Obese Pregnant Women 'Putting Strain On NHS'

By Thomas Moore, Health and Science Correspondent

NHS chiefs have ordered the first official survey of older and fatter women giving birth following new evidence that maternity units are under increasing pressure from complex pregnancies.

Figures obtained by Sky News show there has been a boom in pregnant women who are obese or over the age of 40.

Some units reported that the number of obese mums had more than doubled in just two years.

And NHS England revealed it will for the first time monitor the data to ensure women are receiving appropriate care.

Dr Catherine Calderwood, NHS clinical director for maternity, said: "Knowing this data is one of the most important things to improve the outcomes for these women and their babies.

"So we are investing in that with a new audit for the first time."

Sky News sent a Freedom of Information request to all maternity units in England.

Dr Catherine Calderwood, NHS clinical director for maternity

Of the 104 that replied, 67 were able to supply data on obesity between 2010/11 and 2012/13.

On average there was a 12.5% rise in women with a body mass index (BMI) over 30.

But Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust reported a rise of 192% and Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said obesity had risen 177%.

Our survey also shows an upward trend in the number of older mums, with an average 7.5% rise in the number of women aged over 40 over the two years.

Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Trust has been at the forefront of one of the biggest baby booms in the country.

Our statistics show that the number of obese mums rose by 59% in two years. Women aged over 40 rose by 33%.

Nicky Griffin, maternity ward manager at the hospital, said obese women need additional care.

"It is a consideration you need to make for their safety when they are in labour," she said.

"There is a risk of deep vein thrombosis, clotting in the leg.

"We have to give medication to prevent that because bigger ladies can be less mobile."

Obese women are also more at risk of diabetes, dangerously high blood pressure and having a premature delivery. Older mums face similar risks.

:: All this week Sky News will have live coverage examining the crisis in the NHS. Watch 'A Matter Of Life And Death' on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

We also want to hear your experiences of the NHS - the good and the bad - tweet us using the hashtag #NHSlifeanddeath

23.22 | 0 komentar | Read More

Polar Vortex: 187 Million Hit By Big Freeze

More than half the US population is under a wind chill warning as a blast of freezing Arctic air sweeps south and east across the country, bringing the coldest temperatures for decades.

The whirlpool of dense air known as the "polar vortex" has caused a number of deaths, closed schools and businesses, cancelled thousands of flights and left highly-populated cities facing colder temperatures than Siberia.

Around 187 million people could eventually feel the effects of the freezing temperatures - and Americans have been warned their skin could freeze within minutes if they go outside.

The US East Coast is preparing for the cold front moving in from the Midwest on Tuesday and areas as far south as Brownsville, Texas and central Florida are facing record low temperatures.

Temperatures were 11 to 22C (20 to 40F) below average in parts of Montana, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan and Nebraska and broke records in Chicago, Oklahoma and Texas, according to the National Weather Service.

A satellite image shows the polar vortex sweeping across the US. Pic: Nasa

The US saw colder temperatures than Almaty, Kazakhstan, where it was -22C (8F), Mongolia at -23C (-8F) and Irkutsk, in Siberia, at -33C (-27F).

The National Weather Service has issued life-threatening wind chill warnings for temperatures as low as -51C (-60F) in western and central Dakota and officials in Indiana - hit by high winds and more than a foot (30cm) of snow - urged residents to stay indoors.

Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard asked schools and businesses to stay closed for another day and said: "The cold is the real killer here.

A tractor is used to clear snow from Woodward Avenue in central Detroit

"You could be dead in 10 minutes without the proper clothes."

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency, announcing that parts of the New York State Thruway in Western New York would be closed due to extreme winter weather conditions.

The weather has caused chaos for US business and industry, threatening to disrupt oil drilling and fracking and hit livestock and grain shipments across the farm belt, even in the Deep South.

Some 4,392 flights were cancelled and 3,577 delayed on Monday, according to FlightAware.com, which tracks airline activity.

Many airlines could not allow their ground crews to remain outdoors for more than 15 minutes at a time.

Birds gather on the partially frozen River Charles in Boston

There were hundreds of cancellations by airlines including United, Southwest and American at airports across the Midwest and Northeast as supplies of fuel and de-icer froze.

The weather has been blamed for a number of deaths across Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.

They included a 48-year-old Chicago man who had a heart attack while shovelling snow on Sunday and an elderly woman who was found outside her Indianapolis home early Monday.

Some states are beginning to turn their focus to recovery, with Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and Indiana Governor Mike Pence issuing disaster declarations, paving the way to request federal aid.

There were, however, some signs of things returning to normal in the affected areas.

A commuter wraps up warm in Chicago

JetBlue Airways, which stopped all scheduled flights to and from New York and Boston on Monday, plans to resume some flights on Tuesday morning.

Southwest Airlines operations in Chicago resumed on Monday night, even if it was, as a spokesman for the Texas-based airline called it, "a trickle".

The Minnesota Zoo announced it would reopen to the public on Tuesday and state lawmakers in Indiana plan to open their 2014 legislative session after a day's postponement.

Warmer temperatures - at least near or above freezing - are in store for the Midwest later in the week.

Indianapolis should reach -3C (27F) on Wednesday, and other parts of the central US could climb above freezing later in the week.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

23.22 | 0 komentar | Read More

Senkaku Islands: Japan Sends Jets in China Row

Japan has scrambled fighter jets to head off a Chinese government plane flying towards islands that are the source of tension between the two countries.

The Chinese Y-12 propeller plane went into Japan's air defence identification zone around 99 miles away from airspace surrounding the uninhabited Senkaku Islands, which Japan controls but Beijing claims as its own and calls the Diaoyu Islands.

A Japanese defence ministry official said the aircraft headed back towards China without entering the contested airspace after the jets became airborne.

The incident in the East China Sea is the first since China created its air defence identification zone (ADIZ) in November, a move which further strained relations.

Chinese government ships and planes have been spotted off the islands numerous times since Japan nationalised them in 2012.

Earlier this week, a Chinese chef crash-landed into the sea while trying to fly a hot-air balloon to the disputed islands.

There are fears an escalation in the row could have far-reaching repercussions, drawing in Japan's ally, the United States.

The islands are strategically important because they are close to international shipping lanes, offer abundant opportunities for fishing and could potentially lie close to rich oil and gas reserves.

Japan and China have also recently been involved in a diplomatic war of words, with ambassadors from both comparing the other country to Lord Voldermort, the Harry Potter villain.

In a Daily Telegraph article last week, the Chinese ambassador to the UK criticised Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to a controversial shrine seen as the repository of around 2.5 million souls of the country's war dead.

This includes several high-level officials who were executed for war crimes after the Second World War, which saw Japan invade China.

Liu Xiaoming wrote: "If militarism is like the haunting Voldermort of Japan, the Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo is a kind of horcrux, representing the darkest parts of that nation's soul."

In the same newspaper his Japanese counterpart Keiichi Hayashi said that China risked becoming the "Lord Voldermort of East Asia".

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

23.22 | 0 komentar | Read More

Prince William Begins Cambridge Uni Course

By Paul Harrison, Royal Correspondent

Prince William has been welcomed by University of Cambridge officials before he has to knuckle down to 10 weeks of seminars, lectures and meetings.

Wearing a navy blue suit, the Duke of Cambridge travelled on the 9.44am train from King's Cross station in London to begin his studies at a bespoke course that will see academics from across the university tutor the 31-year-old in agricultural management.

The intensive course, organised by the Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership, will see the Duke take the 46-minute commute each day, curtailing royal duties while he undertakes his studies.

The decision to return to university comes at the heart of what Kensington Palace calls a "transitional" year for the Duke.

Designed to help equip Prince William with agricultural know-how ahead of one day inheriting the vast Duchy of Cornwall estate, the course will run until mid-March and will be funded privately by the Royal Family.

During his time there, the Duke will have access to university facilities and he will take a private residence in the town in case seminars begin early or finish late.

Princes William and Charles checking cattle in Gloucestershire

But some students at Cambridge have accused the Prince of securing a free pass to the university, which for undergraduate courses requires two A grades and an A* at A-Level.

Prince William's ABC grades at Eton were branded as "mediocre" by some students and graduates.

In one of its articles, university newspaper The Tab wrote: "The Tab must point out that normally students need A*AA at A-level to gain entry to Cambridge University, whilst the Prince only achieved a mediocre ABC."

But others have rallied behind the Prince, welcoming his short attachment to the world's third-oldest surviving university saying: "Has Oxford educated the next two monarchs of our great nation? Hell no."

The University of Cambridge is steeped in royal tradition.

Prince William follows in his father's footsteps, who graduated with a degree in Archaeology and Anthropology in 1970 and the Duke of Edinburgh was chancellor of the university from 1976 to 2011.

George VI was also a Cambridge graduate.

William will not be assessed during the course, nor will he be required to sit exams.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

23.22 | 0 komentar | Read More

Missing Nida: Teenager 'Upset At Studies Ban'

A teenager who has been missing for more than a week was upset because she had been told she could not go to university as her family were asylum seekers.

Nida Ul-Naseer, 18, of Newport, South Wales, vanished while taking out the rubbish on December 28.

The family, originally from Pakistan, had their request for asylum in Britain turned down a year ago which meant Nida chose to retake a business studies course that she had already passed.

"I think that not being able to go to university is the reason for her leaving," sister Shamyla, 23, speaking alongside other family members at Newport Central police station.

Nida vanished outsider her home in Linton Street on December 28

"Nida, please come back home", her sister said.

"Nida, please come back home. We are desperately worried about you. Nida, we need you. Nida, please come back home, we cannot live without you."

Her sister had been upset and angry about the situation before she vanished, Shamyla said.

It emerged that the teenager might also have been barefoot when she disappeared three days after Christmas.

Nida reportedly suffers from a medical condition and needs iron pills in order to prevent anaemia.

Her father, Naseer Tahir, who was also at the news conference, said in broken English that he was happy for his daughter to attend university.

He added that he was sad he was not able to provide her with what she wanted.

Nida did not have a boyfriend and was described by her family as "very religious".

The family's plea to Nida came as the police also made a direct appeal to the teenager during the press conference.

Superintendent Mark Warrender said: "Nida, if you are watching or listening to this please, please get in touch.

"Your family is desperately worried about you and all they want to know, and we want to know, is that you are safe and well."

He also gave an update on the progress of the investigation, but acknowledged there had been no sightings of Nida since she left home.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

23.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

PM's Hairdresser Says MBE Was For Charity Work

The Prime Minister's hairdresser has insisted he was awarded an MBE for his charity work, after claims he had benefitted from cronyism.

Lino Carbosiero, who is based at the Daniel Galvin salon in central London, was give the gong for services to hairdressing in the New Year's honour's list.

When asked why he thought he had been recognised, he told Sky News: "I'd like to think it's down to a lot of the charity work that I do and also I'm striving to push state registration in hairdressing throughout the country.

"I want to get to the young kid who's in a small salon. It's not the salon owners fault because they might be a one-man band where they don't have the time to educate their assistants, but I want to make sure all youngsters get the fair training that they deserve."

Mr Carbosiero, whose clients include Kylie Minogue, Sir Paul McCartney and Dustin Hoffman, also admitted to Sky News that changing the PM's parting from right to left was a "complete mistake".

He said he found the amount of attention given to Mr Cameron's hair "quite funny".

Kylie Minogue and Sir Paul McCartney are both clients of Mr Carbosiero

When the parting was changed in 2007, it led to claims he was trying to look tougher or cover up a receding hairline.

Mr Carbosiero, who has cut Mr Cameron's hair since he was Leader of the Opposition, said: "Any of my clients will back me up on this, I never remember where the parting is and I probably, when I cut his hair at the time, just cut it to the way I thought it went.

"We didn't notice and it went from there. It was a complete mistake, I never remember people's partings. I guess and I always get it wrong."

When asked about Mr Cameron's bald spot, which was spotted by parliamentary sketchwriters in the House of Commons, he replied: "What bald spot?"

Last week it was revealed that former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher had 118 hair appointments in one year when she was in Downing Street, and Mr Carbosiero said image was important for politicians.

He said: "Someone told me today about Margaret Thatcher's hair and I'd want whoever represents our country to look smart and presentable and not to look like they don't care. I think it's a massive reflection on people…they represent our country at the highest level."

23.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Syria: Chemical Weapons Shipment Leaves Port

The first shipment of chemical weapons has been removed from Syria under a deal to rid the country of its chemical arsenal.

The UN mission overseeing the disarmament has confirmed that a Danish vessel is en route to international waters carrying the material.

"A first quantity of priority chemical materials was moved from two sites to the port of Latakia for verification and was then loaded onto a Danish commercial vessel today," the UN said in a statement.

"This movement initiates the process of transfer of chemical materials from the Syrian Arab Republic to locations outside its territory for destruction."

Maritime security is being provided by naval escorts from China, Denmark, Norway and Russia.

The operation to remove Syria's chemical arsenal had been scheduled to take place prior to December 31.

The removal was delayed by the country's worsening civil war, and by poor weather and logistical problems.

A UN Security Council-backed deal arranged by the US and Russia aims to eliminate all of Syria's chemical arms by the middle of this year.

Under the plan, the chemicals will be taken from Latakia to a port in Italy where they will be transferred to a US Navy vessel fitted with equipment to destroy them at sea.

The deal was brokered to head off US military strikes against President Bashar al Assad's regime after hundreds of people were killed last August in a chemical weapons attack outside Damascus.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

23.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Floods: Concerns Budget Cuts May Hit Response

Budget cuts at the Environment Department may affect its ability to deal with emergencies such as the current flooding, MPs have warned.

The warning comes as large parts of the UK experience another day of stormy weather - and some areas still face the risk of severe flooding.

The damaged promenade in Aberystwyth

Some £500m has been cut from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' (Defra) budget since 2010 and the department is facing further cuts of more than £300m over the next two years.

Parliament's Environment, Food and Rural Affairs committee says the department's ability to deal with crises such as flooding and the horse-meat scandal must be protected.

The Government has pledged to increase spending on new flood defence schemes to £370m in 2015/2016, with the money ring-fenced.

:: Send us your weather photos or video to news@sky.com or text your pictures to 84501

Strong winds create tidal surges at Holyhead on the Island of Anglesey

However, the Environment Agency, a government body funded by Defra and with a key role in dealing with flooding, is to lose more than 1,500 jobs in the next year.

Committee chairwoman Anne McIntosh said: "Ministers must clarify how further budget cuts over £300m over the next coming two years will impact on the funding provided to these agencies and the ability of the department to respond to emergencies."

She added: "Recent flooding events over the Christmas and New Year period reinforce the committee's concerns about cuts to the Defra budget and how these will be realised."

The Government denies its flood defences will be affected.

Environment Minister George Eustice told Sky News: "Within the spending envelope we have been given we have prioritised flood defence spending - £2.3bn in the last spending period and have secured another £2.3bn in the latest budget round to 2021.

"While there have been hundreds of properties that have been flooded - and that's a tragedy for those involved and I know it's the worst possible thing that can happen to people over Christmas - there have been hundreds of thousands of homes protected by all the infrastructure and investment we have made in flood defences."

Flooded homes in the village of Muchelney in Somerset

The country faces more flooding as heavy rain - combined with hail and thunder - and tidal surges continue to batter the southern and south-eastern coastline.

A succession of storms means the rain is falling on already heavily saturated ground and swollen rivers, giving rise to difficult road conditions for motorists and causing delays and cancellations to train services.

Flooding in the Somerset Levels has left villages cut off, roads and buildings have been damaged, and waves of up to 27ft have been recorded at Land's End, the most southern tip of the UK.

Britain has been battered by wind and rain for days

A flood siren warning of extreme danger to people and property was sounded in Dorset.

The Environment Agency raised the alarm after the sea breached Chesil Beach in Portland, Dorset, on Monday night.

Dorset Police told families to move to an upstairs room facing away from the sea.

A car drives through a flooded road in Burton, Dorset

Jackie Blakespear, landlady at The Cove House Inn, described the evacuation and how 50ft waves crashed over flood defences against the 350-year-old building which she refused to leave.

She told Sky News: "It was a fantastic sight to be fair - scary and exciting all at once. It was very, very scary at some points when the sea actually did come over and hit the pub."

Dorset Police have urged residents to be prepared for flooding and to listen out for the siren.

Anne McIntosh has warned the Government about cuts

The Environment Agency has now cut the number of severe flood warnings - indicating there is a danger to life - from three to one. It is at the Lower Stour, near Bournemouth, in Dorset.

More than 100 flood warnings are in place across the country, including in Dorset, Oxfordshire, south Wiltshire, Hampshire and along the river Thames, and around 200 alerts have also been issued.

Sky News weather presenter Isobel Lang said: "The showers today will be very heavy with hail, thunder and lightning and bring locally torrential downpours especially across western and southern parts worsening the flooding situation.

"However, in terms of high seas and winds the conditions are not as dramatic as yesterday with southwesterly gusts likely to be nearer 50 to 60mph and with less of a tidal surge too."

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

23.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Edinburgh Airport Closed Over Suspect Package

Edinburgh Airport has been closed after a suspect package was spotted going through a security X-ray machine.

Police are questioning a passenger and a bomb disposal team is in place with a 100-metre cordon placed around the package.

The incident took place just before 2pm today.

Around 100 travellers have been evacuated from the airport terminal to a nearby multi-storey car park.

Others who have already passed through security remain in the departures area.

Police have urged people not to travel to the airport.

Inbound flights have been diverted to Glasgow Airport, while a number of outbound flights have been cancelled.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: "Police at Edinburgh Airport have implemented a closure of the building and the access roads following the discovery of a potentially suspicious bag within the central search area at around 1.50pm today.

"The Explosive Ordnance Disposal are currently in attendance to inspect the item and officers are maintaining a cordon to ensure the safety of the public."

More follows...

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

23.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Twitter Abuse: Pair Admit 'Menacing' Messages

A man and a woman have admitted sending "menacing" tweets to a feminist campaigner who wanted a female face on the new £10 banknote.

Isabella Sorley, 23, and John Nimmo, 25, both pleaded guilty at Westminster Magistrates' Court to posting the messages to Caroline Criado-Perez last July.

Ms Criado-Perez was subjected to abuse from 86 accounts on the microblogging site Twitter, the court heard.

It came after she successfully called for the 19th century novelist Jane Austen to be put on the note.

Sorley told Ms Criado-Perez to kill herself and "I would do a lot worse things then rape you", it was alleged.

Sorley said she was drunk and bored when she sent the tweets, described the threats as "empty" and that she was just winding Ms Criado-Perez up.

The court also heard Nimmo told Ms Criado-Perez: "Come to Geordie land b****. What do you think the police will do?"

Nimmo was described in court as a social recluse who claims benefits and only goes out to empty the bins.

Caroline Criado-Perez suffered abuse online

Ms Criado-Perez found the tweets horrifying and frightening and has suffered life-changing psychological effects since the incident, it was claimed.

Labour MP Stella Creasy was said to have also been targeted when she came to the defence of the freelance journalist.

Ms Creasy has feared for the safety of herself and family, the court heard.

Ms Criado-Perez helped persuade the Bank of England to replace Charles Darwin with Austen on the new £10 from 2017 following a petition signed by more than 35,000 people.

The announcement by the Bank was hailed as a "brilliant day for women" by Ms Criado-Perez.

And it followed news last April that social reformer Elizabeth Fry was to be dropped from the £5 note in favour of Winston Churchill.

The Crown Prosecution Service had announced last month that Sorley, from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and Nimmo, of South Shields, were both charged.

However the CPS said it would not be in the public interest to prosecute over messages allegedly sent to Ms Creasy.

Sorley was remanded in custody and Nimmo was bailed. The case was adjourned under January 24.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

23.21 | 0 komentar | Read More