New York Woman Killed In Balcony Fall

A woman on a first date has fallen to her death after the railing on her 17th-floor apartment balcony gave way.

Jennifer Rosoff went outside for a cigarette just before 1am on Thursday when she sat or leaned against the railing while talking to her date at her New York City apartment, police said.

The man said he warned her against it but the 35-year-old advertising executive fell moments later, authorities said.

Police spoke to the man and no foul play was suspected.

Ms Rosoff landed on building scaffolding on the first floor of the building on Manhattan's Upper East Side.

She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Buildings officials took part of the broken railing to examine how it could have given way and plan to determine whether the other balconies are structurally sound.

Only the higher floor corner apartments of the building - built before World War II - have balconies.

Ms Rosoff worked at The New Yorker, Lucky Magazine and Cosmopolitan before recently joining a new company called TripleLift, according to her LinkedIn profile.

High-rise dramas are a staple of life in Manhattan and Thursday's was the third to make the news in recent days.

In 2010, after a 24-year-old social worker fell to his death when the railing gave way at his 24th-floor apartment terrace, the city conducted safety inspections on hundreds of residences.

Tenants at 16 buildings were ordered to stay off their balconies because they were deemed unsafe.

Some 800 building owners failed to file mandatory inspection reports on the safety of their balconies and terraces, officials found.

They are required to file every five years. For Ms Rosoff's building, the inspection report was last filed in February.

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Race Row Over Immigration Spot Checks

The Home Office has been accused of targeting non-whites and using "heavy-handed" tactics in a new immigration crackdown to tackle people working illegally in the UK.

Spot checks on people's immigration status are being carried out at London train and tube stations by UK Border Agency staff.

Witnesses claim the checks appear to be only targeting members of ethnic minority communities.

Sky News reporter James Banks said: "It is not just those who have been stopped who think these tactics are out of order, with some witnesses arguing the checks were prompted by race, not intelligence."

Phil O'Shea, who witnessed one of the operations earlier this week in north London, told the Kilburn Times: "I thought the behaviour of the immigration officers was heavy-handed and frightening.

"They appeared to be stopping and questioning every non-white person, many of whom were clearly ordinary Kensal Green residents going to work.

Border Agency officers detain two people in Brentwood, north London

"When I queried what was going on I was threatened with arrest for obstruction and was told to 'crack on'."

Another onlooker told Sky News: "I think that when we are targeted like this - whatever you look like - I think it is absolutely terrible, and I think you are basing that on prejudice."

Immigration enforcement officers have also arrested 139 suspected immigration offenders in a series of intelligence-led raids at locations including London, Durham, Manchester, Wales and Somerset - and details of the raids posted online by the Home Office.

Updates on the campaign and heavily pixelated images of some of the arrests of suspects have been tweeted by the Home Office with the hashtag #immigrationoffenders - with the tweets linked to pages on the Government website providing more information. Those who have no right to be in the UK face being thrown out.

The move is the latest attempt by the Government to crack down on those illegally in the country, following a controversial "go home or face arrest" advertising van campaign.

Immigration Minister Mark Harper said: "We are sending a clear message to employers who choose to use illegal labour - we will find you and you will pay a heavy penalty. We will not allow the growth of a shadow economy for illegal migrants."

But concerns have been raised about recent anti-immigration operations in London, and Barry Gardiner, the Labour MP for Brent North, has written to Home Secretary Theresa May demanding an investigation into the spot checks which he said violated "fundamental freedoms".

"We do not yet live in a society where the police or any other officers of the law are entitled to detain people without reasonable justification and demand their papers," Mr Gardiner wrote.

Spot checks are a joint operation between UKBA and British Transport Police

Shadow immigration minister Chris Bryant said: "Intelligence-led operations to remove illegal immigrants are to be welcomed. Racial profiling is not."

Newly-appointed labour peer Doreen Lawrence has pledged to speak out over the stop-and-check operations in her new role.

Asked about the claims of focus on non-whites, the mother of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence said: "I'm sure there's illegal immigrants from all countries, but why would you focus that on people of colour? - and I think racial profiling is coming into it."

Mrs Lawrence told ITV1's Daybreak programme that stop-and-search has always been in the forefront of her mind, and she that she has campaigned on the issue for years.

Muhammed Butt, leader of Brent Council, told Sky's Boulton & Co that based on the complaints he had received from people, including white residents, who had witnessed the spot checks, he believed the checks did amount to "racial profiling because the people that have been targeted in Brent are predominantly black and Asian people". "Absolutely, it is random," he added.

Tony Smith, former head of UKBA, told the programme: "The guidance that's given to officers is very clear that it's not okay to profile anybody on the grounds of race or behaviour."

Writing in The Independent, Dave Garratt, the chief executive of charity Refugee Action, warned that the operations could "incite racial tensions".

The raids at various locations across the UK have been intelligence-led

"Over the last few weeks we've seen some very visible signs of the Government's 'hostile environment' crusade. There have been vans out on the streets with threatening slogans and, reportedly, non-white people being visibly stopped and searched," he wrote.

"The Home Office is responsible for community cohesion. Yet we are increasingly seeing what appears to be hostility towards non-white immigration, which will do nothing but incite racial tensions and divisions within otherwise rich and diverse communities."

A protest against the spot checks and raids took place in Southall, West London, on Thursday. Members of the not-for-profit organisation Southall Black Sisters confronted two immigration officers in the area.

A Home Office spokesman defended the tactics: "We make no apology for enforcing our immigration laws and our officers carry out hundreds of operations like this every year around London.

"Where we find people who are in the UK illegally, we will remove them."

The department said it was looking into whether the stop checks outside London stations - a joint operation between British Transport Police and UKBA - were intelligence-led or random.

And it rejected claims that its tweets with the hashtag #immigrationoffenders may have prejudiced cases, because the suspects have not been identified.

It was unable to state how many of those arrested will face deportation, with some cases taking 72 hours to resolve and others much longer, it said.

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Daniel Pelka Killers Get 30 Year Minimum Term

Pelka Judge: Abuse Was "Horrifying"

Updated: 1:56pm UK, Friday 02 August 2013

Mrs Justice Cox described Daniel Pelka's murder as "deeply shocking and disturbing" as she jailed Magdelena Luczak and Mariusz Krezolek for life with a minimum term of 30 years.

Here are her sentencing remarks:

"Mariusz Krezolek and Magdelena Luczak, the sentence for the crime of murder is fixed by law. It is one of life imprisonment and that is the sentence I now impose upon each of you.

"I must therefore specify the minimum term of imprisonment which each of you must serve, before the Parole Board can even consider whether you might be released.

"That is the punitive period I consider appropriate, having regard to the particular facts of the case and the overall seriousness of this offence.

"The facts of this case are deeply shocking and disturbing.

"As the trial has progressed, harrowing details of the unimaginable acts of cruelty and brutality inflicted on little Daniel, over many months, have exposed both the torment and despair he must have suffered and your callous disregard for his pain and distress.

"Time and again, knowing exactly what you were doing to him, both of you concealed your conduct from the authorities by a series of deliberate and elaborate lies, designed to put them off the scent and to prevent them discovering Daniel's true plight.

"Your campaign of cruelty, as it has accurately been described, culminated in the severe blow or blows to his head that killed him.

"He was just four-and-a-half years old.

"Exactly when this appalling cruelty started is not clear. Until your relationship began, in early 2010, Daniel appears to have been a healthy child, developing appropriately and giving no real cause for concern.

"While the evidence demonstrates that systematic cruelty probably began when Daniel started school in September 2011, your complicity in his ill treatment was first evidenced by the displaced fracture to his arm, sustained 14 months before his death on January 5, 2011, when he was just three-and-a-half.

"This serious injury would have resulted immediately in excruciating pain and loss of function, yet you did not take him to hospital until the following day, clearly increasing his mental and physical suffering.

"I have no doubt that you, Mariusz Krezolek, deliberately used considerable force to inflict that injury, and that you Magdelena Luczak, discovering what had happened, joined with him in waiting to see if you could keep it secret, and then in lying to the doctors about how it had happened.

"This determination to lie and to protect yourselves at all costs was to become the hallmark of your subsequent conduct.

"There was further evidence of your real attitude towards Daniel, Mariusz Krezolek, in your description of him in July, to a colleague at work, as 'all f***ed up' and autistic, and not worth beating because he wouldn't feel pain.

"Nevertheless, at the time he started school in September 2011, Daniel was described by the reception staff as appearing to be a healthy and well cared for little boy.

"It may be that he had some behavioural or communication difficulties, as you have constantly suggested, though such difficulties as he had are in my view more likely to have been due to your abusive treatment of him rather than to any other cause.

"They would have warranted, in any event, even greater affection, care and support for Daniel - not less.

"Instead, over the months that followed, he was subjected by both of you to deliberate, escalating and incomprehensible brutality, which continued right up to his death...

"For reasons which are unfathomable, Daniel became a target for derision, abuse and systematic cruelty, designed to cause him significant mental and physical suffering.

"The scale of his suffering was truly horrific.

"He was subjected to acts described by you as punishments but which, in reality, were acts designed to cause pain, to humiliate and to intimidate.

"He was required to kneel on the floor for long periods of time, to run continuously around the living room, or to perform squats repeatedly and slowly.

"He was repeatedly forced to swallow salt, which you admit was poured neat into his mouth from the salt container and which caused him to vomit.

"He was subjected to a form of cold water punishment, being held under cold water until the point of unconsciousness...

"Exactly what form that particular punishment took we will never know, since neither of you has explained it.

"He must have been absolutely terrified.

"He was subjected to regular beatings, as the teachers' observations of bruising and the multiple bruises seen on his body after death testify.

"There were nine separate bruises to his head.

"He was confined for regular and prolonged periods of time in the small, bare box room upstairs. The inner door handle was removed and the metal panel so arranged that he could not even see out of the keyhole.

"The small hand and finger marks on the inside of that door provided a poignant image of his desperate attempts to escape.

"The urine stains to the mattress on which he was made to sleep and the damp state of the carpet testify to his inability to go to the toilet when he needed. There is evidence of him soiling himself.

"It is a particularly grave aggravating feature in this case that, before the fatal blows to his head, Daniel was the victim of chronic and systematic starvation.

"Both of you deliberately deprived him of food over a prolonged period of time. He was literally wasting away. His starvation was so chronic that his bones ceased to grow.

"Expert medical witnesses and others with extensive experience in the field of child protection described their shock at the extent of Daniel's emaciation at his death.

"They regarded it as unprecedented in this country.

"They likened his appearance to those who failed to survive concentration camps and that comparison was not made lightly.

"As the months passed, Daniel increasingly scavenged for food, from other children's lunch boxes, from the playground or from rubbish bins.

"He would have suffered extraordinary hunger, increasing abdominal pain and, ultimately, a feeling of hopelessness.

"You, Magdelena Luczak, knowing of his hunger, gave specific instructions to his teachers that Daniel was not to eat any more food than the small packed lunch he had with him.

"Both of you constructed a careful and wholly untruthful account that Daniel had a serious eating disorder and learning difficulties, which he may have inherited and for which he was receiving medical treatment.

"This account was deliberately designed to prevent interference by school, medical and welfare personnel, and to perpetuate the brutality being meted out to him...

"At some time in the evening of Thursday March 1, 2012, by which time Daniel's weakened physical condition made him particularly vulnerable, I am satisfied on all the evidence that in the minutes preceding the fatal blow or blows to his head, he was subjected to a brutal assault, in which he was given salt and subjected to a form of cold water punishment in the bath.

"It is submitted in mitigation that I cannot be sure that cold water punishment was inflicted in the minutes before he died, but I cannot accept that submission.

"On all the evidence, including the computer searches on the Friday morning, as Daniel lay unconscious, and the failure of each of you to explain them, I am entirely satisfied that it was.

"The preponderance of the medical evidence establishes that the injury then inflicted to his head was severe, resulting as it did in damage to the bridging veins, axonal damage and a large subdural haematoma.

"I am satisfied, Mariusz Krezolek, that this head injury was inflicted by you and that you applied considerable force.

"By their verdict, Magdelena Luczak, the jury clearly rejected your account that you tried to intervene and were sure that you were jointly liable for Daniel's death.

"The combined neuropathological and neurosurgical opinion is that Daniel would have lost consciousness immediately, or almost immediately after this impact so that any lucid interval, involving undoubted mental anguish and physical pain, would, mercifully, have been short.

"Daniel then lay alone in the box room, as his life slipped away, from that Thursday evening until just before 3am on Saturday morning, while you both continued your lives, hoping that he would regain consciousness and that your conduct towards him could continue unabated and undiscovered.

"Your internet searches on that Friday morning reveal both the scale of the cruelty you had inflicted on him and your growing realisation that he was not responding.

"Still you did not take him to hospital, until you discovered in the early hours that he was not breathing and eventually called the emergency services.

"I am in no doubt that before you made that call, you had deliberately planned the detailed lies you would tell in an attempt to deceive the authorities and save your own skin.

"That plan was put into action even in the call to the emergency operator.

"Before your arrest you made concerted efforts to remove evidence by deleting the computer search history, attempting to tidy the house and concealing the stained mattress from the box room.

"You lied persistently when you were interviewed by the police.

"By their verdicts the jury were sure that you continued to lie at this trial.

"Over the nine weeks of acutely distressing evidence I have not observed a single sign of genuine remorse at any stage from either of you.

"In my judgment there is no basis for distinguishing between you in relation to this campaign of cruelty and the assault leading to Daniel's death.

"While the evidence indicates that you, Magdelena Luczak, were the victim of domestic violence by your partner on occasions, I do not consider that lessens your culpability in this case.

"On your own admission you had a supportive network of family and friends to whom you could have turned for help, as well as the names of organisations and contact details provided to you...

"In any event your relationship has been revealed on the evidence to be an intense and stormy one, marked by heavy drinking, mutual acts of aggression and yet strong physical attraction.

"Your continuing affection for and loyalty towards each other was demonstrated by the intimate gestures observed between you when you were produced before the magistrates court on March 7, 2012.

"That you, Magdelena Luczak, were fully complicit in these acts of incomprehensible cruelty towards your own son is clearly established by the chilling text messages you sent to Mariusz Krezolek, between October 7 and March 2.

"Yours, as the Crown have contended throughout, was always a partnership of equals.

"In relation to the minimum term to be served, it has been common ground before me that the starting point in this case, having regard to the relevant statutory provisions, is 15 years imprisonment.

"That, however, is only the starting point. Each case will depend on its own particular facts, as will the level of overall seriousness.

"There are in this case exceptionally serious aggravating features, as the facts I have set out demonstrate.

"At the time he was murdered Daniel was just four years old and was therefore particularly vulnerable because of his young age.

"However, his vulnerability was considerably increased by his wretched physical condition, which rendered him completely defenceless.

"I am satisfied that acts of brutality were inflicted on him in the minutes before the final blows to his head, including forcing him to eat salt and applying a form of cold water punishment in the bath, thereby inflicting serious mental and physical suffering upon Daniel immediately before his death.

"After the blows to his head there may have been a lucid interval which, though short-lived, would have resulted in Daniel suffering fear, anguish and physical pain before he lost consciousness.

"Further, for the reasons already set out in detail, Daniel had already been subjected to persistent and escalating cruelty on an unprecedented scale over the course of approximately six months before he died, which was plainly designed to cause him, and must have caused him, significant mental and physical suffering.

"Your concerted, deliberate and prolonged starvation of Daniel is particularly grave.

"There was also an earlier serious fracture to his arm, deliberately inflicted, when you delayed in seeking prompt medical treatment for him, causing him severe pain and distress.

"Both of you are in breach of what is probably the most important position of trust, as the parents of a small child who was entitled to their protection, their love and their care.

"Your breach of trust, Magdelena Luczak, is wholly irreconcilable with the loving care that a mother should show towards her own son.

"Both of you carried out a deliberate and cynical deception of teaching, welfare and medical personnel, which was designed to conceal what was happening, to prevent any help being provided for Daniel and to enable you to continue your ill-treatment of him without interference.

"Once you became aware that Daniel had stopped breathing, you made a concerted and deliberate attempt to deceive the authorities from the outset, and to seek to remove evidence of your involvement in Daniel's abuse and death.

"In my judgment there are no real mitigating features in this case.

"The fact that you intended to cause Daniel really serious bodily harm, rather than to kill him, in my judgment provides minimal mitigation in this case.

"This is one of those rare cases where the sustained campaign of cruelty you carried out over many months, which culminated in the fatal blows to his head, amounted in my judgment to conduct likely to cause or which may possibly have caused Daniel's death, notwithstanding that such a consequence may have been unintended.

"The level of culpability for each of you is extremely high. Your expressions of regret and sorrow made now ring hollow in the circumstances of this case.

"I emphasise that the minimum term I now specify is the minimum amount of time that you will spend in prison, from the date of sentence, before the Parole Board can even consider whether you might be released.

"If it remains necessary for the protection of the public you will continue to be detained in custody after that date. You will in any event remain on licence for the rest of your life.

"In all the circumstances, and having regard to what I consider are exceptionally serious aggravating features, I judge this case to be one where the overall seriousness is particularly high.

"The minimum term that each of you is to serve will be 30 years imprisonment."

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Balcombe Fracking: Test Drilling Begins

Energy company Cuadrilla has started test drilling for oil in the countryside - as anti-fracking protests enter a ninth day.

The project has been subject to days of delays because of high-profile protests designed to halt delivery of trucks and equipment to the plant.

But the energy company confirmed that equipment had now been tested and test drilling had begun.

A Cuadrilla spokesman said: "We started test drilling at 11.15am, and we will do a 3,000ft vertical well. We will be there for two to three months."

Campaigners fear the project at Lower Stumble, near Balcombe, West Sussex, could lead Cuadrilla to go on to conduct hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

The controversial method of fracking involves high pressure liquid being pumped deep underground to split shale rock and release gas supplies.

Protests have entered their ninth day

Opponents of fracking have highlighted concerns about potential water contamination and environmental damage, as well as small-scale earthquakes.

Police have had to throw up a daily security operation around the test site's entrance as dozens of anti-fracking protesters have turned out to halt deliveries.

Police confirmed two people - a man and a 19-year-old woman - were arrested on Friday during protests. More than 30 people have been detained since last Friday, mainly on suspicion of obstructing deliveries.

This week Cuadrilla's chief executive, Francis Egan, reacted to concerns surrounding the drilling.

He said his firm has "no intention of ruining the countryside and won't ruin the countryside".

Police contained protesters who were stopping vehicles accessing the site

Mr Egan insisted hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, was safe and would not pose a threat to the public or people's drinking water.

He said "significant" amounts of oil and gas could be made available through fracking in the UK.

But he acknowledged his firm's activities had been delayed as a result of protests against its exploratory drilling activities in West Sussex.

The sensitivity of the subject was highlighted after former Government energy adviser Lord Howell issued an apology for suggesting fracking could be used in "desolate" North East England without any impact on the surrounding environment.

Lord Howell went on to provoke further criticism when he tried to clarify his comments by suggesting he actually meant "unloved" areas in the North West, such as Lancashire.

His attempt at clearing up the controversy prompted Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg to urge Lord Howell to be quiet.

Mr Clegg also suggested that the Conservatives were getting "over-excited" about the controversial extraction technique's potential benefits.

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Ohio Kidnap: Castro Sentencing Under Way

Ariel Castro faces sentencing for kidnapping three women and subjecting them to years of sexual and physical abuse.

Castro, a former school bus driver, has pleaded guilty to 937 charges, including kidnapping, rape, assault and aggravated murder.

He was in court as his sentencing hearing got under way, and might address the court.

Prosecutors are expected to detail Castro's daily assaults on the women, recounted in diaries that compared the women's experience to that of prisoners of war.

He stands to get life in prison plus 1,000 years.

Castro kidnapped three women and held them captive for a decade.

The women disappeared separately between 2002 and 2004, when they were 14, 16 and 20 years old.

The three, Michelle Knight, 32, Amanda Berry, 27, and Gina DeJesus, 23, escaped in May.

One of them was lured into Castro's Cleveland home with the promise of a puppy for her son.

Castro later locked all of them in a vehicle in his garage for three days when someone visited him, prosecutors said.

:: Ariel Castro Sentencing In Court: Live Updates

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Fugitive Edward Snowden Leaves Moscow Airport

Fugitive Edward Snowden has left Moscow airport where he has been holed up for more than a month.

The wanted US intelligence whistleblower has been granted a year's asylum in Russia, his lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena revealed.

An airport spokeswoman added he had left within the last two hours - crossing the Russian border for the first time.

Mr Kucherena said the American had left in a normal taxi on his own. 

"His location is not being made public for security reasons since he is the most pursued man on the planet. He himself will decide where he will go," the lawyer said.

President Putin had approved the asylum request on condition the American stopped leaking US secrets, the lawyer said, adding his client had agreed to the condition.

Snowden had been stuck in the transit zone of the Sheremetyevo airport

Snowden, 30, is wanted by the US on felony charges after leaking details of vast surveillance programmes, but Russia has refused to extradite him.

Interviewed by Rossiya 24 television, Mr Kucherena held up a scanned copy of his client's certificate granting him a year's temporary asylum in Russia.

"He has gone to a safe place. I hope you will be understanding about this information," he told the TV station.

The whistleblower had been stuck in the transit zone of the Sheremetyevo airport outside Moscow since he flew in from Hong Kong on June 23.

His awarding of asylum status in Russia comes two days after US soldier Bradley Manning was convicted of spying for leaking US secrets to anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks.

Snowden's case has further strained U.S.-Russian ties already tense amid differences over Syria, U.S. criticism of Russia's human rights record and other issues.

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Linah Keza: Model Stabbed To Death At Home

A 29-year-old model has been stabbed to death at her home in east London.

A murder investigation has been launched after Rwandan national Linah Keza was found dead by paramedics at an address in King Edward Road in Leyton, in the early hours of Wednesday.

Police were also called to attend the knife attack by the London Ambulance Service at around 4.30am.

A 38-year-old man was arrested in connection with the stabbing and is being questioned over the death at a north London police station.

Scotland Yard confirmed officers had had previous contact with Ms Keza and the murder suspect - and that the case had been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

Tributes have been pouring in for Ms Keza, described as an "amazing girl"

A spokesman said the Metropolitan Police had "voluntarily referred matters" to the IPCC, adding that "it would be inappropriate to comment further".

Ms Keza, who leaves behind a three-year-old daughter, was on the books at AMC Agency, which described the former Miss Africa contestant as a "very compassionate, amazing and a professional girl".

"Today is a very sad day for AMC as we have had the sad news that one of our models, Linah Keza, has passed away in tragic circumstances," the agency said in a statement.

"Anybody that has met and worked with her via the agency will miss her greatly."

There was a further outpouring of tributes to Ms Keza on a special Facebook "Remembrance" page.

Anita Karissa wrote: "RIP pretty lady, may God bless n strengthen ur lito gal thru ths n e rest of her precious life."

Another, Priscy Jay, said: "R.I.p lenah. may God strength, most especially the little one."

And Brens Willie Wambedde added: "Rest in Eternal Peace."

A post-mortem examination is due to take place on Thursday at Walthamstow Mortuary.

More follows...

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Teenage Boy Arrested After Girl, 12, Raped

A 17-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with the rape of a 12-year-old girl in Walthamstow, east London.

Police said the youngster was approached by three men and dragged to a secluded garage area on Saturday night.

She was "pinned down" and "brutally" attacked by two of the men before she managed to raise the alarm by calling a friend.

The attack happened between 12.15am and 12.30am in an area at the end of Hibbert Road, near Theydon Street.

An investigation is continuing while detectives question the 17-year-old at a police station in east London.

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 0208 217 7408 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

More follows...

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Twitter: Police Investigate MP Rape Threats

Detectives are investigating a string of sexually explicit and violent tweets sent to an MP as TV classics expert Mary Beard outed an internet troll on Twitter.

Stella Creasy faced a vicious online attack after she spoke out in support of feminist campaigner Caroline Criado-Perez, who received threats to rape and kill her on Twitter following her successful campaign to put Jane Austen's picture on the new £10 note.

The Walthamstow MP retweeted some of the sinister messages to her 30,000 followers as she warned the "morons" behind the abuse would face justice.

A spokesman for Scotland Yard said: "Officers in Waltham Forest received an allegation of malicious communications from an MP. The allegation relates to comments made on Twitter and is currently under consideration."

Ms Creasy has called for Twitter to take faster and stronger action against online thugs, and criticised the microblogging site's security policies.

She told Sky News: "This is illegal activity. It would be illegal if someone said this to you in the street, it would be a form of harassment, and it's legal online.

"And what we're looking for is companies like Twitter not simply to ask people to report stuff so they can think about it, but to actually work with the police so they can identify the individuals committing this crime."

She added: "It's not the technology that makes them idiots, it's because they are idiots. And actually Twitter has a role to play in helping us end the violence against women that this represents."

Tory MP Claire Perry, who has been advising David Cameron on measures to tackle the spread of extreme pornography and child abuse on the internet, has also received a torrent of abuse from Twitter users.

Ms Perez described how the online abuse had left her feeling "under siege"

The Devizes MP tweeted: "I am tempted to shut down my Twitter account given the trolling going on incl. to me - but that would be giving in."

Meanwhile, Ms Beard silenced an internet troll after naming and shaming him on Twitter.

The professor of classics at the University of Cambridge retweeted the "highly offensive" post from Oliver Rawlings, who has 243 followers on the social networking site.

In his tweet, Mr Rawlings called Ms Beard a "filthy old slut" and made a sexual comment.

Fellow users responded by condemning Mr Rawlings and within minutes he responded: "I sincerely apologise for my trolling. I was wrong and very rude. Hope this can be forgotten and forgiven."

Ms Beard said exposing trolls was the best tactic.

Talking to a fellow user about her decision to highlight the abuse, she tweeted: "It is a tough call. I have increasingly opted for name and shame. It has to be outed. And maybe his friends can say 'stop'."

Ms Perez described how the online abuse had left her feeling "under siege" and terrified in her own home.

She criticised the response from Twitter and claimed to have been blocked by Mark Luckie, one of its senior managers, after he was made aware of her ordeal.

Police have arrested a 21-year-old man in Manchester in connection with the abuse.

Twitter said it plans to include a button for reporting abuse within every tweet, which is already available on its iPhone app.

John Whittingdale, chairman of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee has told Sky News Twitter bosses may be called as witnesses in an inquiry to be held in the autumn on "harmful content on the internet".

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Hospital Family Test: More Than 30 Wards Fail

Patients in 36 hospital wards across England would not recommend them to their family or friends, according to the results of a new test.

The first results of a survey designed to expose poor patient care revealed the large majority were happy with their treatment.

But some 36 of 4,500 wards were given an overall negative figure in June. This was down from 66 in April.

Despite months of criticism, only one A&E department - Chase Farm Hospital in north London - was given a negative score.

And even then, 295 of 516 patients asked about the hospital said they were "extremely likely" to recommend it and another 167 said they were "likely" to do so.

Overall, A&E services scored between 100 to minus 13 and scores for inpatients ranked from 100 to 43.

But there will be disappointment at the response rate, which was just 13.1% across England.

The so-called Friends and Family Test was announced in January and first introduced in April.

Patients are asked one simple question - whether they are likely to recommend the ward or A&E department they were treated in to friends and family.

They chose from six responses ranging from extremely likely to extremely unlikely and were asked to give reasons for their decision.

A score was created for each hospital by subtracting the number of negative responses from the number of positive ones.

More than 400,000 people completed the survey and results relate to around 4,500 NHS wards and 144 A&E services.

NHS England's national director for patients and information Tim Kelsey said the initiative was a "major step forward".

"Direct patient and citizen feedback is vital to improving the services the NHS provides. Trusts can concentrate their focus on improvement with this information," he said.

"From this first publication, we can see a significant and real variation in the quality of customer service across the NHS.

"There are home truths here and everyone will expect those Trusts who have large numbers of their patients choosing not to recommend their services to respond as quickly as possible."

David Cameron, who is on holiday in Portugal, said: "I want the NHS to put patient satisfaction at the heart of what they do and expect action to be taken at hospitals where patients and staff say standards are not good enough."

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt called it a "historic moment".

"By making these ratings public, we're giving patients the power to choose the best place for their care - and driving other hospitals to raise their game," he said.

However, critics claimed the data had little meaning because it is not specific enough and is not an accurate way to measure hospital performance.

The new patient charity Point of Care Foundation noted that it is currently impossible to tell whether someone's negative response was due to poor care or an issue such as car parking.

Director Jocelyn Cornwell said: "Some hospitals were using much better methods of collecting feedback but they have had to abandon what they were doing and replace it with this rather blunt instrument which is not good for patients, or for developing useful information to improve health services.

"We would ask the Government to think again about how more useful information on patient care could be collected and used to improve services."

NHS England is to publish monthly updates on patient feedback.

By the end of next year, it hopes to roll the test out to include GP practices, community services and mental health services. All other services will be included by April 2015.

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London Stabbings: Murder Probe As Man Held

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was killed and two others - including her sister - suffered serious stab wounds.

The 40-year-old was detained overnight after officers were alerted to attacks at two separate south London flats on Monday evening.

A woman aged 28 and her 17-year-old sister were found with knife wounds at 7.10pm at an address in Tilson Gardens, Brixton.

Police said the teenager had suffered wounds to her head and hands as she tried to protect her sister.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene, while the girl was taken to a south London hospital and is in a serious but stable condition, Scotland Yard said.

Half an hour earlier, another woman, aged 46, was found at a property in Redlands Way with a number of injuries, including stab wounds. Her condition is described as critical.

The suspect was arrested in Leigham Court Road, Streatham

Young children were present at the scenes of both attacks and officers want to establish if they saw anything significant.

Forensic examinations were taking place at the two properties, which lie less than a mile apart.

Police said all three victims were known to the man being held in custody at a south London police station.

A woman who lives in Redlands Way said she came outside when she heard a woman screaming that someone was trying to kill her.

She said: "The woman had got out on to the balcony and she was just screaming. There was this tall, black guy who came out of nowhere - it was like a film.

"He just grabbed her and stabbed her in her back - a couple of us saw it. The children were playing out in the park right in front which made it more traumatic.

"People started calling the police and I was trying to get my daughter inside so I could go down to see whether I could do anything.

"The guy escaped but we saw her coming down with bandages and the bandages were bleeding."

It is understood an eight-year-old boy was in the bathroom of the Tilson Gardens property when the attack happened.

The suspect was arrested on a bus in Leigham Court Road, Streatham, south London, shortly before 1am.

Detective Inspector Will Reynolds said there was no suggestion it was a random attack and officers are not looking for anyone else.

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Face Transplant Patient Thanks Doctors

A man has thanked doctors for saving his life after having a face transplant in Poland.

The patient, identified only as Grzegorz, spoke at a news conference just three months after losing his nose, upper jaw and cheeks in an accident with a stone-cutting machine at the brick factory where he worked.

The 27-hour operation was carried out on May 15 at the Cancer Centre and Institute of Oncology in Gliwice.

"My speech isn't clear, but it's really important that it is there," Grzegorz said as he was discharged from hospital. "I know it's still a long way."

Surgeons said his recovery is proceeding surprisingly quickly, thanks to his "courage and determination".

He can see, eat, taste and speak, although his speech is hard to understand because his face muscles are still tight and require intensive physiotherapy.

The 33-year-old will also need surgery on his right eyelid, which he can't move.

During the news conference at the hospital, his eyes were hidden behind sunglasses.

Professor Adam Maciejewski, who led the operation, said Grzegorz will need to take medication for the rest of his life, but will be able to go back to work and lead a normal life.

"A period of hard work and rehabilitation is before him, but I want to thank him here today for his courage, perseverance and character," he added.

"I also thank the family who supported him."

Grzegorz's sister Barbara told reporters: "It's hard to express how happy we feel that our brother can return home."

She said her brother had a lunch of roast duck waiting for him at home.

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Manchester Stabbing: Girl Fights For Life

Neighbours have spoken of their shock after a 13-year-old-girl was left fighting for her life from a stabbing attack in which her father died.

The man who is understood to have launched the knife attack at their home in Moston, northeast Manchester, died of stab wounds a short time later after driving a car into the side of a nearby pub.

Police found the seriously injured girl after 10pm on Sunday at a house in Delta Walk along with the body of her 41-year-old father.

He has been named locally as former carpet fitter Robert Jackson, while his daughter, Ayesha, is also thought to have suffered knife wounds.

Neighbours in Moston heaped praise on Robert Jackson and his daughter

Neighbours said Mr Jackson was separated from Ayesha's mother, named locally as Sam Collins, and that the teenager was visiting him when the attack happened.

Less than three hours later, officers were called to Watfield Walk in Harpurhey, a two-mile drive away, after reports that a man had threatened a car owner with a knife before stealing the vehicle.

The car was then seen by police near Rochdale Road and the 34-year-old driver - named locally as Darren Gasper - drove it into the side of the Alliance Inn pub as officers approached.

He was taken to hospital suffering from a stab wound and injuries from the crash but died a short time later.

Wall damage to the Alliance Inn, which the suspected knifeman crashed into

The two men are said to be known to each other.

One man who said he was friends with both dead men said: "Darren was more one of the boys round here. He'd been in jail. He was a tough kid, a big lad.

"I heard Ayesha was upstairs when it started and came down to protect her dad.

"They both had kids, it's sad what this leaves behind for them."

Mr Jackson's neighbour Clare Calvert told Sky News: "He was the nicest bloke you'd ever meet ... He'd bend over backwards to help anybody - (he) wouldn't hurt a fly."

She described Ayesha, Mr Jackson's only child, as "lovely".

Flowers are left at the house in Moston

Another elderly neighbour said he was "very quiet" and "didn't have any enemies".

A woman who lived nearby said: "He was known by everyone as Jacko, always said hello and his girl was absolutely beautiful. I only saw them together yesterday walking down the street."

Ayesha is understood to attend the Manchester Communication Academy.

Forensics officers are at the scene of the attack, where an area around the house has been sealed off. Flowers have been left nearby.

The attack happened a two-mile drive from where the stolen car was crashed

Sky's Nick Martin, who is in Moston, said: "The priority now will be to ensure that the girl pulls through - she will have critical information about the events that played out here."

Detective Superintendent Simon Barraclough, of Greater Manchester Police, said: "We are in the very early stages of our inquiries and are piecing together the circumstances that led to two men losing their lives and a 13-year-old girl fighting for her life in hospital.

"Obviously the community will be shocked as to what has happened but we can say we do not believe anyone else was involved and are not looking for anyone else in relation to this incident."

Harpurhey has been regularly cited as one of the most deprived inner-city areas in Britain. Mr Jackson's mother lives nearby and was recently widowed.

Anyone with information can call police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

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NHS Direct Plans Withdrawal From 111 Helpline

The troubled NHS 111 hotline is in fresh turmoil after one of its main providers announced it wants to pull out of the service.

NHS Direct, which provides the non-emergency phone line in nine regions of England, said it wanted to quit its contracts because they were too expensive.

It has found that the cost of providing the service, where staff give the public non-emergency health advice, exceeded the contract price.

NHS Direct is now seeking a "planned withdrawal" from the deals after projecting a £26m deficit for the coming financial year.

Its chief executive Nick Chapman said: "We will continue to provide a safe and reliable NHS 111 service to our patients until alternative arrangements can be made by commissioners.

"Whatever the outcome of the discussions on the future, patients will remain the central focus of our efforts, together with protecting our staff who work on NHS 111 to ensure that the service will continue to benefit from their skills and experience."

The announcement came as an undercover investigation revealed "serious failings" in the system, with staff shortages, long waits for callers and unnecessary ambulance call-outs.

In Channel 4's Dispatches programme NHS Undercover, one call centre manager was secretly filmed admitting the service was exposed at the weekends.

"We had a very bad service. Still realistically on the weekends we still are unsafe. We don't have the staff to deal with the calls that are coming in," the worker said.

Reporters posed as trainee call handlers and filmed secretly at centres run by the private health care company Harmoni, which has a third of the hotline contracts in England.

They found many patients had to wait longer than 10 minutes to hear back from a clinician and some workers with no medical training were filmed giving medical advice to the journalists.

A spokesman for Harmoni told the programme: "We provide a clinically safe service. We expect all staff to only provide advice according to their role and their level of training and take a zero-tolerance approach to any breach.

"Our audits show no evidence of widespread poor practice. Our staffing levels are extremely robust with around one clinical adviser to every four health advisers.

"While it has been acknowledged that NHS 111 services generally did not get off to a good start, we and other providers have successfully delivered substantial improvements including recruiting 180 more advisers."

The 24-hour phone line replaced NHS Direct as the number to call for non-emergency care but has been dogged by problems since its inception.

Patients complained about unanswered calls, poor advice and calls being diverted to the wrong part of the country.

Doctors claimed its "problematic roll-out" had left patients not knowing where to turn and it has also been blamed for fuelling the current A&E crisis.

Earlier this month, the Health Select Committee attacked ministers for the "premature" launch, claiming it was done with little understanding about how it would affect the wider NHS.

NHS Direct worked on the 111 pilot, which was based on a cost of £13 per call to cover staff salaries and other costs.

But it says local health commissioners refused to pay more than £7.80 per call when the first 111 contract was awarded in the North East of England.

NHS Direct initially won 11 of the 46 regional contracts for the hotline but pulled out of two before they were even launched.

It now wants to axe the remaining nine in Buckinghamshire, East London and the City, South East London, Sutton and Merton, West Midlands, Lancashire and Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire and Somerset.

A company spokesman said it had encountered "significant problems" when it launched the three contracts in the north west of England and West Midlands in March.

She said the calls took "twice as long as expected" and as a result, NHS Direct did not have "sufficient capacity" to handle all the calls that it received.

The firm had worked on the pilot, which was based on a cost of £13 per call to cover staff salaries and other expenses, but local health commissioners refused to pay so much.

The NHS Direct board remodeled its costs and decided it could bid based on £7 to £8 per call and was later awarded deals covering 34% of the country.

However, its annual report says: "It is now clear that the trust is not able to to provide the 111 service within this lower cost range, and that the 111 contracts that the trust has entered into are financially unsustainable."

David Cameron's spokesman admitted there had been problems with the hotline's launch but insisted performance and patient satisfaction was now high.

"He is confident that we will continue to push up standards and deliver a high level of service for patients across the country," the spokesman said.

NHS England blamed the earlier problems on providers not having enough call handling capacity in place but also claimed they had now been resolved.

The Department of Health said NHS Direct had "struggled to meet the standards required" but defended the hotline as a whole and vowed it would continue.

A spokesman said: "There is widespread consensus that NHS 111 is in principle a good idea.

"It makes obvious sense that for many patients, accessing the NHS by phone is often the quickest and easiest way to get advice and speak to a doctor or nurse when needed.

"So of course it's disappointing that there have been problems with its implementation but these are flaws that can and will be overcome."

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'Miracle' Survivors Amid Italy Bus Crash

Passengers who walked away from a coach crash that killed at least 38 people in southern Italy had a "miraculous" esacpe, say rescuers.

The coach, carrying around 49 people, split in half after plunging 100ft off a motorway flyover near Avellino.

It first smashed into several cars that were slowed by heavy traffic before plowing through a guardrail and concrete barriers.

Witnesses said that the coach appeared to suddenly lose control moments before the incident.

Despite the carnage, emergency services said some passengers managed to walk away after being cut free.

The wreckage was recovered from site on Monday morning

"They're talking about the miraculous escape of 10 people from the wreckage of this bus," said journalist Tom Kington, who is at the scene.

"They're saying 'we can't explain it'.

"People just got up and walked out of the wreckage, including, miraculously, a whole family of four."

Many of the dead were discovered lying outside of the vehicle, while others were found inside the mangled wreckage.

A number of people in the cars received minor injuries

Two people later died in hospital and relatives have been arriving at a local school, serving as a morgue, to identify their relatives.

No children are believed to have died but Santobono Pausilipon hospital in Naples told Italian media that five children had been admitted and that none had their parents with them.

Several of those children are in a serious condition and two in a coma, said the hospital's medical director Enrico De Campora.

An investigation into possible manslaughter charges has begun and the wreckage is being examined for signs of mechanical failure.

A post-mortem examination is also being carried out on the driver of the coach.

Coffins were lined up at the scene of the crash

Rescuers with electric saws worked throughout the night to cut through the twisted metal of the coach and help survivors, stopping occasionally to listen for any cries for help.

The bodies of the dead were laid out on the roadside, covered in white sheets as emergency crews attended to the injured.

Doctor Maurizio Abbenante, the first person to give first aid to those on the coach, told La Repubblica he had to choose who to help.

A number of wooden coffins were also brought to the scene, about 30 miles east of Naples.

Highway officials said the coach had been warned about heavy traffic on the A116 motorway near Avellino.

Flashing signs near the flyover were also in place to warn vehicles to slow down.

The coach crashed in a rural area about 30 miles inland from Naples

Officials said the driver, for reasons not yet clear, appeared to have lost control of his vehicle.

Some witnesses told Italian media the coach was travelling at "normal speed" before suddenly veering off course, and describe hearing a noise as if the vehicle had blown a tyre.

However, Tom Kington said there were some conflicting reports from the scene.

"Others are talking about it arriving on the flyover way too fast," he said.

"There were signs apparently warning vehicles to slow down, there was thick traffic on the flyover.

"Some have said the bus came in too fast, didn't have enough time to slow down, hence the smashing into the other vehicles."

Another line of investigation is that the bus was seriously damaged before the crash.

"Possibly the bus was losing parts of its engine, which have now been found on the road as far back as a kilometre before the incident, suggesting some kind of huge malfunction," said Kington

The braking system will also be closely examined, as no signs of heavy breaking were found on the road.

As well as those killed and injured in the coach, 14 people travelling in cars on the flyover also received minor injuries, reported Italian media.

The A116 highway links western and eastern Italy and the passengers had been on a weekend trip visiting a religious site in nearby Benevento province, as well a thermal bath.

Most of the passengers were from the area around Naples.

"They were working class Italians," said Tom Kington. "They club together and take trips like they were taking this weekend."

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Obese Man Faces New Zealand Deportation

A South African man facing deportation from New Zealand for being too fat has said he agrees with the policy but feels he should be allowed to stay.

Officials are worried that Albert Buitenhuis, who weighs 130kg (20st), could one day rack up large bills for the taxpayer and have decided he no longer has "an acceptable standard of health".

An Immigration New Zealand spokesman said Mr Buitenhuis was rejected because his obesity put him at "significant risk" of complications including diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and obstructive sleep apnoea.

"It is important that all migrants have an acceptable standard of health to minimise costs and demands on New Zealand's health services," said the spokesman.

Mr Buitenhuis told 3 News he "totally agreed" that migrants should not be allowed to over burden health services - but said nothing was mentioned when he first came to New Zealand.

The 50-year-old chef and his wife moved from South Africa six years ago - a time when he says he weighed 30kg more.

Despite having their visa renewed multiple times, they ran into trouble when officials considered their application for permanent residency.

"Six years down the line it's not fair to me," Mr Buitenhuis told New Zealand television.

"We sold everything to come here. It wasn't just done willy-nilly."

Mr Buitenhuis says he has not had any expensive medical treatment since moving to New Zealand but admits that he will need a knee operation at some point.

The couple, who are now unable to work, are relying on friends and family while they appeal to immigration officials.

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Egypt: 'Concern' As Scores Killed In Protests

Egypt: Timeline Of Unrest

Updated: 3:52pm UK, Saturday 27 July 2013

Key developments in Egypt since the beginning of the Arab Spring.

:: 2011

January 25: Egyptians stage nationwide demonstrations against the rule of President Hosni Mubarak.

February 11: Mubarak steps down and turns power over to the military, which dissolves parliament and suspends the constitution.

November 28: Egypt holds mutiple-stage parliamentary elections and the Muslim Brotherhood wins nearly half the seats in the law-making lower house.

:: 2012

May 23: First round of voting in the presidential elections.

June 30: Mr Morsi, elected with 51.7% of the vote, is sworn and becomes Egypt's first civilian and Islamist president.

August 12: The new president scraps a constitutional document that gave sweeping powers to the military and sacks Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, who ruled after Hosni Mubarak was ousted in February, 2011.

November 22: Mr Morsi announces sweeping new powers for himself.

November 30: Islamist-dominated constituent assembly adopts a draft constitution despite a boycott by liberals and Christians.

December 8: The president annuls the decree giving himself increased powers.

December 15 and 22: 64% of voters in a two-round referendum back the new constitution. Egypt plunges into political crisis, with demonstrations by Morsi supporters and opponents sometimes turning deadly.

:: 2013

January 24: There is violence between demonstrators and police on the eve of the second anniversary of the uprising that toppled Mubarak. Nearly 60 people die in a week.

April 5: Four Christians and a Muslim are killed in sectarian violence.

May 7: President Morsi's cabinet reshuffle falls short of opposition demands.

May 16: Gunmen kidnap three policemen and four soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula. They are freed on May 22.

June 2: Egypt's highest court invalidates the Islamist-dominated senate, which assumed a legislative role when parliament was dissolved, and a panel that drafted the constitution.

June 15: Mr Morsi announces "definitive" severing of ties with Syria.

June 21: Tens of thousands of Islamists gather ahead of planned opposition protests.

June 23: Defence Minister Abdel Fattah al Sisi warns the army will intervene if violence erupts.

June 28: The US says non-essential embassy staff can leave after an American is killed during the protests.

June 29: The Tamarod (Rebellion) campaign which called rallies for June 30 says more than 22 million have signed a petition demanding Mr Morsi's resignation and a snap election.

June 30: Tens of thousands of Egyptians take to the streets nationwide determined to oust the president on the anniversary of his turbulent first year in power. At least 16 people die in protests across the country.

July 1: The opposition gives President Morsi a day to quit or face civil disobedience. Egypt's armed forces warn they will intervene if the people's demands are not met within 48 hours.

July 2: The presidency rejects the army's ultimatum, saying it will pursue its own plans for national reconciliation.

July 3: Mr Morsi is overthrown late in the day as the country's most senior army official announces the suspension of the Islamist-tinged constitution and a "road map" for a return to democratic rule to stop the bloodshed.

July 4: As Mr Morsi is held by the army, Supreme Constitutional Court Chief Justice Adly Mansour is sworn in as Egypt's interim president.

July 6: Fierce street battles between supporters of Morsi and their opponents leave at least 36 people dead.

July 8: Some 35 people are shot dead in clashes between Morsi supporters and the Egyptian army outside the Republican Guard's headquarters in Cairo.

July 9: Mr Mansour appoints economist Hazem el-Beblawi as prime minister and opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei as vice president. A military announcement backs up the appointments.

July 26: Millions pour into the streets of Egypt in rival demonstrations after a call by the country's military chief for protesters to give him a mandate to stop "potential terrorism" by supporters of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood. Five are killed in clashes. Prosecutors announce Morsi is under investigation for a host of allegations including murder and conspiracy with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

July 27: Clashes in the early morning hours between security forces and Morsi supporters kill at least 120 protesters in Cairo.

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Weather: Downpours As Summer Getaway Begins

Torrential rain, thunder and lightning is blighting the first weekend of the school holidays, as thousands set off across the UK for their summer break.

The heavy downpours have already caused flash flooding in the South East and the Midlands, with more expected today as the rain spreads north and west.

In just four hours yesterday evening Market Bosworth in Leicestershire endured 61mm of rain and many other areas saw between 20mm and 30mm, with similar amounts forecast today.

This compares with an average rainfall of around 80mm for the whole month of July.

A woman shelters from a heavy downpour in Clapham, London, last night

The Met Office has increased its weather warning level to "amber", the second of three levels, urging residents in the Midlands and north of England to be prepared for storms likely to cause surface water flooding and disruption today.

The Environment Agency has also issued 32 flood alerts in the same areas, and two more serious flood warnings near Rochdale and Sheffield as river levels rise.

But forecasters said there is a chance of being hit by heavy downpours almost anywhere in the UK today.

Sky News Weather Presenter Jo Wheeler said: "Yesterday's torrential rain brought flash flooding and miserable road conditions to many parts of central southern England, the Midlands and the North.

"Today, the heaviest rainfall will be over eastern Scotland as the low pressure system drifts away north and east.

Storms are likely to cause further disruption in many parts of the UK

"So there'll be some dramatic weather yet to come for Scotland, with some heavy bursts of rain, thunder and lightning.

"Elsewhere, after a mild start to the day, it'll be a mixture of sunshine and showers."

It comes after a glorious run of baking sunshine in July which has turned increasingly unsettled over the last week.

The weather is likely to remain changeable over the next few days.

Wheeler added: "Tomorrow will be unsettled everywhere.

In contrast to Britain, Rome is experiencing scorching weather

"Heavy showers or thunderstorms will be prevalent once again, particularly in the north and west and Scotland may see some longer spells of rain.

"For all, temperatures will be a little bit lower, and closer to what we expect to see at this time of year."

As temperatures in Britain cool, other parts of Europe are sweltering in a heatwave.

Italy is thought to be experiencing its hottest weekend of the summer so far, with the mercury hitting 38C (100F) in Rome yesterday.

A strong heatwave coming from Africa and nicknamed 'Charon' by local forecasters is running over Italy with temperatures set to rise up to 40C (104F) in the coming days.

Meanwhile, Austria's capital Vienna saw temperatures reach 36C (97F) and Berlin in Germany recorded a high of 35C (95F) on Saturday.

Even higher temperatures are expected over the next few days.

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Immigration Figures 'Little More Than A Guess'

Official figures showing how many immigrants are coming to the UK are "little better than a guess", according to a report by MPs.

The report by the Public Administration Select Committee says the number of migrants coming to the country is not properly measured, and warns the statistics are "not fit for purpose".

Analysis on how many non-UK residents are entering and leaving the country is primarily based on "random interviews" of travellers at ports and airports that were introduced to examine tourism trends, the report says.

Just 5,000 migrants a year are identified through the International Passenger Survey and many "may be reticent to give full and frank answers," it warned.

Although the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which uses the research to draw up its migration estimates, has "done its best" to produce informative statistics, the survey "is not fit for the purposes to which it is put" and ministers must find new ways to gather information, MPs said.

Conservative MP Alun Cairns, who sits on the committee, told Sky News: "When we come down to measuring the absolute numbers, it's far too blunt, the way in which they collect the data is too inaccurate and the margin for error is far too great."

In the year to June 2012, immigration was estimated at 515,000 while emigration was estimated at 352,000.

The coalition aims to reduce net migration - the difference between the two figures - from the hundreds of thousands down to the tens of thousands by 2015.

But MPs warned the Government is at risk of ending up with an "inappropriate" immigration policy if it bases its target level of net migration on uncertain statistics "which could be out by tens of thousands".

ONS migration estimates contain no information on the immigration status of migrants, while statistics produced by the Home Office do not indicate the number of visa holders with valid leave to remain in the UK or the number who overstay their leave to remain, the report said.

The Coalition is aiming to significantly reduce net migration by 2015

Statistics produced by both organisations are "blunt instruments" for measuring, managing, and understanding migration, it added.

The committee said migration figures could be considerably improved if the Home Office and ONS properly recorded and linked the data they already gather.

MPs called for the e-Borders system to be used for measuring immigration, emigration and net migration as quickly as possible.

Committee chairman Bernard Jenkin said: "Most people would be utterly astonished to learn that there is no attempt to count people as they enter or leave the UK.

"They are amazed when they are told that government merely estimates that there are 500,000 immigrants coming into the UK each year.

"This is based on random interviews of around 800,000 people stopped and interviewed at ports and airports each year.

"Only around 5,000 of those are actual migrants, many of whom may be reticent to give full and frank answers, to say the least."

The International Passenger Survey also fails to garner the type of information needed to work out the social and economic consequences of migration, such as demand for the National Health Service or schools.

A Home Office spokesman said: "We disagree with the report's conclusions. Government reforms on immigration are working and the statistics do show that net migration is at its lowest level for a decade.

"The government is determined to build a fairer system and to address the public's concern about immigration.

"We are committed to getting net migration down from the hundreds of thousands to the tens of thousands, and we want to be judged against the very best available evidence."

Liberal Democrat Business Secretary Vince Cable criticised what he called the Conservative Party's "obsession" with net migration targets.

He told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show: "This idea that you're pursuing a net immigration figure is very misleading because, amongst other things, the largest number of people counted as immigrants are overseas students, who are not immigrants, they're visitors, but under the United Nations classification are counted as immigrants - but they're good for the country."

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Cannes: Jewels Stolen In Armed Hold-Up

An armed man has stolen jewels worth around 40m euros (£35m) from a hotel in the French Riviera resort of Cannes, police say.

Authorities said the hold-up took place during a jewellery exhibition at the Carlton Hotel in the city, which is best known for its annual film festival.

The lone gunman managed to evade security and escape with a briefcase containing the valuable stones.

A Cannes police spokesman said: "A full an urgent operation is underway to catch the culprit and recover these jewels. Thieves see Cannes as rich pickings."

It comes after a heist at the event last May that saw thieves make off with £910,000 worth of jewellery that was due to be loaned to movie stars from a local hotel.

That robbery took place in the hotel room of a female American employee of Swiss jeweller Chopard, while she was out for the evening.

Police said a strongbox containing jewels was ripped out of the wardrobe and carried off.

In a second theft during the festival, robbers stole a diamond necklace with an estimated value of £1.2m.

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