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NHS trust at centre of surgery row to replace chief
An NHS trust at the centre of a row over children's heart surgery will replace its chief executive. Maggie Boyle will leave Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust next month.
The shake-up in management follows concerns over high mortality figures. Operations were temporarily suspended earlier this year after concerns were raised over death rates at the children's heart unit at Leeds General Infirmary.
– Maggie BoyleIt has been a pleasure and a privilege to be chief executive at LTHT over the past six years.
I believe the move to new management arrangements which will see a clinically led, managerially supported structure being established is absolutely the right thing to do and will have enormous benefits for patient focused care delivery.
I would like to wish the senior leaders and all of their staff all best wishes for a successful future.
Illegal oil laundering plant discovered in Dublin
The Customs Service has uncovered an illegal oil laundering plant capable of processing more than 2.5 million litres of fuel per year in Dublin.
It was found on an industrial site in the Ballycoolin area of Blanchardstown last night.
A spokeswoman for the service said the plant used a "relatively unsophisticated method of fuel laundering which involves filtering the fuel through cat litter."
Equipment and a van were seized from the site but no arrests were made.
Customs officials say the plant could have caused a potential loss of £1.75 million to the Exchequer, and warned motorists that laundered fuel can harm vehicles.
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Two women killed after car leaves road in Swindon
Two female passengers were killed when the car they were travelling in plunged into undergrowth at the side of a road in Swindon, police said.
Another three male passengers are being treated in hospital with injuries, and two of them have been described as being "very poorly". All were aged 19 or 20 years.
Police received a report from another driver, who saw the car leave the road, at around 5am this morning. They found the grey Renault Clio some 20 metres from the A419.
Wiltshire Police are appealing for witnesses to call 101 and ask for PC Kevin Fry of the Serious Collision Investigation Team.
Egyptian resort boasts 'magical world of water'
The Coral Sea Water World resort in Sharm el-Sheikh prides itself on its extensive network of swimming pools. Here's a list of facilities on the resort's website:
Woman found alive after swimming off Lincolnshire coast
A woman who disappeared while swimming off the Lincolnshire coast has been found alive after a major search operation.
The Humber Coastguard said the 23-year-old woman, who had been drinking alcohol, was found semi-conscious on the beach near a holiday resort in Chapel St Leonards, near Skegness, early today.
A tractor driver who was working on the beach went to the aid of two men who went into the sea after her, and raised the alarm.
North Korea short-range tests 'routine procedure'
- In March, North Korea launched what appeared to be two KN-02 missiles off its east coast
- The country routinely launches such short-range missiles in an effort to improve its arsenal
- North Korea recently withdrew two mid-range missiles believed to be capable of reaching Guam after moving them to its east coast earlier this year
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Report: Resort where Briton died re-opened this month
The Coral Sea Water World resort in Egypt, where a five-year-old British girl drowned, re-opened at the start of this month after being refurbished with a "brand new waterpark," according to its website.
The large resort has almost 370 rooms and a "waterpark brimming with pools and slides," a press release said.
This promotional video was featured on the website:
North Korea 'fires three short-range missiles'
South Korea claims that three short-range guided missiles have been fired by North Korea. The country routinely tests such missiles, but the latest launches come during a period of diplomacy aimed at easing tensions.
– South Korea Defence MinistryNorth Korea fired short-range guided missiles twice in the morning and once in the afternoon off its east coast. In case of any provocation, the Ministry will keep monitoring the situation and remain on alert.
Most Conservative members are 'normal enough'
Paul Goodman, the editor of the Conservative Home blog, has countered the alleged claim by a Tory aide that party activists are "mad swivel-eyed loons". He writes:
– Paul Goodman, editor, conservative homeThere are activists in every Party whose eyes aren't entirely steady in their sockets ... But most Conservative members are normal enough.
Tory activists are not untypical of the class which, if one takes a romantic view, has been the backbone of England for centuries - and, even if one takes a prosaic one, works (largely in the private sector), earns, provides, saves, and gives generously to charity.
A high proportion of the members I know are involved in their local communities: indeed, they are the Big Society.
Gun scare during live broadcast at Cannes Film Festival
A live outdoor television broadcast from the Cannes Film Festival was briefly interrupted when what sounded like gunfire sent the crew and audience running for cover.
Actors Christoph Waltz and Daniel Auteuil were among guests being interviewed on the programme 'Le Grand Journal' when what sounded like gunfire rang out.
Television footage shows Auteuil and Academy Award winner Waltz - a member of the Cannes festival jury - scrambling from the seaside stage with dozens of others as a someone was heard saying "there's someone shooting."
When Friday's programme carried on a few minutes minutes later, host Michel Denisot said the noise had been caused by blank rounds. There were no reports of injuries.
A man was detained by police with a starter's pistol, a pocket knife and a plastic grenade.
