World News Today: 2010

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Live Corrie attracts 14m viewers

Scene taken form Coronation Street's live episode

Jane Danson, who plays Leanne Battersby, (right) delivered a dramatic performance

The live 50th anniversary episode of Coronation Street attracted an average audience of 14 million people, according to overnight figures.

The ambitious show involved 65 actors and a 300-strong crew portraying the aftermath of a devastating gas explosion and tram crash.

Critics have largely hailed the hour-long special episode a huge success.

At its climax, two characters appeared to die from their injuries.

TV critic Martin Newman, who originally dismissed the soap when he reviewed the first episode in 1960, wrote in the Daily Mirror that the live episode sent "nervous shivers down my spine".

He said actress Jane Danson, who plays Leanne Battersby, gave the best performance of the night.

Actress Sally Lindsay, who used to play Shelley Unwin in the soap, paid tribute to her former colleagues in The Sun.

"I admit I was looking for any little hiccups but I didn't see a single one. It was absolutely superb and I'm proud of them all," she said.

The Guardian's Mark Lawson said: "Everything seemed smooth, although the producers were clever in setting every scene among characters under stress or grief, so any flapping might have been taken as acting."

In The Independent Gerard Gilbert called the live show an "exciting, well-crafted episode of a soap opera", but suggested there were a few mistakes.

Coronation Street viewers have seen Weatherfield devastated by an explosion and a tram crash

"Alison King as Carla seemed to lose the thread at one point, but it's hard to be sure in the circumstances, and William Roache was a bit indistinct at times, but then he was standing over his son's deathbed," he wrote.

The Metro's Rachel Tarley claimed there were a "few camera-focus issues" but it was "actually nigh-on impossible to tell the hour-long special apart from a regular Corrie episode".

Although she added there was "a lot of tearless crying as some of the actors struggled to turn on the waterworks on cue".

There have been months of speculation about the identities of those who would be killed off in the catastrophe.

On Wednesday, Ashley Peacock - a Street regular for 14 years, played by Steven Arnold - was seen being crushed to death after the Joinery bar collapsed.

On Thursday, viewers saw Peter Barlow and Molly Dobbs seem to succumb to their injuries.

The storyline has been billed as "four funerals and a wedding".

The show's golden jubilee episode was its first live edition for a decade.

The show's last live broadcast was screened in 2000 to mark the soap's 40th anniversary.

Coronation Street, created by scriptwriter Tony Warren, was originally commissioned for 13 episodes and first went out on 9 December 1960.

This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/entertainment-arts-11968043

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Terrorist activity 'played down'

Forensic experts at the scene of a dissident republican bomb attack in Londonderry

The level of terrorist activity in Northern Ireland is being played down by the police and government to make NI appear more normal than it actually is, the Police Federation has claimed.

When asked about the number of terrorist incidents this year, police say there have been 39 attacks on "national security targets"

But its website lists the total number of shootings and bombings as 150.

The Police Federation has claimed the discrepancy is due to a conspiracy.

The PSNI dismissed the allegation as "nonsense".

Terrorist incidents are classified according to the target, not who carried out the attack.

If the target is a police officer or soldier, or a government building like a court house, it is termed a national security incident.

However, attacks on civilians or commercial targets are not.

So the bombing of Newry Courthouse is officially termed a national security incident as is the attempted murder of police officer Paedar Heffron.

But the murder of Keiran Doherty by the Real IRA, and dozens of other shootings and bomb attacks by dissident republicans and loyalists, are not.

The Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, believes the classification is part of a conspiracy to give a false impression of the level of terrorist activity.

Terry Spence of the Police Federation said more transparency was needed

Senior police officers refer to national security incidents when asked about the level of terrorist activity.

However, the PSNI's website provides a much broader picture.

It lists figures for all shootings and bombings for each year since 1969.

So far this year, it records 72 shootings and 78 bombings, giving a total of 150.

Terry Spence of the Police Federation said that was not good enough, and that more transparency was needed.

"It's very clear that the PSNI, the Department of Justice, the Home Office and the Northern Ireland Office are using the statistics that there have been 39 national security targets attacked in Northern Ireland since the beginning of the year," he said.

"From our own statistical information that we have gathered over the last 11 or 12 months, in fact there have been 150 attacks, not only on police targets, police establishments and officers both on and off duty, but also on the family members of police officers and on civilians - two of whom have been murdered.

"It's very clear that all of those agencies, all of those stakeholders, have been understating the level of the terrorist threat both from dissident republicans and indeed from loyalist paramilitaries."

The Police Federation said it had raised the issue with Chief Constable Matt Baggott and was confident that senior officers will in future refer to the overall number of shooting and bombing incidents when asked to quantify the level of terrorist activity.

In a statement, the PSNI said it refutes any allegation that it is trying to understate the current terrorist threat.

It added that the chief constable is on record on a number of occasions stating the severe level of threat, and pointed out that tens of millions of pounds has spent countering that threat during the past 12 months.

This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/uk-northern-ireland-11973018

Friday, December 10, 2010

Health tourism

By Dr Emma Cuzner

The hidden cost of health tourism

Each year hundred of thousands of Britons go overseas for medical treatment.

In this week's Scrubbing Up, medico-legal adviser, Dr Emma Cuzner, warns that people considering surgery in the sun should ensure they are fully protected, because they could be left in the lurch if things go wrong.

The idea of travelling to Europe, and further afield, for medical treatment has taken off in recent years.

The organisation Treatment Abroad claims that around 60,000 UK patients travelled abroad in 2009, including 25,800 going for dental treatment and 17,400 planning to have cosmetic surgery.

Surgery in the sun

The phenomenon of health tourism is here to stay it seems, thanks to a combination of factors such as budget flights, lower prices for some private medical treatment compared to the UK, and an increased awareness of what is available.

The problem is that while more patients are aware of what can be done to enhance their appearance, surgery in the sun is not without its pitfalls.

One surgeon recently expressed concern that patients who go abroad may not always receive a proper assessment before their operation, or the aftercare they need.

Newspapers have reported horror stories about the emotional, financial and sometimes physical scars of errors in overseas treatment, including stories about failed breast implants and dodgy dental work.

Plus, there is the risk of returning from the trip with an unwanted souvenir - the Health Protection Agency (HPA) recently issued a warning about a new antibiotic-resistant superbug - NDM-1 - being brought into Britain by patients having surgery in India.

“Do you know what follow-up there will be from the surgeon carrying out the procedure and what will happen if you return to the UK and something goes wrong?”

Dr Emma Cuzner Medico-legal adviser

Whether they take place at home or away, all medical procedures carry a degree of risk. However, for patients who have been treated overseas, problems may not even become apparent until they return to the UK.

While those who require emergency treatment on returning home could be seen within the NHS, patients who need further corrective cosmetic work would usually have to pay for this to be carried out privately in the UK or take this up with the clinic where they had the original treatment.

That is why it is so important to ask questions before signing on the dotted line with any clinic for private treatment.

For example, do you know what follow-up there will be from the surgeon carrying out the procedure and what will happen if you return to the UK and something goes wrong?

Does he or she speak English? Is there a complaints procedure? And most importantly, if the surgeon acts negligently and you are harmed as a result, will it be possible to obtain compensation to help put things right, as well as for the possible pain and suffering involved?

In the UK, doctors and dentists have an ethical duty to take out adequate insurance or professional indemnity cover so that patients can claim compensation to which they may be entitled.

If negligence is proven, successful claims are usually paid by the NHS Litigation Authority for NHS hospital treatment or by medical defence organisations, such as the MDU, on behalf of GPs and for private treatment.

“If you are tempted by the prospects of bigger breasts or a brighter smile at a smaller cost, please do your homework so your bargain treatment does not prove to be a costly mistake”

Dr Emma Cuzner

Outside the UK, however, patients' chances of being able to claim compensation depend on where they are being treated and on what basis.

For example, in Germany and France it is mandatory for doctors to have insurance, whereas in Italy and Estonia it is voluntary.

The European Union (EU) is now looking at ways to secure the rights of patients who seek treatment in another member state and a draft directive on cross-border health care is currently before the European Parliament.

The MDU believes that this needs to include an EU-wide certainty for all patients that if they are negligently harmed, they will receive compensation, either through a state scheme or because doctors and/or the hospital are insured against clinical negligence claims.

Patients must know they will be compensated if they are negligently harmed by treatment in another EU member state.

In the meantime, if you are tempted by the prospects of bigger breasts or a brighter smile at a smaller cost, please do your homework so your bargain treatment does not prove to be a costly mistake.

This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/health-11784754

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'Superscope' yields first glimpse

E-Merlin image of double quasar (Jodrell Bank)

The Double Quasar image bodes well for the UK's future in radio astronomy

The E-Merlin telescope has proven its capabilities with a striking image of a quasar nine billion light-years away.

E-Merlin is an array of seven linked UK radio telescopes, updated last year with fibre optic technology that has vastly increased its power.

Light from the Double Quasar has been bent by a massive object between it and the Earth, resulting in a double image.

This gravitational lensing is a powerful demonstration of one aspect of Einstein's theory of relativity.

The quasar - short for quasi-stellar radio source - sprays out tremendous amounts of energy and matter, powered by a super-massive black hole at its heart.

The E-Merlin image shows how gravitational lensing can produce multiple images of the quasar. Visible at the top is a rich picture of the quasar and the jet of radio waves coming out of it at near light-speeds.

Below that is a duplicate image of the quasar; just above it is the fainter image of the nearer galaxy that does the lensing.

A look inside a giant telescope

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Astrophysicist Tim O'Brien shows BBC science reporter Rebecca Morelle inside the Lovell telescope at Jodrell Bank in Cheshire.

Array moves on from microwaves

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Astrophysicist Tim O'Brien explains why microwave technology has held back the UK telescope array.

Optical fibre future for array

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Astrophysicist Tim O'Brien explains why linking up seven telescopes with optical fibres will make a huge difference to astronomers.

Array to probe new areas of space

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Tim O'Brien explains how the e-Merlin array will let astronomers see part of the cosmos they have never seen before.

The image demonstrates how the 2009 data-link upgrade for the array of telescopes, run from the Jodrell Bank observatory in Cheshire, has improved its vision.

Previously, the seven telescopes passed data to one another through antennas operating in the microwave region. It was a slow and lossy process that fibre-optic links have now replaced, with promising results.

"E-Merlin is going to be a transformational telescope," said Mike Garrett, director of the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy. "Astronomers around the world can't wait to get their hands on it.

"As a pathfinder for the next-generation international radio telescope, the Square Kilometre Array, E-Merlin represents another giant leap forward for the global radio astronomy community."

This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/science-environment-11952890

Croatia ex-PM arrested in Austria

Mr Sanander denies the accusations against him

Former Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, who is wanted in connection with a corruption investigation, has been arrested by police in Austria.

Mr Sanader left Croatia on Thursday shortly before parliament lifted his immunity from prosecution, and the authorities later issued a warrant for his arrest.

Police stopped him on a motorway in western Austria.

Mr Sanader says the accusations against him are politically motivated.

Austrian officials said Mr Sanader was detained on Friday afternoon in the Salzburg region and brought to the regional justice court.

"Our police tried to find him and we located him on the highway this afternoon," said Austrian interior ministry spokesman Alexander Marakovits, adding that the operation was carried out in conjunction with German and Croatian investigators.

Correspondents say a judge will now have to rule on whether Mr Sanader should be extradited back to Croatia, but it is unclear how long this might take.

The Croatian authorities submitted the arrest warrant to Interpol overnight, hours after Mr Sanader left the country for Slovenia.

The warrant said he was suspected of conspiring to commit crime and abuse of office.

Croatia is conducting a wide-ranging investigation into alleged corruption, designed in part to prove its readiness to join the European Union.

Mr Sanader is the most senior official to be investigated so far.

He resigned unexpectedly in July 2009 in the middle of his second term as prime minister.

Last January he was expelled by the governing Croatian Democratic Union party (HDZ) but he carried on as an independent MP.

This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-europe-11969520

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Cancer 'is nation's biggest fear'

Tumours can often be treated if detected early

Cancer is the nation's biggest fear but more than a third wrongly think getting the disease is down to fate and there is nothing they can do to avoid it, say experts.

The poll of more than 2,000 UK adults shows cancer is feared ahead of debt, knife crime and unemployment.

Cancer Research UK, who led the survey, said it was important for people to realise cancer is not inevitable.

Half of all cancers could be prevented by healthy lifestyle changes.

Getting cancer is not purely down to genes, fate or bad luck. Indeed, only a small number of cancers are hereditary.

Whereas whether you smoke, drink and are overweight, as well what you eat and how much exercise you get can greatly influence your risk.

“Cancer is no longer the death sentence people still seem to dread”

Sara Hiom Cancer Research UK

And even if a person does develop a tumour, if spotted early many cases can be treated to give a better chance of long-term survival, says the charity.

Thanks to screening and better treatment, the average 10-year survival rate for cancer has doubled over the past 30 years.

Half the people diagnosed with cancer today will still be alive in five years' time. And more than 40% will still be alive in 10 years' time.

The Department of Health is launching an England-wide campaign in January to raise awareness of the early signs and symptoms of the three most common cancers - breast, lung and bowel - to encourage people to seek medical advice as soon as possible.

Sara Hiom of Cancer Research UK said: "The fear factor is a serious wake-up call for the British public.

Cancer signs to be aware ofAn unusual lump or swellingA change in the size, shape or colour of a moleCoughing up blood or blood in urine or bowel motionsUnexplained weight loss

Source: Cancer Research UK

"It's absolutely vital for us to get the message out that people can do something to alleviate their emphatic fear of cancer.

"Cancer is no longer the death sentence people still seem to dread.

"Long-term survival has doubled since the '70s thanks to better diagnosis, improved treatments and the development of nationwide screening programmes for breast, bowel and cervical cancers.

"Spotting early signs and symptoms of what could be cancer - but probably isn't - and getting these checked out by a doctor means that the disease can be diagnosed more quickly."

Teresa Nightingale of the World Cancer Research Fund said: "It is a concern that so many people think cancer is a matter of fate, because there is now strong scientific evidence that people can make relatively simple changes to reduce their risk."

This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/health-11937305

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Npower energy prices to rise 5%

Npower is one of the last of the major suppliers to announce their winter plan for bills

Customers of energy company Npower will see their gas and electricity bills rise by 5.1% from 4 January.

The change will mean the typical dual-fuel customer with Npower will see their annual bill rise by £54, the firm said.

The announcement comes on the day that British Gas customers started paying more for their energy.

Meanwhile, E.On said it was still monitoring the market but would not raise prices before January.

Npower, which said it would leave its social tariff for vulnerable customers unchanged until April 2011, blamed a 50% rise in wholesale prices in the past 12 months for the increase - its first for domestic customers in two years.

"When wholesale costs are driving prices up it is a good time to review the way you manage your energy," said Kevin Miles, chief executive of Npower retail.

The move is the latest in a string of price rise announcements made by the major energy suppliers in the UK.

In the last week of November, Scottish Power increased electricity bills by an average of 8.9% and prices for gas customers increased by an average of 2%.

Winter price changesScottish Power: gas up 2%; electricity up 8.9%Scottish and Southern Energy: gas up 9.4%British Gas: gas and electricity up 7%EDF Energy: no change before March 2011Npower: gas and electricity up 5.1% in JanuaryE.On: monitoring situation but no change before January 2011

Scottish and Southern Energy followed by putting up its domestic gas tariffs by 9.4% at the start of December. The 7% rise in gas and electricity bills for British Gas customers has now also kicked in.

EDF Energy said that it was keeping its prices on hold during the winter, with no change before March 2011.

E.On said it was monitoring the wholesale markets before making any decision, but would not raise prices before January.

Earlier this week, the bosses of five of the big six energy companies told a committee of MPs that bills were likely to rise in years to come.

They told the Energy Committee that the "inevitable direction of wholesale prices" meant domestic bills would get more expensive over the next decade.

Prices quoted when bills are changed are an average for customers across the UK. However, issues such as transportation costs mean a different amount can be charged depending on where customers live.

Figures from watchdog Consumer Focus show that people in different parts of the UK - with the same energy supplier - have bills that vary by up to £59 a year.

Reacting to the latest price rises, Audrey Gallacher, head of energy at Consumer Focus, said: "Npower customers will have been bracing themselves for this bad news after the increases from other firms, but that will not make them any less worried about affording their bills this winter.

"With four of the big six suppliers having now announced price rises averaging 6%, the focus on [regulator] Ofgem's review of whether energy prices are justified will be even sharper."

In November, Ofgem announced that it would conduct a review into the domestic energy market after figures showed a sharp rise in suppliers' profit margins to £90 per typical customer.

This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/business-11968518

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