Rugby Football Union: 'Ref-Cam' To Be Trialled

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) will trial a "ref-cam" for the first time later today during the Championship tie between Newcastle Falcons and London Scottish.

Match official Matt Carley will have a camera attached to his shirt to show television viewers close-ups of the on-field action.

Referees at televised matches are already connected to microphones which help broadcast the dialogue between players and officials.

In both union and league rugby codes, cameras are also located in the dressing rooms.

RFU official Ed Morrison has backed the camera's use on the field

However, this is the first time a camera has been used in this way.

Ed Morrison, the RFU's head of elite referee development, said he was impressed by the quality of the footage in a training ground trial.

"I was gobsmacked really by the quality of the footage that came from it," he said.

"The quality of the filming from this one little camera that was worn on the chest of the referee blew me away really.

The camera will give viewers a brand new aspect on matches

"From that point on I thought: 'There's something in this for us.'"

However former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher said football should not follow suit.

"I don't want the general public to listen in to conversations between referees and players on the field," he said.

"There's a lot of interaction, there's a lot of man management, you'd be fascinated how much players talk to referees and referees talk to players.

"That's a way of dealing with them, it's a very effective tool that the referee uses to keep control of the matches."

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IVF Baby Boom At NHS Hospital In Bristol

By Isabel Webster, West Of England Correspondent

The UK's "best IVF centre in the NHS" is celebrating as 750 babies, conceived at the centre, enjoy their first Christmas.

The Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine (BCRM) produced around 450 live babies in 2012 using various forms of IVF and around a further 300 babies with the use of other fertility treatments like surgery or hormone therapy.

So there was plenty of cause for celebration at the Southmead Hospital centre as some of those infants were brought together for a special Christmas party.

New parents Steven and Natasha Watts had tried to conceive naturally for six years and described the process as "heart-breaking", as those around them had successful pregnancies.

"We both so badly wanted to be parents - it was really hard."

They were offered a relatively new fertility treatment known as ICSI (intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection).

A needle 1/7th the width of a human hair is used to isolate a single sperm which is then injected into a healthy egg and if successful an embryo is then imbedded back into the womb.

This more delicate and accurate form of IVF was successful and Natasha gave birth to healthy twins Olivia and Matthew.

"This is our family now - it's complete. What more could you ask for?"

Lee Booth and Marie Black described feeling "devastated" after discovering their chances of conceiving were extremely slim.

But they spent 18 months receiving help from the centre which eventually resulted in their daughter, Grace.

Lee explained: "We conceived on a frozen cycle and the chances of that are quite slim so we just thought get it out the way and we could focus on the next cycle. So it was quite a surprise when we found out it had worked."

Marie admitted she had been up in the night to take a pregnancy test.

"I did a test, expecting it to be negative. I said to Lee 'Are there two lines on that?'. I just couldn't believe it. I think I did 10 tests in one week!"

The couple are now considering donating some of Marie's eggs as a gift to hopeful-mothers-to-be who can sometimes spend five years waiting for a donor.

Valentine Akande, centre director and lead consultant for fertility services at the BCRM, has seen the chances for couples with fertility problems get better during the course of his career and believes there is good cause to be optimistic about developments in the field in the future.

He said: "At the centre we offer blastocyst transfer when we grow the embryo in the lab beyond what is normally possible and this has improved success rates remarkably. Success rates can only get better. We're not yet at perfection but hopefully at some stage in the future we'll be in excess of 70%.

"I'm very proud of the team here. We are the best NHS IVF hospital in the UK and there's virtually no category of infertility that we're not able to approach or treat."

The centre is also one of the first in the UK to use IVF Witness, which uses tiny radio frequency IDs to automatically track all samples in their laboratories.

An alarm is sounded if cells from mismatched couples are ever in the same workspace.

It's expensive technology, but it eliminates the risk of mix-ups, which have happened at other fertility clinics around the country, and allows the doctors and scientists to focus on helping couples fulfil their ambitions of becoming parents.

Mr Akande said: "At this time of year, which is all about loved ones, it is great to know that we're helping parents start a longed-for family. It's a wonderful privilege."

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Hospital's £400,000 Payout Over Care Failings

A hospital has apologised and paid out more than £400,000 for 38 cases of failings in patient care.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he was "disgusted and appalled" at the accounts of suffering and neglect at Redditch's Alexandra Hospital.

Health bosses are now writing to all of the families involved to apologise, after legal action exposed years of bad practice.

Claims ranged from nurses taunting patients to leaving an elderly woman unwashed for 11 weeks.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he was 'disgusted and appalled'

In one case, a man had starvation recorded as the cause of his death after being treated at the hospital for two months.

Many of the families are to receive compensation for cases that their lawyer described as "appalling".

In total the hospital has paid out £410,000 in 38 separate cases, five to people who survived, the rest to those whose relatives died.

The hospital did not admit liability but agreed to apologise fully to the families.

A spokesman for Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said the hospital has massively improved.

"Whilst the Trust has accepted that certain aspects of the care afforded to some patients fell below the standard that they were entitled to expect, all of the cases cited are several years old, in many incidences, more than a decade old.

"This Trust now has the sixth best standard hospital mortality index (SHMI) in the Midlands and East Strategic Health area based on 2012/13 figures which put the figure at 97 - which is below the national average.

"A number of very serious allegations made by the families of deceased patients are not borne out by the medical records.

"Nevertheless, the Trust accepts that, the care afforded to some patients, some years ago - between 2002 and 2009 - fell below the requisite standard and has apologised for the shortcomings."

Mr Hunt said the Government was acting to ensure failings in care were detected more quickly.

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Scottish Boy Who Died Hiking In Oz Is Named

A 14-year-old Scottish boy who died from heat exhaustion after collapsing during a hike in Western Australia has been named.

Ewan Williamson, from Largs in North Ayrshire, was with his father in the Cape Range National Park, south of Exmouth, on Friday when he collapsed.

Police said the pair had not been carrying much water despite temperatures in the region being well above 40C (104F).

Ewan's father called the emergency services and they were found by police around 700m down a gully and not far from a car park.

The teenager was treated on the track before being transferred to Exmouth Hospital, where he later died.

His father is 49 and from Geraldton, in Western Australia's mid-west, but has not been officially named.

A police spokesman told The West Australian: "It is a known path and bush track. They were not lost. It is not suspicious. It is just a tragic accident."

No further details are being released about the death and police are now preparing a report for the Western Australia State Coroner.

Any tourists hiking in the region have been urged to carry plenty of water.

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Sally Bercow's Twitter Account Hacked Again

Sally Bercow's Twitter account has been hacked for the second time in two months.

The controversial wife of the Speaker of the House of Commons had signed off to her followers for Christmas.

However, hours later her account had been hacked and a stream of offensive, sexually explicit messages posted.

The hacker, who struck at 2.20am, criticised the strength of her password in the first post tweeting: "Berkow [sic] password got it. So ******* obvio0us she is a bint."

Mrs Bercow had bid her followers goodbye for the Christmas break saying: "kids break up today & I'm aiming 4 an old-fashioned, twitter-free Xmas. Yes, really".

Her Twitter account was taken down hours after the hack attack, although it was not clear whether it was removed by the hacker, the social networking site or Mrs Bercow herself.

Sally Bercow arrives to take part in Celebrity Big Brother

Mrs Bercow, who has courted notoriety by posing naked but for a strategically placed bedsheet and appearing on Celebrity Big Brother, was previously hacked in November.

It followed a series of gaffes she had made on the social networking site, including breaching a court order by naming a schoolgirl and linking Lord McAlpine to the flawed Newsnight programme about child abuse.

She had been advised by both her lawyers and her husband not to continue to use Twitter and posted a message saying: "Looking at tweets but (sadly) can't reply (#lawyerswhippedmyass #asdidMrB). So text/email/DM if you're a mate. Hope 2 b back soon.xx"

Days later she was hacked by a user who called her a "stupid woman" and again criticised how easy it was to crack her password.

She closed down her account immediately after but returned to the social networking site just over a week later.

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Andrew Mitchell: Police Tried To Destroy Me

Former Tory Chief Whip Andrew Mitchell has accused the police of trying to destroy his career over the "plebgate" row.

Mr Mitchell was forced to quit amid a storm of protest - fuelled by the Police Federation - over claims he called officers "plebs" during an altercation in Downing Street.

But last week Scotland Yard opened an investigation into a possible conspiracy against the MP after it emerged an email from a civilian witness backing up the claims was in fact written by another officer.

Met Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe has broken off from his holiday

Writing in the Sunday Times, Mr Mitchell said: "These awful toxic phrases which were hung round my neck for weeks and weeks in a sustained attempt to toxify the Conservative Party and destroy my career were completely and totally untrue."

He expressed incredulity at the latest developments in the case, which have led to the arrest of one officer from the diplomatic protection squad and another man from outside the force.

"If you had told me on September 19 (the day of the altercation) that the events revealed last week could take place in Britain today, I simply would not have believed you."

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe says his force will launch "a ruthless search for the truth" of the affair.

He broke off from his holiday to be briefed on the progress of the investigation into the events surrounding the row, which is being supervised by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

The Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, also says it plans an independent review into "issues" with its operations.

Downing Street has insisted Prime Minister David Cameron "stood behind" his Cabinet colleague for as long as he could after criticism from some allies of Mr Mitchell.

Number 10 issued a statement after newspapers quoted members of the Mitchell camp claiming he had been left "swinging in the wind" by the premier who they say failed to act on CCTV evidence that cast doubt on the police account.

Meanwhile, former police minister Nick Herbert said that while corruption in the police is not endemic, it is also not an "aberration".

He added: "The idea that serving police officers might have conspired to bring down a cabinet minister could hardly be more serious."

Mr Mitchell has admitted swearing at police who refused to let him ride on his bicycle through Downing Street - but has strenuously denied calling them "plebs".

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Queen Misses Sandringham Church Service

The Queen has missed a Sunday church service on the Sandringham estate because she is suffering from a cold.

Buckingham Palace said that the monarch was getting over the end of the cold and wanted to make sure it was "over and done with by Christmas" so stayed away from the service.

A spokeswoman for Buckingham Palace said: "The Queen was getting over the tail end of a cold. We are expecting business as usual next week."

The Queen usually visits St Mary Magdalene Church each Sunday when she is in Norfolk.

The Royal Family attends church at Sandringham on Christmas Day last year

However, the Duke of Edinburgh, 91, did attend the service at the church, which is just a few hundred yards from the house, with the Duke of York and his daughters and the Earl and Countess of Wessex and their daughter.

Dozens of well-wishers had gathered outside the church to watch the Royal Family attend the service.

Mary Relph, 78, said that she has waited outside the church to spot the Queen every time the monarch has attended a service since 1988.

"I don't remember her ever missing it," she said.

The Duchess of Cambridge greets crowds outside the church last Christmas

"I remember her going around the back once. I am disappointed but I hope she is OK."

However, the Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said this was not the first time the Queen had missed a church service on the Sunday before Christmas.

The Queen traditionally spends the festive period with her family at her Norfolk estate.

However, this year the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have announced they are planning to spend Christmas at the Middleton family home.

And Prince Harry is currently serving as an Apache pilot in Afghanistan.

Princess Eugenie and the Queen with children at the church last Christmas

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Flood Warnings Amid More Travel Misery

Scores of flood warnings are in place across the country after days of heavy rainfall, as homeowners, businesses and travellers suffer more disruption.

Around 160 flood warnings have been issued for England and Wales, along with 31 in Scotland, which means flooding is expected and immediate action is required.

There are also almost 300 alerts where flooding is possible, and one severe warning remains active at Helston in Cornwall - meaning there is a danger to life.

Further heavy downpours are predicted during the day. In the Stonehaven area of Aberdeenshire, dozens of homes are being evacuated due to "significant flooding".

Many residents in the South West of England face Christmas with floodwater in their homes, and communities across the UK are on alert.

In Cornwall, Lostwithiel residents looked on helplessly overnight as flood water lapped at the sandbags protecting their homes, although water levels have been steadily dropping there.

And in Stoke Canon, Devon, 30 properties have been flooded after the River Exe burst its banks - with 20 residents moved to safety.

Flooding in Stonehaven. Aberdeenshire, (Pic: COLINTHIRD1969)

For train passengers, the chances of getting home for Christmas could be hampered by the effects of the heavy downpours.

Those unable to travel on Saturday because of cancelled services will put further pressure on the network as they reschedule their journeys.

Dozens of routes have been affected by heavy rain in recent days, and flooding was so bad in the South West that First Great Western advised passengers not to travel west of Taunton unless their journeys were essential.

Several train operators struggled to provide replacement buses due to flooded roads and a lack of available vehicles.

Most of the flood warnings are in the South West, Midlands and the Anglian region.

Engineers work on the flooded railway line in Exeter (pic: Mike Yearworth)

There will be some heavy rain in Scotland today, while England, Wales and Ireland will have drier conditions during the day.

However, it will turn wet later, with outbreaks of rain moving into the South West of England and then heading north.

Sky News weather presenter Nazaneen Ghaffar said: "Tonight outbreaks of rain will move into the south-west of England and then spread to all of the south, including southern Wales by midnight.

"The rain will continue spreading further north into the rest of Wales, central England, the Midlands, the Republic of Ireland and as far north as Yorkshire and Lancashire.

"Some of the rain will be heavy, especially for south-west England and southern Wales."

In Looe, Cornwall, heavy rain caused two landslides which cut off the nearby the village of Hannafore.

In Umberleigh, Devon, a police helicopter helped in the search and rescue of a woman who had been swept away from her vehicle during flooding in the area.

A woman is rescued from flood water in Devon (pic: Devon & Cornwall Police)

She was found clinging to branches of a tree on the banks of the swollen River Taw.

Her husband and son were rescued by passers-by while the woman had tried to clamber to safety onto the top of the car but was swept away.

She managed to grab hold of a branch and clung on while a police helicopter hovered overhead. Robin Goodlad, the RNLI's incident commander said the rescue had been an "heroic" effort.

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Christmas No.1: X Factor Fights Hillsborough

The coveted title of Christmas number one single will be announced later, with the smart money on the Hillsborough charity single to take the prize.

Sales of the Justice Collective's version of The Hollies' hit He Ain't Heavy - He's My Brother edged ahead of X Factor winner James Arthur earlier in the week.

By Friday it had sold 15% more than its nearest rival, Arthur's version of Impossible, said the Official Charts Company in its final sales bulletin before tonight's chart rundown.

The Hillsborough track, which features names such as Robbie Williams, Sir Paul McCartney and Spice Girl Mel C, is being sold to help cover the legal costs of the families of the 96 victims of the 1989 stadium disaster.

Williams also has a single out but he asked fans to buy the Hillsborough single instead of his, called Different, when he realised they would clash.

X Factor winner James Arthur is hoping to come out on top

On Wednesday, Chancellor George Osborne said that he will give the fund the VAT on sales of the Hillsborough single, "ensuring that as much money as possible goes towards helping these families".

The Official Charts Company's managing director Martin Talbot said on Friday that the momentum was in favour of the Justice Collective.

But he warned that they "have opened up their lead in just two days - it could easily be closed over the next two days".

The Official Charts Company said: "Given the large sales volumes of the top two singles, other tracks which have been tipped as Christmas Number 1 contenders may now be out of the running."

Those include Psy's mega-selling international smash Gangnam Style and another internet hit, the £1 Fish Man by East End market trader Shahid Nazir which went viral in the summer.

Comedian John Bishop is among stars on the Hillsborough single

YouTube blogger Alex Day, who gate-crashed the Official Christmas Singles Chart Top 5 last year, is in the chart with Stupid Stupid.

The Pogues and Kirsty McColl's enduring hit Fairytale Of New York also features. It has re-entered the Official Christmas Singles Chart Top 20 every year for the past seven years.

The Eddie Stobart Truckers also look set to enter the Official Singles Chart Top 40 on Sunday with their re-working of The 12 Days Of Christmas.

Since 2002 the Christmas number one has been dominated by reality TV contests which end just in time for the winner to release a single.

The trend began with Popstars: The Rivals but since 2005 winners of The X Factor have topped the Christmas chart five times.

The pattern was broken in 2009 when an internet campaign saw Rage Against The Machine's single Killing In The Name outselling Joe McElderry.

X Factor winner Matt Cardle was top in 2010 and in 2011 The Choir winners Military Wives were number one.

The Official Christmas Number 1 will be revealed on BBC Radio 1's Official Chart Show later and the full Top 100 will be published on www.officialcharts.com.

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Boat Capsize: Missing Person Search Called Off

An intensive air and sea search for a person believed to be missing in the water after a small boat capsized, has been abandoned.

The Coastguard said the alarm was raised after two people were found holding on to the side of an overturned vessel in Poole Harbour, Dorset.

The boat capsized near Brownsea Island and members of the public on the shore dialled 999 and the men were rescued by helicopter and taken to Poole Hospital.

One man was reportedly rescued from the water while the other was found clinging to a bouy.

Lifeboats had worked alongside Coastguard helicopters in a search for the third person believed to have been on board.

Portland Coastguard coordinated an intensive air and sea search of the harbour over three hours but the man was not found. 

A marker bouy placed in the location of the capsized boat indicated that a casualty in the water would have remained within the harbour area during the search.

Volunteers searched the shore and several private boats joined Coastguards to assist in the search.

A Coastguard spokesperson said: "Portland Coastguard received 999 calls shortly before 11am reporting that there were people in the water from a small capsized boat in the Whitley Lake area just inside the harbour entrance.

"Both coastguard rescue helicopters were on exercise nearby and were on scene quickly".

The search involved two coastguard rescue helicopters, RNLI lifeboats from Poole and Swanage, Coastguard rescue teams from Swanage and Poole as well as local vessels and other members of the emergency services.

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