News
Live news stream
Emma Watson joins 'laughing' twitter campaign
Emma Watson has tweeted a picture of herself in fits of hysterics outside a closed restaurant as part of a social media campaign against comments made by the Turkish deputy PM.
Watson, who was recently announced as the UN Goodwill Ambassador for women, joined the thousands who posted pictures of themselves laughing in defiance of comments made by the politician Bülent Arinç.
In a speech to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid, Arinc called for women to be "chaste", know the difference between public and private, and "should not laugh in public".
Customers are being 'held captive' by broadband services
Customers are being "held captive" by Broadband services when they try and cancel or change their plans, the Citizens Advice Bureau said.
In the last year alone CAB received more than 3,300 complaints about internet and broadband problems. More than half of these related to sub-standard service.
CAB Chief Executive Gillian Guy said: "People are finding themselves held captive by bad broadband services.
"Internet service providers must not shackle customers seeking a better service with unreasonable fees that can turn into shock debt.
"All internet users need to be able to easily have a way out of inadequate contracts and broadband speeds that only give them daily frustration."
Advertisement
Gatwick: Swissport has 'failed to meet standards'
The baggage handling firm behind four hour delays for Gatwick's arrivals passengers have "failed to meet standards", officials from the airport have said.
The spokesman for the airport said they were working "closely" with Swissport and was bringing in additional staff.
– Spokesman for Gatwick AirportWe have established service standards for our own staff, as well as for ground handling agents, who supply services to airlines such as unloading baggage from aircraft and delivering them to the baggage hall.
Recently, Swissport has failed to meet these standards. Although bags are being delivered on time for 95% of flights, this is not good enough.
This has been frustrating for passengers and we are disappointed with the recent arrival baggage service.
Swissport has committed to getting this right, and we are working closely with them to help.
Gatwick is providing additional staff. Although we are not permitted to unload the aircraft, we are assisting with transport of bags to the terminal and the unloading of bags onto belts.
We've also introduced a free baggage home delivery service for those who prefer not to wait.
'Whistleblowers must be provided with proper support'
Whistleblowers must be given proper support so they have the courage to come forward, the chair of the Commons Public Accounts Committee has said.
Margaret Hodge revealed six out of 10 people would not speak out over fears of reprisals from bullying colleagues.
She told ITV News there must be tougher government sanctions against this so it does not have a detrimental effect on uncovering scandals in the future.
Background to the Gatwick baggage problems
- Carriers using Swissport at Gatwick (and all major UK airports) include British Airways, Virgin, Monarch, Thomas Cook and Thomson.
- Swissport isIt is supposed to deliver bags from each flight within 55 minutes. owned by a French private equity firm, and serves 27 airlines at Gatwick (there are two other baggage handling firms a the airport).
- It is supposed to deliver bags from each flight within 55 minutes.
- It's reported that Monarch Airlines is ditching Swissport and Virgin is in discussions to ensure an improved performance.
- The company claims last weekend's problems were caused by a level of off schedule activity - or planes arriving or taking off earlier or later than planned.
Kerry 'made 100 calls' in bid to broker Gaza ceasefire
US Secretary of State John Kerry made more than 100 call over the last 10 days in a bid to stop the bloodshed in Gaza, his aides have revealed.
Kerry had been pushing for a deal all week and made several dozen phone calls yesterday alone, it was claimed.
It is hoped the 72-hour truce will be long enough to get peace talks started.
Even so, there is no guarantee the ceasefire will hold once it is up on Monday morning.
Advertisement
Baggage staff shortage could delay Gatwick passengers
Holidaymakers travelling through Gatwick airport could face delays of up to four hours as the company in charge of baggage handling suffers a staff shortage, it has emerged.
Read: Gatwick apologises after staff shortage causes baggage chaos
The problem is most acute for travellers who land at the West Sussex airport on the weekends, as baggage handling firm Swissport have employed staff on zero hours contracts who do not wish to work anti-social hours.
Last weekend around 400,000 passed through Gatwick as school summer holidays got underway, and many faced chaos.
Travel experts predict this weekend could be even busier.
Some airlines have warned this problem will only worsen over the next four months, as they are locked into contracts with the baggage handling firm.
Genome study will make chemo 'a thing of the past'
The £300 million genome research announced by the PM will make chemotherapy "a thing of the past", according to one medical expert.
Professor Jeremy Farrar, director of health charity the Wellcome Trust, believes genome sequencing has the potential to transform medicine.
– Professor Jeremy FarrarIt's actually happening now, in small ways. If you go into a hospital with lung cancer, for instance, that cancer will be sequenced.
Twenty years from now academics and industry will have developed therapies which will be targeted at you and specific forms of cancer.
We will look back in 20 years time and the blockbuster chemotherapy drugs that gave you all those nasty side effects will be a thing of the past.
White House calls for permanent ceasefire in Gaza
The White House has called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza following the announcement of a three day truce.
It also urged for "all parties to act with restraint" until the ceasefire begins at 8am local time (6am BST).
The White House also said it hopes talks can begin "immediately" in Cairo for a longer-term truce.
In a statement it added: "We believe the only sustainable way to address Israel's security concerns and enable Palestinians in Gaza to lead normal lives is through a permanent ceasefire agreement. "
Sierra Leone cyclist in 'Ebola scare' at Games
There were fears the deadly Ebola virus could have spread to Britain's shores after a Sierra Leone cyclist competing at the Commonwealth Games had to be tested for the killer disease.
Moses Sesay, 32, was admitted to a Glasgow hospital last week after feeling unwell and kept in isolation for four days, the Daily Mirror reports.
But Sessay, whose homeland has declared a public health emergency after 729 across West Africa died from the disease, was later given the all-clear in time to compete in the men's individual time trial yesterday.
A spokesman for Glasgow 2014 said: "There is no Ebola in the Athletes Village of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
"We can confirm an athlete was tested for a number of things when he fell ill last week, including Ebola. The tests were negative and the athlete competed in his event on Thursday."
A spokeswoman for Health Protection Scotland added it was an isolated incident and no other athletes were tested.
