security guard Yasir Abdullah is originally from Iraq but lives in West Yorkshire with his wife and four children.

Twice he has gambled everything by returning to his village to fight alongside other Kurds.

"I see on the TV what they're doing to the Kurdish or Arabs, or executing, everything, the bad things they do and we thought, we have to stand up to fight against this enemy of humanity," he said.

"But we don't want anyone coming over there to help us.

"We thank everybody - if they want to come over we thank them to not come over there.

"If they want to help us, tell the British Government and American Government more weapons. This is what we want."

Authorities go to great lengths to prevent UK nationals travelling to join IS but those wanting to fight against Islamist extremists seem to be free to do so.

But people who succeed in reaching the battlefield are held in high regard by a community that until recently has felt largely abandoned by the West.

14.43 | 0 komentar | Read More

Kota Sepi

Mengenai Saya

Popular Posts Today

More Funds Urged For Struggling New Mums

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 14 Maret 2015 | 14.43

Clarkson Hints At Possible Top Gear Exit

Ebola Nurse And Two Colleagues Back In UK

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 13 Maret 2015 | 14.43

Family: Clarkson Said He'd Have Colleague Fired

DUP: Future Coalition Must Commit On Defence

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 12 Maret 2015 | 14.43

France Overtakes Britain In IS Air Campaign

'Reinstate Clarkson' Petition Signed By 150,000

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 11 Maret 2015 | 14.43

Top Stories

Top Stories

Was Man Murdered For Exposing Paedophile Ring?

Police Forces Lose Track Of 396 Sex Offenders

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 10 Maret 2015 | 14.43

Hillsborough Police Chief To Face Inquests

Three Missing British Schoolgirls 'In Al Raqqa'

Written By Unknown on Senin, 09 Maret 2015 | 14.44

Crufts Poison Claims: Dog Owners' Devastation

Five Teens Arrested As Four Die In Car Smash

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 08 Maret 2015 | 14.43

UK Kurds Mixed About Britons Fighting IS

Links

Arsip Blog