Baldrick Calls Gove's Blackadder Remarks 'Silly'

Blackadder star Sir Tony Robinson has defended the comedy's portrayal of World War One after the Education Secretary accused it of belittling Britain.

Michael Gove criticised the manner in which historians and TV programmes have depicted the conflict, saying he believed it was in fact a "just war" against the German elite.

"The conflict has, for many, been seen through the fictional prism of dramas such as Oh! What a Lovely War, The Monocled Mutineer and Blackadder, as a misbegotten shambles – a series of catastrophic mistakes perpetrated by an out-of-touch elite," he wrote in the Daily Mail.

He added he had little time for the view of the Department for Culture and the Foreign Office that the commemorations should not lay fault at Germany's door.

He said the 1914 centenary should be about "battling left-wing myths that belittle Britain" rather than denigrating patriotism.

Michael Gove: history belittles WWI heroes

"Our understanding of the war has been overlaid by misunderstandings, and misrepresentations which reflect an, at best, ambiguous attitude to this country and, at worst, an unhappy compulsion on the part of some to denigrate virtues such as patriotism, honour and courage," he wrote.

Sir Tony, who played Private Baldrick in Blackadder Goes Forth, told Sky News Mr Gove's criticism was a "very, very silly mistake".

"When imaginative teachers bring it in, it's simply another teaching tool; they probably take them over to Flanders to have a look at the sights out there, have them marching around the playground, read the poems of Wilfred Owen to them. And one of the things that they'll do is show them Blackadder."

Speaking on the Murnaghan programme, the actor and Labour Party member also said the politician's comments "slagging off" teachers were unprofessional.

"To make this mistake, to categorise teachers who would introduce something like Blackadder as left-wing and introducing left-wing propaganda, is very very unhelpful and particularly unhelpful and irresponsible from a minister of education.

"This idea that somehow World War One ought to be an essay on how things were in Britain, the noble officer class in Britain, is a very old fashioned fantasy," Sir Tony said.

Labour's shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt called Mr Gove's article "shocking stuff".

In a piece for The Observer, he accused the Government of using the centenary as an excuse to "rewrite the historical record and sow political division".

The Government is using a £50m commemorations fund to mark the centenary this year.

Mr Hunt said: "This year's anniversary events need to reflect and embrace the multiple histories that the war evinces - from the Royal British Legion to the National Union of Railwaymen to the Indian, Ethiopian and Australian servicemen fighting for the empire."

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

23.39 | 0 komentar | Read More

CJD: Call For Widespread Test To Detect Disease

By Stephen Douglas, Sky News Reporter

MPS have launched an inquiry to check the safety of donor blood after hearing new evidence on the human form of mad cow disease.

The Commons Science and Technology Committee was responding to a study that revealed one in every 2,000 people in the UK could be carrying variant CJD.

Christine Lord's son Andrew died from the disease which causes degenerative brain disorder.

She told Sky News: "Every single minute of the day there was relentless pain and memory loss. He was unable to move, unable to walk and unable to talk. Then he would get light bulb moments where he would ask what was happening.

"The public think it's gone away but it hasn't. Andrew could be any mum's son and unfortunately there will be more Andrews."

Variant CJD is thought to be caused by prion proteins in the brain.

These infectious agents can clump together and destroy cells which causes holes in brain tissue.

Infected blood transfusions could spread the infectious agent causing CJD

How many people in the UK carry these prions is unclear, but the latest study in the British Medical Journal estimates it could be as many as one in every 2,000.

At the moment donor blood isn't tested for the disease.

Dr Simon Mead, from University College London, told Sky News: "What we fell would be right is to move towards a way to screen people who are silent carriers from blood donation and to identify them prior to organ donation for example. That way the infection wouldn't be spread further."

The Department of Health says it is supporting studies into how widespread vCJD is. It points out there has only been one case in the last three years.

Andrew pictured with his mother, Christine, before he was infected

But Mrs Lord believes more testing is needed.

"When Andrew was ill with vCJD and started to get very ill he said mum find out why I've become so ill and make sure no one else ever gets this," she said.

"He died in my arms and I buried him three days before Christmas in the cathedral where I used to watch his nativity plays. No mother should have to go through that."

According to data released by the Health Protection Agency, 177 people in the UK have died from vCJD after eating contaminated beef.

Cases have tailed off in recent years with none reported last year and only one so far in 2013.

But previous studies have found that many others are harbouring the infection without developing clinical symptoms.

23.39 | 0 komentar | Read More

Missing Six-Year-Old Quad Biker Found In Ditch

A six-year-old boy who went missing while riding a quad bike near a quarry has been found.

The youngster, whose first name is Callum, had disappeared around 1pm on Saturday in Trentham Pitts, near Loggerheads, Staffordshire.

His family contacted officers who launched a search for him at the quarry and in woodland with the help of a police helicopter.

Callum, from the Staffordshire Moorlands, who was wearing a plain black helmet, dark blue overalls and white boots, was later found trapped under his bike in a ditch.

He is understood to have been taken to hospital for precautionary checks.

Police thanked members of the public for their help after tracing the youngster close to Loggerheads at about 4.30pm.

Officers had earlier appealed for anyone who saw Callum, who is described as an experienced quad biker, to contact them.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

23.39 | 0 komentar | Read More

Deadly Nightclub Shooting: Police Seek Two Men

Police have released pictures of two people they want to trace after a man was fatally shot inside a nightclub on Boxing Day.

Hassan Mohammed Omer Isman, 31, from Poplar in east London, died in hospital after suffering multiple gunshot wounds in the Avalon club in London's West End.

Scotland Yard is appealing for information about 32-year-old Danny Walker and 30-year-old Gavin Allen.

Victim: Hassan Mohammed Omer Isman

They believe Allen may have travelled abroad.

Anyone who sees either man is urged not to approach them, but to call police on 999.

The incident happened at 3am on December 26 during a private function in Shaftesbury Avenue's Avalon club.

A 24-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder remains in custody at an east London police station.

Two men - a 31-year-old and a 34-year-old - arrested on suspicion of murder have been bailed to a date in mid-February, pending further enquiries.

The Avalon Soho describes itself as a cocktail lounge with live DJs every night.

Its website says it is "a revitalised venue that oozes creativity and class" which brings "a unique and stylish vibe to the heart of the West End's party scene".

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

23.39 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cameron's Pledge To Guarantee State Pensions

David Cameron has fired the starting gun for the next general election by promising a cash boost to taxpayers and the elderly.

In an interview with the Sunday Times, the Conservative leader has pledged to raise pensions by a minimum of 2.5% each year up to 2020.

He also said he wanted to cut the top rate of income tax.

The Prime Minister pledged to continue guaranteed rises in the basic state pension by retaining the "triple lock" system if the Conservatives win the 2015 general election.

Mr Cameron also sought to reassure older voters that their pay-outs would continue to rise in line with the higher of inflation, wages or 2.5% at least until 2020.

Pensioners are facing a post-election squeeze on benefits such as winter fuel payments, bus passes, TV licences and prescriptions as MPs try to provide for an ageing population.

But Mr Cameron insisted that pensions would not be hit by continued austerity measures.

"A Conservative government will offer pensioners a more secure future by pledging today that we will carry on using the triple lock after the next election to protect the basic state pension," he said.

"We can only afford to do this because we are taking difficult decisions to cut the deficit and get spending under control as part of our long-term economic plan.

"I want to do everything we can to help people who have worked hard and done the right thing."

Alex Salmond wants to hold a TV debate with Mr Cameron

The basic state pension will be around £440 a year higher from April than if it had been increased in line with average earnings since 2011-12, Downing Street said.

Mr Cameron has already indicated that the state pension would be the only spending exempt from a new cap on overall welfare spending.

The Sunday Times interview comes as a poll carried out by Lord Ashcroft reveals more than a third of people who voted Conservative in the last General Election say they would not vote for the party in the next election.

The former Tory Party deputy chairman's findings revealed around half of the 'defectors' had switched allegiance to the UK Independence Party (UKIP), with a fifth aligning themselves with Labour or the Lib Dems and a third undecided.

Mr Cameron has also come under renewed pressure to commit to a head-to-head TV debate with Alex Salmond over the referendum on Scottish independence.

The PM has steadfastly refused Mr Salmond's challenge but an SNP poll found over three-fifths of people in Scotland and over half of people in the rest of the UK want to see a public debate.

In a new letter to Number 10, Mr Salmond told Mr Cameron that his New Year plea to Scots to stay in the UK undermined this argument.

Labour leader Ed Miliband has pledged action to close a legal loophole used to exploit cheap foreign labour if his party wins in 2015.

Writing in The Independent on Sunday, he said he wanted to address "understandable" public fears over lifting work restrictions on Bulgarians and Romanians, conceding some UK nationals "lose out" as a result of new arrivals.

Mr Miliband said the key was ending the country's "chronic dependency on low-skill, low-wage labour".

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

23.39 | 0 komentar | Read More

Fighter Jets Flown With 3D Printed Parts

UK fighter jets have flown for the first time with parts made using 3D printing technology.

BAE Systems said the metal components were successfully used on board Tornado aircraft which flew from the defence firm's airfield at Warton, Lancashire, last month.

3D printed components being manufactured by BAE Systems

It said engineers were using 3D technology to design and produce parts which could cut the Royal Air Force's maintenance and service bill by more than £1.2m over the next four years.

Some of the parts costs less than £100.

BAE Systems is already working at RAF Marham, in Norfolk, to engineer ready-made parts for four squadrons of Tornado GR4 aircraft - including protective covers for cockpit radios and guards for power take-off shafts.

Mike Murray, head of airframe integration at BAE Systems, said: "You are suddenly not fixed in terms of where you have to manufacture these things.

"You can manufacture the products at whatever base you want, providing you can get a machine there, which means you can also start to support other platforms such as ships and aircraft carriers.

"And if it's feasible to get machines out on the front line, it also gives improved capability where we wouldn't traditionally have any manufacturing support."

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

23.39 | 0 komentar | Read More

WW1 Cemetery At Heart Of Commemorations

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent, in Mons

In an immaculately kept cemetery, a few miles east of the town of Mons in Belgium, two graves face each other only yards apart.

They mark the final resting place of two Privates: John Parr, of the Middlesex, the first Briton to die on the Western Front, and George Ellison, of the Royal Irish Lancers, the last British soldier to die - killed just 90 minutes before the Armistice was signed.

That they should be buried so close to each other is, to the best of anyone's knowledge, pure coincidence.

The St Symphorien Military Cemetery was established by the German Army in 1914.

They were granted permission to bury their dead on the land by a local farmer, but on one condition: that they should bury the British dead with equal respect.

There are 284 German and 230 Commonwealth casualties buried on this site, which will be the focus of international commemorations on August 4 honouring the dead on all sides.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission looks after 268,000 graves in Belgium and France including St Symphorien.

Work at the St Symphorien Military Cemetery is happening around the clock

In preparation for the centenary, the CWGC has been working literally day and night, cleaning existing headstones and making new ones.

"Our aim is to see that all casualties are adequately commemorated throughout out this centenary period," Carl Liversage, from CWGC, explained.

"What we have done in the past few months is increase the production with extra machines on site and made the day longer working 24/5 significantly."

The CWGC is also installing digital panels in many of the cemeteries so that visitors can interact using mobile phones. The panels will reveal the personal stories of soldiers and details of nearby battles.

At 8pm every evening in the town of Ypres, a ritual is observed as it has been since 1928.

The road under the Menin Gate, the great arch that recognises the Commonwealth soldiers whose bodies were never found, is closed to traffic.

The Last Post ritual in Ypres

Hundreds of tourists and locals gather all year round to listen to The Last Post, played by the town's firemen. It is sounded in memory of the Commonwealth soldiers who died in the Ypres Salient during World War One.

In the four major battles that took place around the town, more than 250,000 soldiers from Britain, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand  Canada, India and Pakistan, lost their lives.

More than 100,000 of these soldiers have no known grave. The names of 54,896 of those are inscribed in the stone of the Menin Gate.

The sober ceremony under this awesome memorial has continued as Ypres's recognition of the soldiers' sacrifice.

"I do it with pleasure. Every night I do it with pleasure," said Brian Clays, from the Ypres Last Post Association. "I am Belgian, I'm not British but I do it with pleasure."

Politicians, historians and commentators might disagree on the legacy of World War One, but for most people who visit the Western Front, and walk silently among the graves, it is tragically simple: The Great War is now a conflict summed up by tales of unthinkable horror and the most phenomenal death toll - impossible to comprehend.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

23.39 | 0 komentar | Read More

Migrants 'Should Wait Five Years For Benefits'

The leader of the UK Independence Party has told Sky News he would like to see the three-month waiting time before new migrants can claim out-of-work benefits extended to five years.

Nigel Farage told the Murnaghan programme he thought the longer time scale would be "more reasonable" after immigration restrictions were lifted for Romanians and Bulgarians.

Mr Farage said the Prime Minister was not doing enough to curb immigration and that it should not be the migrants who are made the scapegoats.

He suggested only people earning an income on a par with the national average should be allowed into Britain.

"We should be selective. The single most important criteria should be that we want people coming to this country who have got a skill to bring, who economically are going to earn more than £27,500."

Romanians preparing to leave Bucharest

The UKIP leader said he did not think politicians had control over immigration but that it was "unconscionable" to ask settled migrants to leave.

"You cannot say to people, if you have come legally, that you must go."

Romanian singer Monica Irimia, who performed as one of the Cheeky Girls, told Sky News she did not think the benefits system is the attraction for migrants but it is the higher incomes instead.

Wages in Romania can be up to four times lower than in the UK.

"Most people who are coming over here are not planning to live over here for a long time, just to work, with contracts on construction sites or farming to earn more money for their families back home," Ms Irimia said.

The Prime Minister has said he will not put a figure on how many people are expected to come to the UK because he wants to avoid the "ludicrous" mistakes made by the previous government.

He told the Andrew Marr Show: "We're not making a forecast because I think it's unlikely we'll get that forecast right.

"Because remember, it's not just Britain that's had to lift its controls. At the end of seven years of transitional controls, they are also being lifted in France and in Germany, in eight other European countries, so to try and make a forecast, I think, would be wrong.

"I think my job, what's much more important, is to put in place other measures to make sure that people who do come here are coming here to work and not to claim benefits, and that's what I've done."

Ed Miliband has said an influx of low-skilled migrant workers will make life harder for Britons facing a cost of living squeeze as he pledged action to close a legal loophole used to exploit cheap foreign labour.

The Labour leader said he wanted to address "understandable" public fears over lifting work restrictions on Bulgarians and Romanians, conceding some UK nationals "lose out" as a result of new arrivals.

But while he backed stronger border controls and "fair" benefit curbs, the key was ending the country's "chronic dependency on low-skill, low-wage labour", he wrote in the Independent on Sunday.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

23.39 | 0 komentar | Read More

Baby Found At Warehouse: Woman Arrested

Police investigating the birth of a baby boy at a warehouse in Shirebrook have arrested a woman on suspicion of wilful neglect.

The infant is currently being looked after at a care unit where he is said to be making good progress.

The woman, who is believed to be 28 years old and of eastern European origin, was also taken to hospital for treatment where she is in a serious but stable condition.

Police have refused to confirm reports the boy was found in a toilet cubicle at the Shirebrook Sports Direct distribution centre.

A Derbyshire Police spokesperson said: "The baby was taken to a neonatal unit where he remains.

"The baby is in a serious but stable condition. The mother, a woman in her 20s, was also taken to hospital for treatment.

"Officers are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the birth."

Ambulance staff contacted police after discovering the birth at 11.15pm on New Year's Day.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

23.39 | 0 komentar | Read More

Flooding: Scooter Driver Dies After River Fall

A man who died when his mobility scooter fell into a swollen river has become the third person to die as a result of the latest bout of storms.

Thames Valley Police were called to Osney Lock, Oxford, at 6.30pm on Saturday after receiving a report that the man had been seen to fall into the River Thames after driving his scooter along a flooded pathway.

Police said the 47-year-old man, from the Oxford area, was pronounced dead at the scene after being recovered from the lock.

It came as forecasters warned gusts of up to 70mph are set to hit western Britain creating a further risk of flooding.

Two others have died in the storms. A 27-year-old man from Surrey was found on Porthleven Sands beach in Cornwall after he was swept out to sea on New Year's Eve.

A yellow warning has been issued for the whole of west Britain

And a woman died after being rescued from the sea in Croyde Bay, north Devon.

More than 200 homes have already been flooded along the west of the UK from Cornwall to Scotland, with miles of coastline battered and roads left under water.

The devastation left in wake of the stormiest December since 1969 has prompted David Cameron to pledge that lessons will be learned.

A new warning has been issued by the Met Office saying that high winds from 3am on Monday along the coast of Scotland, Wales and southwest England could result in waves of up to 10 metres high.

In response, Aberystwyth University said it was putting plans in place to evacuate students from seafront halls on Sunday night.

High winds and a storm surge could reproduce the damaging waves of Friday

Aberystwyth was one of the worst affected places on Friday when the bad weather caused widespread damage in coastal areas and damaged rail lines in north Wales.

Sky News's weather producer Joanne Robinson said that waves are expected to reach heights of 7-10 metres around the coasts of western Scotland, Wales and southwest England.

Southern and western parts of Ireland could see waves higher than that while the English Channel would see 3-7 metre high waves.

She said: "There'll be an on-going risk of flooding, with concerns for some coastal areas again tomorrow.

"The winds will continue to pick up over the next 24 hours, bringing gusts up to 70mph in exposed parts of the south and west on Monday.

Tewkesbury is underwater due to floods again

"Along with the strong winds tomorrow, there will be large waves for southern and western parts of the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The waves could reach 10m in some spots bringing the risk of flooding at high tide."

The Met Office has also issued yellow warnings for rain in the south of England and snow in the north of England and southern Scotland on Sunday.

Up to 40mm of rain could fall on higher ground on Sunday and there are more warnings of flooding and travel disruption.

Among the weather related disruption is a landslip near Ockley which is preventing Southern Trains travelling between Horsham and Dorking.

Repairs mean the line is not expected to open until early February.

:: Send us your weather photos or video to news@sky.com or text your pictures to 84501. But don't take unnecessary risks.

Police are searching for Harry Martin for a third day

The Environment Agency has been warning that the south and west coasts of England and the Severn estuary are at risk of coastal flooding into next week.

The warnings come as searches resumed in south Devon for missing 18-year-old university student Harry Martin, who was last seen leaving his home in Newton Ferrers, near Plymouth, on Thursday to take photographs of the weather.

Prayers were said at the Sunday service in Mr Martin's local church.

There are currently 69 flood warnings and 214 flood alerts in place in England and Wales. Ten flood warnings and 16 flood alerts are in place in Scotland.

The government has come under criticism for planning to cut the number of jobs in the Environment Agency, which has the responsibility for flood protection.

Drivers and spectators have been warned to take care in at risk areas

David Cameron told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show on Sunday: "You are going to see record levels of spending on flood defences. We've guaranteed that, right out into 2020, so they can really plan right out into the future.

"Local authorities have had to make difficult decisions. The Environment Agency does have to make sure it controls its budgets carefully but we are making sure they invest in the front line."

"Huge sympathy to anyone who has had their house flooded. Anyone who has had a house or an office flooded knows it is absolutely dreadful.

"There are always lessons to learn. I think we're doing a lot more things better."

Meanwhile, the RAC has warned motorists to make sure their vehicles are ready for what they are calling 'manic Monday'.

They are expecting it to be one of their busiest days of the year as many people return to work after an extended break.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

23.39 | 0 komentar | Read More