Oxford Shooting: Woman In Serious Condition

A woman is in a serious condition in hospital in Oxford after being shot in the early hours of this morning.

Paramedics were called to Crowberry Road, in the Blackbird Leys area of Oxford by Thames Valley Police officers at 5.15am today, South Central Ambulance Service said.

The "middle-aged" woman was taken to the city's John Radcliffe Hospital with "serious but not life-threatening" injuries, an ambulance service spokesman said.

A 21-year-old man from Oxford has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder in connection with the shooting, Thames Valley Police said.

Two other men, aged 26 and 40 and also from the city, have been arrested on suspicion of affray. All three are in custody.

The victim, who is in her 40s, is in a stable condition in hospital, a force spokesman said.

South Central Ambulance spokesman James Keating-Wilkes said she was "concious and breathing".

Detective Inspector John Turner, who is leading the investigation, said: "I would like to reassure the local community that incidents such as these are extremely rare.

"Police officers and PCSOs will be undertaking extra patrols in the area to provide a reassurance to the community of Blackbird Leys.

"I would urge anyone with any information about the incident to contact the police immediately."

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Microsoft Introduces UK Child Abuse Warning

Microsoft has introduced the UK's first pop-up facility activated by anyone searching the Internet for child abuse images.

The Bing notification platform is intended to help stop anyone who may be drifting towards finding illegal content on the Internet through search engines.

When a search term is typed into Bing which indicates users are interested in child abuse images, an on-screen notification will be activated.

Warning: the screen that will greet users who search for abuse images

As well as warning users that child abuse images are illegal, the pop-up will link to the Stopitnow.org website which provides counselling for people addicted to looking at abuse images.

In a statement, Microsoft said: "Microsoft remain a strong proponent of proactive action by the technology industry in the fight against child exploitation. 

"The Bing Notification Platform is just one way Microsoft is working to tackle the scourge of online child abuse content.

David Cameron has threatened tough new laws on internet service providers

"In addition, we have teams dedicated globally to abuse reporting on our services and the development of new innovations to combat child exploitation more broadly".

The Bing Notification Platform is triggered by search terms on a list provided by the The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), Microsoft said.

Andy Baker, CEOP's deputy chief executive, welcomed the creation of the device but said it was the first step towards blocking access to the illegal images and videos, and protect children.

He called on the industry to "take ownership" of the problem.

"While the Bing project isn't the whole solution, I hope it goes some way to making those who are curious about searching for indecent images think again," he said.

Research by Experian last December showed that Bing had a 4.99% share of the UK search engine market, which is dominated by Google and its 88.3% market share.

Microsoft's PhotoDNA technology is already widely used by Internet service providers and police to help prevent the proliferation of "some of the worst" illegal images online and to identify and rescue victims.

The move comes after David Cameron this week threatened to impose tough new laws on internet giants if they fail to blacklist key search terms for abuse images by October as part a crackdown on online porn.

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Fracking Demo: Police Arrest 18 Protesters

Eighteen people have been arrested as a blockade at a rural site earmarked for exploratory oil drilling by a fracking company was cleared.

The arrests came as around 80 anti-fracking campaigners gathered for a second day in the village of Balcombe, West Sussex, where Cuadrilla is poised to start test drilling.

Sussex Police said five people were held for allegedly causing a danger to road users, 12 for trying to stop drivers and other workers accessing the site under section 241 of the Trade Union Labour Relations Act, and one for assaulting a police officer.

A police spokesman said some had moved a tree across the entrance to the site, blocking access, but all arrests were made peacefully.

The village has become a focal point for direct-action campaigners

Superintendent Steve Whitton said: "I have officers at the site to ensure people can demonstrate peacefully and help facilitate the rights of those to go about their lawful business - this means allowing workers to access the site.

"We are trying to carefully balance the needs of everyone and we will continue to show a proportionate response to the challenge we are facing.

"Our aim at Balcombe is to provide a safe and secure environment for protesters, residents and the contractors alike, to minimise disproportionate disruption to the local community and to prevent crime and disorder.

"Protestors are being asked to clear entrances to allow access to the site and where they have refused following repeated requests we have arrested them".

It is the second day running that activists have protested in the village

A dozen of those arrested, including two teenage boys, have now been charged with offences linked to the protests.

The village has become a focal point for campaigners who have highlighted fears linked to fracking, including the use of chemicals.

The controversial method of hydraulic fracturing involves using high-pressure liquid pumped deep underground to split shale rock and release gas.

In Balcombe, some protesters, who include a former page three girl, a "professional clown" and veteran eco-campaigners, have vowed to mount a 24-hour campaign of resistance against fracking.

Some activists criticised the police response as "disproportionate". One critic, Ashley Williams, said: "The community are standing up for themselves against a company that is trying to poison them.

Fracking uses high-pressure liquid to split rock and release gas

"As soon as regular people put their head above the parapet the state jumps in to defend the interests of a wealthy few."

Campaigners from No Fracking in Balcombe Society (NoFiBS) also criticised the police response and Cuadrilla's claims that it intends only to explore and not frack at this stage.

It said: "NoFiBS is deeply disappointed in the police role in facilitating the drilling for Cuadrilla when they have an obligation to facilitate protest. NoFiBS intend to continue to protest legally and peacefully on the verges by the site gate."

Campaigners called on the Government to change its policy on on-shore oil and gas exploration as they warned that oil rigs and frack sites could become widespread.

Police said the arrests were made to "ensure public safety" and came after talks between activists and protest liaison officers failed.

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Gloucester Stabbing: Three People Arrested

Three people have been arrested after a man was stabbed to death close to where a carnival procession passed just hours earlier.

Officers were called to Park End Road in Gloucester shortly before 8pm last night following reports that a man had been stabbed.

The road borders Gloucester Park, where the town had held its annual family carnival and fete celebrations, including a procession.

A spokesman for Gloucestershire Police said two men and a woman have since been arrested on suspicion of murder.

A cordon remains in place at the scene.

Detective Inspector Jon Thompson said: "I would like to reassure people living in the area or visiting Gloucester that this type of incident is extremely rare.

"The investigation is ongoing and three people are currently in custody.

"However, we would still like to speak to anyone who was in or around Gloucester Park at the time and who might have seen what happened."

Anyone with information is urged to contact Gloucestershire Police on 101 or speak to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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'Adoption Parties' Help Form New Families

By David Crabtree, Sky News Correspondent

Organisers say a pilot "adoption party" project for prospective parents to meet children in need of new families is proving a huge success.

According to the British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF), at one recent activity day event in Kent 34 out of 54 children found possible links to new foster parents.

The events are designed for people who are already well advanced in the adoption process.

They get to meet children at play while the youngsters enjoy face, painting, climbing and other activities.

The children's foster parents or social workers attend the event to support them.

It is part of a scheme to help speed up the process and find adoptive parents for those children who may be more difficult to place.

More than 6,000 children are going through the adoption process with only 1,800 prospective parents approved and waiting for a child.

One couple adopted sisters aged five and six, after attending an adoption party in the Midlands. Their identities have to be protected.

The 'adoption parties' include a range of activities

Their new mother Kirsty said: "We saw them playing, it was lovely. We just had the feeling that we could be parents to these children.

"It is like they have always been part of our family. It is still fairly early days, but it is like they have always been with us."

A number of events have been held around the country and more are planned.

Of the 170 children who have  attended the first four events, families have been identified for 29 of them, a success rate of 17%.

Bridgett Betts, the Adoption Activity Day programme manager, said: "There have always been more children waiting for adoptive families, than we have adoptive families to parent them.

"And these children are often older children, children with disabilities or sibling groups and BAAF wanted to look at the idea of using adoption parties which have been very popular in the United States."

Sir Martin Narey, the Government's adviser on social care, believes activity days may help with the "scandal" of black children waiting longer for foster parents than white children.

He said: "What they do is bring together potential adopters and potential children and they recognise the fact that there is some chemistry involved in these relationships.

"Children and parents can meet each other and you see if there is something there that might make an adoption successful.

"Their record of getting children adopted who might not otherwise get adopted, is very very good and the success in the adoptions lasting forever is good."

He and BAAF say adoption parties will become more common and bring forward more adopters for a growing number of children who need a home.

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Theresa May 'Shocked' By Diabetes Diagnosis

Is Theresa May's Revelation A Ploy?

Updated: 1:27pm UK, Sunday 28 July 2013

By Jon Craig, Chief Political Correspondent

Did Theresa May decide to reveal that she has Type 1 diabetes and needs daily injections because she knew a committee of MPs was due to reveal a deep malaise in migration statistics?

Was the timing of her candid interview about her illness and her weight loss an attempt to deflect attention from the harsh criticism of the immigration figures by the Public Administration Select Committee of MPs?

Or is that a conspiracy theory too far? No doubt the Home Secretary would say so quite emphatically.

Mrs May has always attracted a lot of jealousy from male colleagues as she has risen to near the top in the Conservative Party.

Many resented her "nasty party" jibe when she was party chairman and there were plenty willing her to fail when David Cameron appointed her Home Secretary in 2010.

I recall senior frontbenchers joking at a Tory conference a few years back: "Theresa May, or maybe not. She used to be indecisive, but now she's not so sure."

But since 2010 she has proved to be a steely, unflappable, safe pair of hands at the notoriously perilous Home Office and those Tory MPs who used to mock her are silent now.

Since her adept handling of the Abu Qatada debacle ended successfully with his deportation three weeks ago, she has reinforced her position as a front-runner to become the next Tory leader.

And the latest whispering about her among colleagues was that her weight loss in recent months was a deliberate makeover as part of a leadership bid.

Not so, she has declared in the Mail On Sunday, though she confirms she has lost almost two stone.

She was diagnosed last November and at the moment she needs two injections a day, either in the stomach or the thigh, which can't be any fun.

Leadership bid?

"This was not some Machiavellian plan because there is no leadership bid," she insists.

Not yet, certainly. But one day, I predict, assuming her health is robust enough to allow her to "get on with it", as she puts it.

There will be sympathy for her, even from her detractors and political opponents.

Her disclosure proves that politicians are human, like the rest of us, and not as indestructible as they would sometimes have us believe.

So why didn't she reveal the illness earlier?

I suspect she wanted to get the Abu Qatada mess sorted out first.

Better to reveal her illness when her political stock is high, which it certainly is now - and which makes the immigration statistics fiasco even more frustrating and embarrassing for the Home Secretary.

As Bernard Jenkin, chairman of the Public Administration Committee, rightly says: "Most people would be utterly astonished to learn that there is no attempt to count people as they enter or leave the UK."

I was struck by the comment of Westminster City Council leader Philippa Roe, who gave evidence to the committee and said: "Disney World has better technology to keep track of its visitors than we as a country do."

Labour claims the select committee's report casts into doubt the Home Secretary's claims to have cut net migration.

She would dispute that - as she would the suggestion that the timing of her announcement about her illness had anything to do with the inevitable row over migration figures.

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Twitter 'Must Take Rape Threats Seriously'

A feminist who received a barrage of abuse on Twitter after heading a campaign for a woman to appear on British banknotes has called on the social networking site and police to take action.

Caroline Criado-Perez received hostile posts, including threats to rape and kill her, nearly every minute in the 48 hours after she attended the Bank of England's unveiling of the new £10 note, with Jane Austen's image on, on Wednesday.

Ms Criado-Perez told Sky News: "It was really really disturbing to find that something as small as asking for one woman on a banknote could result in such a barrage of threats of sexual violence.

" … It's just not acceptable and more than that it's actually a crime and Twitter needs to take it seriously and the police need to take it seriously."

The abuse started after Ms Criado-Perez fronted the £10 note campaign

Her comments come as an online petition in support of her, calling on Twitter to introduce a button to allow speedy reporting of abuse, has attracted more than 25,000 signatures.

She has also received support from MPs and celebrities.

Ms Criado-Perez added: "This is something that happens specifically to women and it's to make them shut up because there is a certain type of man who doesn't like women speaking and they don't like women speaking back to them.

Twitter is under increasing pressure to take a tougher stance

"I wasn't going to give them what they wanted so I decided to start being very very public about the abuse I was receiving even though it was really unpleasant and obviously it's invited more abuse to a certain extent, but it's also invited so much support which has been absolutely incredible."

A spokesperson for Twitter said: "The ability to report individual tweets for abuse is currently available on Twitter for iPhone and we plan to bring this functionality to other platforms, including Android and the web.

"We don't comment on individual accounts. However, we have rules which people agree to abide by when they sign up to Twitter.

"We will suspend accounts that, once reported to us, are found to be in breach of our rules.

"We encourage users to report an account for violation of the Twitter rules by using one of our report forms: https://support.twitter.com/forms."

The Metropolitan Police is conducting inquiries into the matter after receiving an allegation of abuse but no arrests have yet been made.

Labour's shadow home secretary and shadow minister for women Yvette Cooper has written to the head of Twitter in the UK urging stronger action over the matter, saying she is "deeply concerned by the handling of serious and violent threats of abuse and rape".

The letter says: " ... Despite the scale and seriousness of these threats, the official response from Twitter continues to be extremely weak - simply directing Caroline away from Twitter towards the police, and, belatedly, directing users to abuse reporting forms on Twitter.

" ... I urge you to go further and ensure that Twitter carries out a full review of all its policies on abusive behaviour, threats and crimes, including more help for Twitter users who experience abuse, a clear complaints process and clear action from Twitter to tackle this kind of persecution."

Comedians Chris Addison and Dara O'Briain are among the celebrities to back Ms Criado-Perez with messages on Twitter.

Jane Austen will appear on the front of £10 notes from 2017

Addison wrote: "In case you missed it, here's the link to petition to add a 'Report Abuse' button to Twitter … Least we can do, right?"

And O'Briain posted: "If the ladies leave twitter because of all the dumb, rapey 14 year old boys, then I'm outta here people. Like most grown-up men too, I'd say"

MPs including Stella Creasy and Diane Abbott also voiced their support via the microblogging site.

Ms Criado-Perez, a freelance journalist who co-founded The Women's Room, an online database of female experts, organised a campaign which included a petition signed by more than 35,500 people after the Bank of England decided to replace Elizabeth Fry with Winston Churchill on new £5 notes.

The move would have meant there were no women apart from the Queen on sterling banknotes.

Her campaign was a success, with an announcement by the Bank last week that Pride And Prejudice author Austen will replace Charles Darwin on the new £10 note when it is introduced 2017.

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Weather: Downpours As Summer Getaway Begins

Torrential rain, thunder and lightning is blighting the first weekend of the school holidays, as thousands set off across the UK for their summer break.

The heavy downpours have already caused flash flooding in the South East and the Midlands, with more expected today as the rain spreads north and west.

In just four hours yesterday evening Market Bosworth in Leicestershire endured 61mm of rain and many other areas saw between 20mm and 30mm, with similar amounts forecast today.

This compares with an average rainfall of around 80mm for the whole month of July.

An AA van tows a stranded car out of flood waters in the Midlands

Leicestershire County Council said the south of the county had been worst hit by the flash floods and several road closures remain in place.

The Met Office has increased its weather warning level to "amber", the second of three levels, urging residents in the Midlands and north of England to be prepared for storms likely to cause surface water flooding and disruption today.

The Environment Agency has also issued 32 flood alerts in the same areas, and two more serious flood warnings near Rochdale and Sheffield as river levels rise.

But forecasters said there is a chance of being hit by heavy downpours almost anywhere in the UK today.

A woman pushes her bike through a flooded in Loughborough

Sky News Weather Presenter Jo Wheeler said: "Yesterday's torrential rain brought flash flooding and miserable road conditions to many parts of central southern England, the Midlands and the North.

"Today, the heaviest rainfall will be over eastern Scotland as the low pressure system drifts away north and east.

"So there'll be some dramatic weather yet to come for Scotland, with some heavy bursts of rain, thunder and lightning.

"Elsewhere, after a mild start to the day, it'll be a mixture of sunshine and showers."

Eight "flood alert" warnings have been put in place across much of Scotland, particularly the east and south of the country.

Motorists make their way through flooded roads in Leicestershire

The areas affected stretch from Dumfries and Galloway in the south-west across to the Borders and north through Edinburgh, central areas, Perthshire, Angus and Aberdeenshire.

It comes after a glorious run of baking sunshine in July which has turned increasingly unsettled over the last week.

The weather is likely to remain changeable over the next few days.

Wheeler added: "Tomorrow will be unsettled everywhere.

"Heavy showers or thunderstorms will be prevalent once again, particularly in the north and west and Scotland may see some longer spells of rain.

In contrast to Britain, Rome is experiencing scorching weather

"For all, temperatures will be a little bit lower, and closer to what we expect to see at this time of year."

As temperatures in Britain cool, other parts of Europe are sweltering in a heatwave.

Italy is thought to be experiencing its hottest weekend of the summer so far, with the mercury hitting 38C (100F) in Rome yesterday.

A strong heatwave coming from Africa and nicknamed 'Charon' by local forecasters is running over Italy with temperatures set to rise up to 40C (104F) in the coming days.

Meanwhile, Austria's capital Vienna saw temperatures reach 36C (97F) and Berlin in Germany recorded a high of 35C (95F) on Saturday.

Even higher temperatures are expected over the next few days.

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Michael Cope Charged With Linzi Ashton Murder

Michael Cope has been charged with the murder of his ex-girlfriend in Manchester.

The 28-year-old is due to appear at Manchester and Salford Magistrates' Court on Monday, when he will also face accusations of assault and rape.

He is alleged to have killed 25-year-old Linzi Ashton, who was found dead at her home in Winton on June 29.

A post mortem concluded Miss Ashton died as a result of pressure to the neck and multiple injuries.

In a statement issued shortly after Miss Ashton's death, her family said: "She was the most beautiful, generous, caring person anyone could ever wish to meet. She would never harm anyone and was always there for her children and family."

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Immigration Figures 'Little More Than A Guess'

Official figures showing how many immigrants are coming to the UK are "little better than a guess", according to a report by MPs.

The report by the Public Administration Select Committee says the number of migrants coming to the country is not properly measured, and warns the statistics are "not fit for purpose".

Analysis on how many non-UK residents are entering and leaving the country is primarily based on "random interviews" of travellers at ports and airports that were introduced to examine tourism trends, the report says.

Just 5,000 migrants a year are identified through the International Passenger Survey and many "may be reticent to give full and frank answers," it warned.

Although the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which uses the research to draw up its migration estimates, has "done its best" to produce informative statistics, the survey "is not fit for the purposes to which it is put" and ministers must find new ways to gather information, MPs said.

Conservative MP Alun Cairns, who sits on the committee, told Sky News: "When we come down to measuring the absolute numbers, it's far too blunt, the way in which they collect the data is too inaccurate and the margin for error is far too great."

In the year to June 2012, immigration was estimated at 515,000 while emigration was estimated at 352,000.

The coalition aims to reduce net migration - the difference between the two figures - from the hundreds of thousands down to the tens of thousands by 2015.

But MPs warned the Government is at risk of ending up with an "inappropriate" immigration policy if it bases its target level of net migration on uncertain statistics "which could be out by tens of thousands".

ONS migration estimates contain no information on the immigration status of migrants, while statistics produced by the Home Office do not indicate the number of visa holders with valid leave to remain in the UK or the number who overstay their leave to remain, the report said.

The Coalition is aiming to significantly reduce net migration by 2015

Statistics produced by both organisations are "blunt instruments" for measuring, managing, and understanding migration, it added.

The committee said migration figures could be considerably improved if the Home Office and ONS properly recorded and linked the data they already gather.

MPs called for the e-Borders system to be used for measuring immigration, emigration and net migration as quickly as possible.

Committee chairman Bernard Jenkin said: "Most people would be utterly astonished to learn that there is no attempt to count people as they enter or leave the UK.

"They are amazed when they are told that government merely estimates that there are 500,000 immigrants coming into the UK each year.

"This is based on random interviews of around 800,000 people stopped and interviewed at ports and airports each year.

"Only around 5,000 of those are actual migrants, many of whom may be reticent to give full and frank answers, to say the least."

The International Passenger Survey also fails to garner the type of information needed to work out the social and economic consequences of migration, such as demand for the National Health Service or schools.

A Home Office spokesman said: "We disagree with the report's conclusions. Government reforms on immigration are working and the statistics do show that net migration is at its lowest level for a decade.

"The government is determined to build a fairer system and to address the public's concern about immigration.

"We are committed to getting net migration down from the hundreds of thousands to the tens of thousands, and we want to be judged against the very best available evidence."

Liberal Democrat Business Secretary Vince Cable criticised what he called the Conservative Party's "obsession" with net migration targets.

He told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show: "This idea that you're pursuing a net immigration figure is very misleading because, amongst other things, the largest number of people counted as immigrants are overseas students, who are not immigrants, they're visitors, but under the United Nations classification are counted as immigrants - but they're good for the country."

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