Cameron Presses EU Leaders On Ebola Fund

David Cameron has called for European Union leaders to double their contribution to help tackle ebola, demanding a combined 1bn euro (£800m) pledge.

The Prime Minister has written to the other 26 leaders and European Council president Herman van Rompuy calling for agreement to an "ambitious package of support" at a Brussels summit next week.

He made clear his frustration that other countries are failing to shoulder their share of the burden of international efforts to deal with the epidemic in West Africa which has killed more than 4,500.

Britain has committed £125m to its contribution - the second highest sum after the US. Downing Street said the total contribution from the EU is 500m euros (£400m).

More money is needed to train at least 2,000 workers to go out to the affected regions, Mr Cameron suggested - appealing also for a "duty of care package" to be established for any that contracted ebola while working at a European-run or funded medical facility.

Video: Paying The Price For Ebola

In his letter, the Prime Minister said: "The rapid spread of the disease and recent cases outside the West African region demonstrate the magnitude of the task at hand.

"The World Health Organisation forecast 20,000 cases in West Africa by November 2014. I believe that much more must be done."

The demand comes after the head of the World Bank warned the battle against the ebola outbreak is being lost.

Video: No UK Checks On African Passengers

Speaking after the United Nations revealed it had received less than 40% of the nearly $1bn ($600m) it had requested to fight the deadly disease, World Bank chief Jim Yong Kim blamed a lack of international solidarity for the failure to stop its spread.

"We are losing the battle," he told reporters in Paris.

"Certain countries are only worried about their own borders," he told reporters in Paris. 

Video: HMS Argus in More Detail

International anxieties over the spread of ebola were highlighted as a cruise ship carrying a lab technician who worked with samples taken from an infected nurse in Dallas was stopped from docking in Belize and Mexico

"It is the first time that this has happened, and it was decided the ship should not dock as a preventative measure against Ebola," Erce Barron, port authority director in Quintana Roo, said.

As part of European efforts to stop the spread, France will start screening air passengers for ebola today.

Video: Ebola Victims' Families Shunned

Air France flight attendants have also called for a halt to all flights from Guinea, one of the three hardest-hit countries.

The US, Britain and Canada have already launched screenings at airports for passengers from ebola-hit areas.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ebola: UN Agency Admits It Botched Outbreak

By Thomas Moore, Health and Science Correspondent

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has admitted that it botched attempts to halt the ebola outbreak in West Africa.

The UN health agency has blamed factors including incompetent staff and a lack of information, according to a draft internal document obtained by The Associated Press.

"Nearly everyone involved in the outbreak response failed to see some fairly plain writing on the wall," the document says.

WHO admits it was "particularly alarming" that the head of its Guinea office refused to help get visas for an expert ebola team.

The organisation concedes it should have realised that traditional containment methods would not work in a region with porous borders and broken health systems.

Video: Questions Over Ebola Checks

Another factor was "politically motivated appointments" to WHO country offices in Africa.

Sky News Health and Science Correspondent Thomas Moore believes "simple infection control" would have stopped the virus spreading.

Here he takes a look at the mistakes that have contributed to a crisis that has killed at least 4,555 of the 9,216 people infected so far.

:: THE EPIDEMIC SMOULDERS

The epidemic started almost 10 months ago with the death in Guinea of a two-year-old boy called Emile.

For three months, the outbreak smouldered. Cases here and there, the virus spreading into neighbouring Sierra Leone and Liberia.

The cases were in rural areas, far from medical help; the deaths undiagnosed and unrecorded.

But then, suddenly, it flared up. The Health Ministry in Guinea reported a mysterious illness with a high fatality rate.

By the time ebola had been identified as the cause, there were 86 cases and 59 deaths in four districts of Guinea.

Video: Ebola Victims' Families Shunned

:: THE FIRST MISTAKE

By the end of March it had come to the attention of the World Health Organisation.

A team of ebola experts from the WHO and the US Centers for Disease Control reached the area.

Within weeks, cases dwindled and the medics moved on.

It was assumed it was just another rural outbreak, easily contained, just as the previous dozen or more outbreaks had been in Central Africa.

That was the first big mistake. The virus had already spread too far.

:: THE SECOND MISTAKE

Between the end of May and late July the virus reached the capitals of the three countries.

It was the first time that ebola cases had ever been reported in densely populated cities.

Video: Paying The Price For Ebola

Eradication now became far more challenging - it would be impossible to quarantine an entire capital.

Even though there were still only just over 1,000 cases, the seeds had been sown for an exponential rise in numbers.

Still, there was no international response.

:: THE THIRD MISTAKE

By now it was clear the health services in the three countries could not cope.

Years of civil war had left the countries on their knees.

Liberia had just 120 doctors to care for four million people.

There simply weren't enough doctors to quarantine infected patients and chase down their contacts.

But still it was only charities and missionary groups that were sending in medical teams and organising clinics.

Video: Spotting Ebola At Beijing Airport

:: THE FOURTH MISTAKE

All three countries were too slow to tackle risky cultural practices, the suspicion of health workers and the stigma of the disease.

Relatives washed the dead with their bare hands, putting themselves at risk.

Bodies were hidden by relatives for fear of being ostracised by the community.

And villagers chased away medical teams, believing they were spreading the virus.

Yet it was only in August that Sierra Leone's government began an awareness campaign to change attitudes.

:: THE FIFTH MISTAKE

It wasn't until September that world leaders really understood how serious the epidemic had become.

A cynic might say it was the repatriation of western health workers - and then the arrival of infected travellers - that was the game-changer.

Video: How Ebola Attacks The Human Body

The US has begun building 1,700 beds in Liberia, the UK is building 700 in Sierra Leone and France is co-ordinating efforts in Guinea.

But it's nowhere near enough. The WHO still has only a fraction of the resources it needs.

And, with every week of delay, the virus spreads further. Cases are doubling every month.

That means more beds, more medics and more money will be needed.

It's no wonder the WHO says the ebola epidemic has been a wake-up call for the world.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Fears For Britons Caught In Nepal Snowstorms

Fears are growing for the safety of a number of British trekkers who have not contacted their families since a series of deadly blizzards and avalanches in Nepal.

The Foreign Office has confirmed it has spoken to concerned families who have not heard from their relatives since unseasonably bad weather caused at least 29 deaths earlier this week.

A friend of Lizi Hamer posted a message on Facebook to say she was safe

A spokeswoman said they had been in close touch with authorities in Nepal but had not been informed of any British casualties.

More than 230 trekkers - most of them foreigners - have been rescued since Wednesday and search teams continue to scour the Annapurna range looking for more survivors, who may be sheltering in lodges and huts.

The blizzards hit mountains along Nepal's Annapurna trail

An unofficial list of trekkers suggests more than a dozen Britons may have been in the area at the time of the storms, although some of them have since been confirmed as safe or rescued. 

Officials believe some people may be stranded in waist-deep snow in remote locations where mobile phone signal is poor.

Meanwhile, a British survivor has told how he escaped the disaster - on course to be the worst trekking and climbing tragedy Nepal has seen.

A rescued trekker is stretchered to safety

Paul Sheridan said walkers were left stumbling through "an abyss of nothing" as dense snow left them unable to get their bearings on the slopes of the mountain range in northern Nepal.

Mr Sheridan said that trekkers should have been prevented from going up the mountain, but were "herded to their deaths" by guides who he alleged were not carrying the correct emergency equipment.

Some British trekkers remain unaccounted for despite the rescue effort

The Nepalese government has announced a high level committee with two senior ministers to monitor and co-ordinate rescue efforts.

For two days this week, Nepal was lashed by heavy rain brought by the cyclone that also battered neighbouring India.

The 150-mile (240km) Annapurna circuit offers spectacular views of jagged peaks and Buddhist villages.

It takes almost three weeks to complete and is nicknamed the "apple pie" circuit because of the teahouses lining the route that offer cold beer and home baking.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Brazil Serial Killer: Hospital Guard 'Kills 39'

By Karine Mayer, South America News Editor

A hospital worker killed 39 people in 10 months out of "anger at everything and everyone", police in Brazil have said.

Thiago Rocha, 26, is accused of embarking on a killing spree in the central state of Goias, where he worked as a guard at a maternity and infant hospital.

Following his arrest, Chief of Police Deusny Aparecido told a news conference Rocha was a "cold person" and "killed out of anger". 

"He had no link to any of his victims and chose them at random. It could have been me, you or your children," said Chief Aparecido.

"He felt anger at everything and everyone."

Rocha, who is said to have confessed to the murders, was detained on Tuesday and is awaiting a court hearing.

He reportedly tried to cut his wrists in his cell using a broken light bulb.

A motorcycle allegedly used during some killings. Pic: Policia Civil/Goias

The accused lives with his mother and had been picked up by police last year for stealing motorbike licence plates at a local supermarket.

After his arrest this week he said he was feeling anguished and had committed the murders to ease his suffering.

Images recorded on a snack bar CCTV helped police identify the alleged serial killer. 

It is claimed he tried to shoot a young woman outside the snack bar from his motorbike but the gun jammed.

He then kicked her in the mouth before speeding away, police said.

Police say the first victim was 14-year-old Barbara Luiza Ribeiro Costa, who was killed in January this year.

The latest victim was Ana Lidia Gomes, who was shot at a bus stop in a motorbike drive-by.

Chief Police Detective Joao Gorski said: "I believe he is a serial killer. In the beginning he killed at random, but by the end he had established a pattern."

Among the 39 victims were homeless people and homosexuals. All those killed were young.

Rocha's lawyer, Thiago Huascar, said he would await all charges and a full briefing with his client before making any comment.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ebola Probe Expanded To Nurse's Earlier Flight

The Texas nurse being treated for ebola may have shown symptoms as early as last Friday - three days before being diagnosed.

A spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it is expanding its investigation to include passengers on a Friday flight from Dallas to Cleveland that Amber Vinson was on.

The 29-year-old was visiting family in the Akron area last weekend before flying on Monday from Cleveland back to Dallas before being diagnosed.

CDC officials are already trying to track down 132 passengers on the Monday flight.

A second nurse who contracted the disease at the same Dallas hospital is now being moved to a federal facility in Maryland.

Video: Ebola Nurse Speaks From Hospital

Officials have released a video showing Nina Pham speaking to her doctor, Gary Weinstein, from her hospital bed in the city's Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital before the move.

The footage shows an emotional Ms Pham sitting up in bed and joking that colleagues should join her in Maryland, before wiping away tears as she tells them: "I love you guys."

Fellow nurse, Brianna Aguirre, who had been helping to treat Ms Pham has spoken publicly about what she says were substandard safety procedures inside the Texas hospital.

"The most disturbing things I saw were breaching of basic infection control principles.

Video: Nurse Describes Chaotic Scenes

"I saw people who were supposed to be in charge, the CDC infection control department, telling nurses, telling doctors to do things that were not safe."

US officials are reviewing whether to issue a ban on travel from West Africa because of the ebola outbreak, as a congressional oversight panel called for such a measure.

Federal Aviation Administration chief Michael Huerta said: "We are all working together to assess this on a day-to-day basis."

On Capitol Hill, House Energy and Commerce subcommittee chairman Tim Murphy urged an "immediate ban" on nonessential travel from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Video: Why Is Ebola So Dangerous?

US House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, the top Republican in Washington, urged a travel ban on Wednesday.

President Barack Obama has said he does not have a "philosophical objection" to imposing a travel ban from ebola-afflicted West Africa.

But he said experts tell him it is less effective than measures already in place, insisting a ban could result in people trying to hide where they are coming from and making them less likely to be screened.

Mr Obama also said he may appoint an additional person to lead the ebola response in the US.

Video: How Ebola Attacks The Human Body

Appearing before the congressional panel, CDC chief Tom Frieden said passenger screenings at US and West African airports were sufficient.

"One of the things I fear about ebola is that it could spread more widely in Africa," he said.

"If this were to happen, it could become a threat to our health system and the healthcare we give for a long time to come."

Meanwhile, President Barack Obama authorised a call-up of National Guard troops if needed to support the fight against ebola in West Africa.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

'He Lost Everything': Pistorius Sobs In Court

Oscar Pistorius has cried in court as his lawyer claimed the runner "lost everything" after shooting dead his girlfriend.

The Paralympian athlete admitted killing Reeva Steenkamp and said he mistook her for an intruder, thinking he and the model were in danger.

Lawyer Barry Roux said since the tragedy, Pistorius had lost his sponsors, lost all his money and had not got enough to pay for legal expenses.

He said he was an icon, in the eyes of South Africans, who had "lost everything" and "has nothing".

Mr Roux said his client sold his last asset - his car - to give money to the Steenkamp family.

The lawyer added he will have to live with "excruciating pain which will never go away" - that he killed his girlfriend.

Video: Oscar Pistorius 'Lost Everything'

And he argued the disabled athlete should not be sent to jail but should be put under house arrest and have correctional supervision.

Mr Roux also criticised "wildest speculations" when he was first arrested on suspicion of pre-meditated murder.

He said the claims included how Pistorius allegedly crushed her head with a cricket bat, had roid (steroid) rage, took acting lessons and pretended to have feelings for her.

Mr Roux said his client's actions when he killed her in his bathroom were "dominated by vulnerability and anxiety".

He said the double amputee was a "compromised person" when he opened fire on Ms Steenkamp.

Mr Roux told the court his client "did not consciously act unlawfully", though he admitted the runner had "acted excessively".

Closing statements are being made as the defence and prosecution teams put their final arguments to Judge Thokozile Masipa in Pretoria, South Africa.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel argued that the court should think about what happened to Ms Steenkamp.

Mr Nel said losing a child was the "most devastating thing that can happen to a person".

1/6

1. Gallery: Reeva Steenkamp's Life In Pictures

   Reeva Steenkamp, 29, was born in Cape Town and grew up in Port Elizabeth. She went to a convent school and studied law. She was a keen horse rider until she broke her back.

2. She moved to Johannesburg from Cape Town to model for Avon cosmetics. In 2012, Reeva was voted number 45 in the South African FHM 100 Sexiest Women in the World poll.

3. She featured as a celebrity contestant on BBC Lifestyle show Baking Made Easy in 2012.

4. The model was a keen Twitter user, and had more than 34,000 followers. She used the site to promote women's rights and empowerment.

5. Her former fashion editor, Barbara Robertson, described the model as being "sweet, and down-to-earth" with the "it factor". She compared her to an "early Kate Moss".

6. Reeva Steenkamp on the set of reality TV show Tropika Island of Treasure (Pic: Stimulii)

He also said "we were lucky" to hear in court the voice of the victim's cousin Kim Martin - which he called a voice representing society.

On Thursday, Ms Steenkamp's family told the judge they expected the man who killed her to be sent to jail.

Ms Martin told the court the alternative sentence of community service while under house arrest did not seem to fit the crime.

She said Pistorius needed "to pay for what he'd done".

She said: "My family is not seeking revenge, but to shoot someone behind a door who's unarmed and harmless needs sufficient punishment."

Ms Martin warned that a lenient sentence would send the wrong message out to society.

Pistorius, 27, could face a fine and a suspended jail sentence or up to 15 years in prison after he was found guilty of culpable homicide, the equivalent of manslaughter in the UK.

More follows...

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ebola No Longer A Joke For Dallas Residents

By Mike McCarthy, News Correspondent in Dallas, Texas

In the leafy Dallas suburb where Amber Vinson lives the neighbour out walking his dog and the woman out jogging are still relaxed about the arrival of ebola in Texas.

But not as relaxed as they were a few days ago.

Both live within minutes of the apartment now vacated by the latest ebola victim.

As we talk the decontamination team are cleaning out Miss Vinson's rooms just yards away. 

"Last week it was kind of a joke," says Terry Van Der Heyden.

Video: Obama Warns Of Global Ebola Spread

"It was like 'hey, one of those cases got through here to the US'. Living right here ... that was, like, 12 blocks away.

"Then a few days ago the nurse gets it and that was, like, nine blocks that way. And then now this one yesterday ... this is right across the street."

Ebola - for many months an apparently distant threat - is visiting a real American neighbourhood.

It's not just confined to a hospital anymore. It's not about isolation units ... it's among the everyday people. Or that's how some in nurse Vinson's community see it.

Allison Prange isn't afraid to go out for her regular evening stroll. Why should she be?

You can't get ebola by passing someone in the street. You're safe to shake a stranger's hand.

Video: Dallas Turns To Brit Ebola Expert

Yet living so close to the block where the disease's latest patient lives plays strange tricks on the mind.

"It does make you think about what can I do, how do I keep myself safe?" says Allison.

"I did have the thought of maybe I shouldn't go to the local grocery store. Maybe I'll go to the one a couple of miles away ... just a little extra precaution here and there."

And so the fear factor begins to grow despite even President Obama himself reassuring an edgy American public by telling them he's hugged nurses at the Atlanta hospital treating ebola patients and he's OK.

And they believe him. But for how long?

Conflicting versions are emerging of what the protocol is in US hospitals and exactly what advice has been given to those who come into direct contact with ebola patients.

Questions are even being raised about whether some health officials have been entirely truthful in their accounts of how the disease has been handled in American hospitals.

The figures are still very much in favour of the US eradicating ebola on its soil in the not too distant future.

But if those odds even started to look less favourable it's unlikely that ordinary Americans would continue to feel relaxed about the threat of ebola.

The more cases there are - the closer it feels.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ebola Could Spread Globally, Obama Warns

Ebola could spread globally if the world does not respond to the epidemic in Africa, Barack Obama has warned.

The President also said US monitoring of ebola must be "much more aggressive".

He insisted the second case of an infected nurse in Dallas highlights the need to ramp up efforts to confront the disease that has struck West Africa and has reached US shores.

The President spoke after meeting top Cabinet officials involved in the ebola response both in the US and in the West African region where the disease has been spreading at alarming rates.

He said the outbreak must be attacked at its source in west Africa as, if it is allowed to rage there, it will spread globally.

Video: Ebola Nurse Told She Could Fly

He said aid to help the countries worst affected was "an investment in our own public health".

More than 4,400 people have died in ebola-hit Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea since the latest outbreak took off earlier this year.

Airline stocks in the US, which has seen eight ebola cases since the beginning of August, tumbled again on Wednesday on renewed fears of a drop-off in air travel. 

Video: Why Is The Ebola Virus So Deadly?

Fears of an epidemic spreading world wide have contributed to a nearly 2% drop in the Dow Jones share index.

On Wednesday night, St Lucia became the latest country to ban travellers coming from the three West African nations.

At least 15 other countries, mostly in Africa, have already placed restrictions on the entry of people who have recently visited the affected areas according to medical group International SOS.

Video: Will Pooley To Return To Africa

US House of Representatives speaker John Boehner said on Wednesday that Mr Obama should "absolutely consider" a ban on flights to the US from countries worst affected by the virus.

He said: "A temporary ban on travel to the United States from countries afflicted with the virus is something that the president should absolutely consider along with any other appropriate actions as doubts about the security of our air travel systems grow."

White House spokesman Josh Earnest had earlier said that Mr Obama urged the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Italy in a 75-minute video conference call to "make a more significant" commitment to global efforts to stop the epidemic.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said following the call that the "leaders agreed that this was the most serious international public health emergency in recent years and that the international community needed to do much more and faster to halt the rise of the disease in the region". 

The Prime Minister will chair the latest meeting of the Government's Cobra contingency-planning committee to discuss further action to deal with its spread.

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council called on the international community to "accelerate and dramatically expand" aid to combat the spread of the disease.

Video: Race To Track Ebola Plane Fliers

The 15-member body warned in a unanimously adopted statement that the world's response "has failed to date to adequately address the magnitude of the outbreak and its effects".

On Tuesday, WHO assistant director-general Bruce Aylward warned the number of new cases is likely to hit 5,000-10,000 a week by early December.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Second Ebola Nurse Told She Could Fly By CDC

A nurse with ebola who was able to board a flight in the US despite suffering from a fever did tell officials she was running a temperature, it has emerged.

Amber Vinson was able to travel from Cleveland, Ohio, to Dallas, Texas, on a commercial plane even though she was showing the early symptoms of the killer disease.

She has now had to be transferred to a specialist unit in Atlanta, Georgia, where she will be treated in isolation and monitored.

It was previously not known that she had told authorities she was not feeling well before taking the flight on 13 October.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been forced to track down 132 other passengers who were on the plane at the same time in case they too have been infected.

Video: Unprotected Man Helps Ebola Victim

Federal officials were forced to admit on Thursday that the CDC cleared the nurse to fly, heaping further pressure on an organisation that has been criticised for the speed of its response to the ebola crisis in America.

CDC spokesman David Daigle said 29-year-old Miss Vinson reported that her temperature was below 100.4 degrees (38C) and had no symptoms. Ebola sufferers are not contagious until they show symptoms.

As a result, the nurse was told she could travel on Frontier Airlines Flight 1143.

Video: Why Is The Ebola Virus So Deadly?

The plane's crew said Miss Vinson did not exhibit any symptoms of ebola during the flight on Monday.

Miss Vinson caught ebola after being one of several nurses to treat a man who came down with the virus and died after travelling to the US from Liberia.

She is the second nurse who treated Thomas Eric Duncan to test positive for ebola after he died in Dallas on 8 October.

Video: Obama Warns Of Global Ebola Spread

The fact that two nurses caught the disease have also raised questions about how ready the US has been to cope with the virus.

More than 4,400 people have died in the West African states of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea in the disease's worst ever outbreak.

The nurse has been transferred to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, where two Americans who contracted ebola while working in West Africa were successfully treated and released.

Video: Dallas Turns To Brit Ebola Expert

CDC director Dr Tom Frieden had earlier said that Miss Vinson should not have been allowed to travel by plane, but added that "the level of risk to people around her would be extremely low".

The other infected nurse, 26-year-old Nina Pham, remains in isolation at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas and is said to be in stable condition after receiving a plasma transfusion donated by ebola survivor Dr Kent Brantly.

President Barack Obama has cancelled a scheduled trip to Rhode Island and New York to remain at the White House to monitor the government's response.

On Tuesday, Mr Obama reiterated that an ebola epidemic in the US was "highly unlikely", but added that even one case "is too many, and we've got to keep on doing everything we can".

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hong Kong Police Officers 'Assault' Protester

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent

Six Hong Kong police officers have been suspended after a video appearing to show a protester being taken to a dark corner and beaten was aired on a local news channel.

The apparent attack came as police arrested 45 people during a night of clashes between authorities and pro-democracy protesters.

Trouble broke out on Hong Kong Island at 3am after dozens of protesters had occupied an underpass near the government headquarters.

Police in riot gear used pepper spray to move the crowds.

The man the man in the video, which was first shown on TVB but quickly spread on social media, was identified as Ken Tsang Kin-Chiu, a member of the Civic Party in Hong Kong.

Ken Tsang Kin-Chiu, who is said to have been beaten by police

The footage appears to show officers repeatedly kicking and punching Mr Tsang as he curls up in a ball. 

The Civic Party released a photograph of Mr Tsang with a bruised face and circular marks on his back.

1/16

1. Gallery: Hong Kong Police Remove Barricades

   Police officers remove barricades of pro-democracy protestors in the Admiralty district in Hong Kong

2. Pro-democracy supporters continue to occupy the streets surrounding Hong Kong's Financial district after talks break down with the government

3. The protesters are calling for open elections and the resignation of Hong Kong's Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying. Continue through for more pictures

Speaking at the Legislative Council, the Civic Party leader Alan Leong said: "From what we have seen, Tsang was already handcuffed with plastic handcuffs ... and taken to a dark corner and beaten up.

"This use of power and police force is a blatant abuse of power, and from the look of it, the [officer] should at least be investigated on assault to [induce] actual bodily harm."

Mabel Au, director of Amnesty International Hong Kong, said: "This appears to be a vicious attack against a detained man who posed no threat to the police.

"It is stomach-churning to think there are Hong Kong police officers that feel they are above the law."

The protesters, believed to be a mixture of students and members of the Occupy Central movement, moved into the underpass on Lung Wo Road just hours after authorities had removed their barricades at protest sites around the city.

Video: HK Protest Barriers Dismantled

A police spokesperson said the arrests were made for "illegal assembly" and that force was only used after repeated warnings that the road must be cleared.

Ed Chin, an Occupy Central organiser, told Sky News: "The international community and the human rights groups internationally have to condemn the Hong Kong government.

"I'm even more concerned. Is this the Beijing government? Is it the Communist Party? And do they have a plan B? We have to look into the source of this craziness."

The clashes overnight follow two weeks of defiant protests on Hong Kong's streets. Authorities had chosen not to move on the protesters who numbered tens of thousands at times.

But the city's Chief Executive, CY Leung, has refused the protesters' demands to resign.

Video: October: 'Fighting For Our Future'

At the weekend, he said there was "zero" chance that the authorities in Beijing would change their minds over voting rights in the territory.

The protesters have been demanding the right to choose their leader in the 2017 elections. The Chinese government has said they can only choose from candidates selected by Beijing.

Meanwhile, in mainland China, a front-page editorial in the Communist Party's People's Daily newspaper condemned the protests and said: "They are doomed to fail".

"Stability is bliss, and turmoil brings havoc," it said.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Apple And Facebook Pay To Freeze Staff Eggs

Facebook and Apple are giving female staff the opportunity to delay plans to start a family by paying for them to freeze their eggs.

The firms are covering up to $20,000 (£12,600) for the procedure and annual storage costs, according to reports.

The employment perk is expected to help the companies attract more women into the male-dominated sector, in the face of concerns over workforce diversity.

Experts warn freezing eggs is not a guarantee of motherhood. File pic

It is also set to be seen as a further sign of the so-called "perk arms race" as Silicon Valley firms battle to recruit and retain top talent.

Other benefits offered by companies to keep workers happy include free lunches, dry cleaning, and massages.

Facebook recently began covering the costs of egg freezing and Apple will begin in January, NBC said.

In a statement, Apple said it "cares deeply about our employees and their families, and we are always looking at new ways our health programs can meet their needs.

"We continue to expand our benefits for women, with a new extended maternity leave policy, along with cryopreservation and egg storage as part of our extensive support for infertility treatments," the firm said.

"We also offer an adoption assistance program, where Apple reimburses eligible expenses associated with the legal adoption of a child."

However, experts point out freezing eggs is a relatively new procedure that does not guarantee a successful pregnancy.

Corey Whelan, of the American Fertility Association, said: "It's really, really important for women to know it's not a guarantee of motherhood.

"Some women consider it an iron-clad insurance policy. It's not."

The procedure is gaining popularity as more women put motherhood on hold.

A post on the online forum eggsurance.com says: "Women today are at a cultural and generational crossroads. We have the same career expectations and demands as men.

"As our biological clocks tick away, we must establish ourselves in the workplace, find the right mate and become financially secure enough to establish a family."

Microsoft reported earlier this month that only 29% of its staff were women, while at Google it was 30%.

Some 31% of Facebook employees are women, but just 15% are in technical jobs.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pistorius: 'Society Wants 'Heavy Punishment'

Anything but a prison sentence for Oscar Pistorius for shooting dead his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp would be "shockingly inappropriate", prosecutor Gerrie Nel has said.

Resuming his relentless cross examination of probation officer Annette Vergeer, a defence witness, who on Tuesday told the athlete's sentencing hearing that Pistorius would be "broken as a person" if he was jailed, Mr Nel said to place the runner under house arrest and sentence him to community work for three years as she had recommended would be "too light" a punishment.

The prosecutor also raised the prospect of a public backlash if the sentence for the double-amputee Olympian was not harsh enough, saying the court had to guard against people "taking the law into their own hands".

Pistorius arriving at court earlier this morning

"Our courts and society value human life," he told Ms Vergeer, and asked her: "Don't you think society wants a heavy punishment?"

"You're recommending house arrest... but the accused could pursue his athletics, train, find a job..."

Video: Pistorius' 'Blood Money' Rejected

Pistorius was back in court on Wednesday for the third day of his sentencing hearing after being found guilty of culpable homicide, the equivalent of manslaughter in the UK.

The 27-year-old was convicted last month killing Ms Steenkamp on Valentine's Day, 2013.

Ms Vergeer, who was paid by the defence to produce her report, said Pistorius would be vulnerable to violence and placed in highly stressful situations because of his disability.

"The death of the deceased and the period since have been a far bigger punishment than incarceration," she said.

Mr Nel said people in wheelchairs in prison were more vulnerable than those with prosthetics, and accused Ms Vergeer, who insisted she had almost three decades of experience, of being "irresponsible" for coming to court and not being as knowledgeable as he said she should be.

Sky's Alex Crawford, at the hearing at the High Court in Pretoria, said: "The prosecutor appears to be trying to portray Ms Vergeer as a slapdash ignoramus with unreliable and biased conclusions."

The court also heard yesterday that Pistorius offered Ms Steenkamp's family 375,000 rand (£21,305) as compensation after already making a number of monthly payments to them.

Mr Nel said the Steenkamps rejected the lump sum - which they called "blood money" - and had decided to hand back the other payments.

More follows...

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Pistorius Lives To Love Again. Reeva Is Dead'

The cliche "what a difference a day makes" could not be more apt than when describing the dramatic reversal of fortune for Oscar Pistorius.

Twenty-four hours before shooting girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, the athlete had sponsorship deals worth millions, with many more in the pipeline and was revered around the globe.

His agent said that to call his future bright then "would be an understatement" and he was guaranteed financial security up to his planned sporting retirement.

A day later, his girlfriend was dead, his reputation was in tatters, he was arrested for murder and a return to his sporting career and therefore his livelihood was uncertain.

Now, his agent told the Pretoria court on the first day of Pistorius' sentencing hearing, he had no sponsorship deals at all.

Video: Pistorius Trial: Special Report

But he insisted the runner still had much to contribute in the way of charity work and this would be his way of contributing to society.

A jail term would rob him of that opportunity, he said. He described an individual who was - before the killing - on the brink of setting up his own Foundation to help others who were similarly disabled.

The shooting meant all that had to be put on hold.

The athlete's legal team has been arguing that the double amputee should spend three years under house arrest at his uncle's home in Pretoria rather than be sent to prison.

They want him to do two days' community service a month (two eight-hour days) for the killing of his model girlfriend, which could involve working at a museum or cleaning in a local hospital.

Video: Pistorius: Charity Work

It was a possible sentence the prosecutor called "shockingly inappropriate" for a man who'd killed another human being.

The psychologist who has been counselling the runner for the past 18 months said the athlete had initially at times been so overcome with emotion that she'd spent much of the time at the beginning just holding him as he sobbed.

The prosecutor suggested that Dr Lore Hartzenberg had got too close to the athlete and her report was, therefore, biased.

He reminded her she'd been spotted crying as the athlete gave evidence during his trial.

"He is a broken man who has lost everything," the doctor said.

Video: Oscar 'Should Face House Arrest'

"Yes, but he is still alive," Mr Nel retorted.

"Alive to live and love again. Reeva Steenkamp is dead."

Mr Nel reiterated the impact Reeva's death had had on her family and friends.

The state has yet to call its witnesses but the National Prosecuting Authority says there will be an impact statement detailing the life-changing implications for her family.

Her mother has said in several newspaper interviews she relied on her daughter for financial support. Her father Barry suffered a stroke as a result of the tragedy.

Video: Pistorius 'Diagnosed With PTSD'

The defence has said it has one remaining witness to call, while state prosecutors indicated they may have two witnesses.

The two advocates will each summarise the evidence given by their witnesses and the judge is expected to retire for a short time - possibly a couple of days -  before pronouncing what punishment she believes is apt for the runner.

The idea of house arrest for taking the life of another has gone down very negatively among some of those who've been following the sentencing hearing.

In South Africa, such are the country's laws protecting endangered species, if the athlete had shot a rhino dead, he would have been jailed for between 10 and 77 years.

If he'd killed a lion, he would have faced a 15-year jail term. But for shooting dead a young woman, there's no minimum sentence for the conviction of culpable homicide.

Video: Pistorius Trial: Five Key Moments

It's up to the judge's discretion.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Oscar Pistorius Sentencing Hearing Under Way

Oscar Pistorius has arrived in court in Pretoria for the second day of his sentence hearing for killing Reeva Steenkamp.

The athlete arrived at the North Gauteng High Court 50 minutes being the hearing was due to start and without the usual phalanx of police or family minders.

Pistorius, 27, was cleared of murdering his former girlfriend but found guilty of culpable homicide - the equivalent of manslaughter in the UK.

The athlete arrived without his usual phalanx of police and minders

He was also found guilty of discharging a firearm in public, an offence relating to him firing a gun in a restaurant.

Judge Thokozile Masipa appeared in court flanked by six armed guards, a move South African legal expert Llewelyn Curlewis said was highly unusual.

The prosecution are pushing for him to serve a prison sentence for killing his former girlfriend while his defence team, who are currently putting their witnesses on the stand, are saying he should serve no more than house arrest or community service.

A proponent of the death penalty brandishes a noose outside court

Reporting from outside court, Sky's Alex Crawford said: "Yesterday was very much the defence day and his team spent the whole day trying to paint a picture of a man who had spent a huge amount of his time doing charity work and that prison was not the place for him.

"His agent said he wanted to give something back to society if he was allowed to and the social worker for the Correctional Services Department suggested that community service would be a good punishment."

How South Africa's papers are covering the hearing

Today, Pistorius' agent will be cross-examined and there is a suggestion some of Reeva Steenkamp's friends, including a possible former girlfriend, may also be called upon to testify, this time for the prosecution.

More follows...

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ebola Crisis: UN Worker Dies In Germany

A United Nations employee infected with ebola while working in West Africa has died in a German hospital.

The aid worker was taken to Germany after contracting the disease in Liberia and was being treated in hospital in Leipzig.

The man had tested positive for ebola on 6 October and was put into a special isolation unit when he arrived in Germany three days later. Last week it was reported that he was a Sudanese doctor.

In a statement the hospital said: "The patient sick with ebola fever died during the night in St Georg Clinic in Leipzig. Despite intensive medical measures and maximum efforts by the medical team, the 56-year-old UN employee succumbed to the serious infectious disease."

He was the third ebola patient to be taken to Germany. One of the others, a Senegalese expert, has been released from hospital in Hamburg and the other, a Ugandan doctor, is still receiving treatment in Frankfurt.  

The latest ebola outbreak has so far killed more than 4,000 people, mainly in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called it the "most severe acute health emergency in modern times". It is spread through close contact with bodily fluids.

The death in Germany comes as the UK began screening passengers for the virus at airports and a plane travelling from Dubai to Boston was quarantined after fears that some sick passengers had ebola.     

More follows...

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ebola Crisis: Alex Crawford's Special Report

In a week when the World Health Organisation declared deaths from ebola have reached over 4,000, Sky's Special Correspondent Alex Crawford gained exclusive access to a body recovery team in Liberia.

You can watch a special version of the highlights of the report, or watch the full documentary and read her full story.

Our Health Correspondent Thomas Moore looks in detail at this latest global health crisis in this Sky News special report.

:: Watch a special Sky News programme on the ebola crisis at 3.30pm today and 3.30pm on Sunday - available on skynews.com, Sky News for iPad and on Sky 501, Virgin Media 602, Freesat 202 and Freeview 132.

Video: Liberia Gripped By Ebola Virus Fear

Video: Africa Ebola Crisis: Special Report

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ebola Virus Screenings Begin At US Airports

John F Kennedy airport in New York has begun strict new health screenings for travellers arriving from West African countries hit by the ebola outbreak.

JFK was the first of five airports to introduce the measures, brought in to give a layer of protection after the death of the first patient diagnosed with ebola on US soil.

The four other airports - Newark, Chicago's O'Hare, Washington Dulles and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International - are due to begin the checks next week.

Together, the five airports account for 94% of all travellers coming into the US from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, the countries worst hit by the epidemic that has killed more than 4,000 people.

Passengers arriving at any of the airports from those countries will have their temperature taken, be assessed for signs of illness and answer questions about their health and any exposure to the disease. 

Video: Ebola Drill Tests UK Readiness

Anyone with a fever or other symptoms could be barred from travelling further or be referred to nearby treatment centres if necessary.

Officials say the screenings are not expected to cause any great inconvenience or delays as they will only involve around 150 passengers a day.

The measures were put in place after Liberian Thomas Eric Duncan died in a Texas hospital on Wednesday.

Video: World Bank: Ebola Response Too Slow

Mr Duncan's family say they still have not been informed of his death officially.

His nephew, Josephus Weeks, said: "To date no one has called from the hospital. No one has told my mom, my grandma and myself that Eric passed. We heard it from the news." 

Mr Duncan, 42, was originally sent home from hospital despite showing symptoms of ebola, and was only re-admitted when his condition deteriorated.

Video: US To Screen Travellers For Ebola

His case sparked panic about the possible spread of the virus in the US despite assurances from President Barack Obama the chances of that happening were "extraordinarily low."

Meanwhile, the British expert in charge of the UN's response to ebola has said he hopes the spread of the disease will be "under control" in three months.

Dr David Nabarro said the number of cases in west Africa were increasing week-on-week.

Video: Is Britain Ready To Handle Ebola?

But systems now put in place, along with help from nations including Britain, could help turn the tide and reduce the number of cases significantly.

Dr Nabarro told the BBC: "As a result of the sensitisation programme last month I think we have got a much better community involvement, which leads me to believe that getting it under control within the next three months is a reasonable target."

His comments come after the UK's chief medical officer, Dame Sally Davies, said the country should expect a "handful" of Ebola cases in the coming months.

Video: UN: Ebola Needs 'Global Movement'

According to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, a nationwide exercise on Saturday to test Britain's readiness for any cases showed plans were "robust".

Like the US, Britain is to bring in enhanced screening for the virus at Heathrow and Gatwick airports and Eurostar rail terminals. Details are expected in the next few days.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cyclone Hudhud Kills Three As It Hits India

A powerful cyclone has swept through the Bay of Bengal and made landfall in south-eastern India, with three people already killed by the force of the storm.

Hundreds of thousands of people had been evacuated in anticipation of Cyclone Hudhud, which boasts wind speeds of 120mph.

Heavy rains and gusts were reported as the "very severe storm" ripped through Visakhapatnam, the largest city in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The neighbouring state of Orissa is also on high alert.

One of those confirmed dead from the cyclone was killed by a wall collapse, while two others were crushed by falling trees.

Villagers in the state of Andhra Pradesh before being evacuated

Authorities have set up 370 relief camps to house evacuees.

Officials in Orissa are desperately trying to convince members of an ancient tribe to leave their homes in the Bonda Hills, which is expected to face the brunt of the storm.

Video: India Cyclone: Trail Of Destruction

"The identified 2,000 tribal people, who must move, have never come down the hills in their lifetime," a local politician said.

Officials said four naval ships and nine air force helicopters are on standby for relief and rescue operations, while soldiers and federal rescue workers are also on hand.

The Indian Ocean is a cyclone hotspot.

Of the 35 deadliest storms in recorded history, 27 have come through the Bay of Bengal - and have landed in either India or Bangladesh.

In 1999, a cyclone devastated Orissa's coastline and killed at least 10,000 people.

While India has a poor record of response to natural calamities, it managed last October to safely evacuate nearly a million people out of the path of Cyclone Phailin, the strongest tropical storm to hit India in more than a decade.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More