British Troops Close Final Afghanistan Outpost

British troops have closed their last remaining forward operating base (FOB) in Afghanistan's Helmand Province.

At the peak of combat operations, Observation Post Sterga was one of more than 130 such bases.

It was designed to provide a safe location for soldiers or airmen some distance from the main operating bases, like Camp Bastion, making it easier to conduct land patrols.

The closure of the base means British armed forces personnel are now situated only in Camp Bastion, in locations in Kandahar, which has an airbase, and in the capital Kabul.

The move is part of the winding down of operations in Afghanistan, with a team of advisers to Afghan security forces expected to be Britain's sole presence in the country by the end of the year.

Philip Hammond accompanies a soldier around the desert base

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond, who was in Helmand Province to witness the closure of the base, said: "This is another important step towards ending combat operations in Afghanistan.

"It's also an opportunity to reflect on the mission and the hard work and sacrifice of British forces.

"Their efforts have helped build a credible Afghan National Security Force and supported the emergence of a democratic Afghan state."

A large number of the 453 British servicemen who have died in Afghanistan since 2001 were posted to an FOB at the time.

Sterga opened in August 2013 to allow UK personnel to observe a large and strategically important area of central Helmand.

More than 100 shipping containers' worth of equipment had to be removed from the base by air and road.

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Stretched Nurses 'Struggling To Give Safe Care'

Patients in some NHS hospitals are receiving "unsafe and unsatisfactory" care because of staff shortages, a nursing chief has told Sky News.

Elderly patients are particularly at risk of being left in discomfort and distress, according to Dr Peter Carter, the chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing.

His warning comes as the National Institute For Health and Care Excellence (NICE) prepares to issue draft guidelines to hospitals, stating nurses should ideally be responsible for no more than eight patients at once.

Failing to meet this ratio puts patients at "increased risk of harm", it said.

One estimate is that 20,000 additional nurses could be needed to meet NICE's recommendations.

"There is a lot of very good care, but there are undoubtedly many clinical situations each day where nurses are really struggling to provide the level of safe and satisfactory care they would wish to do," Dr Carter told Sky News.

Dr Peter Carter says nurses are struggling to provide "safe" care

"Nurses tell us they often come off shifts knowing they've not provided the level of care they'd wish to.

"Patients are left in discomfort - sometimes they're incontinent and nurses are unable to change them for considerable periods of time, which adds to distress.

"That's the reality. It's not that the nurses don't care - just that there are insufficient numbers of them.

"We have copious examples, particularly on wards for older people, where you have one nurse for 12, 14 and sometimes 15 people."

Dr Carter welcomed NICE's guidelines but said sometimes even "one to eight" was not nearly enough.

"Research demonstrates that once you go over the one to eight (ratio), serious problems begin," he said.

"There are plenty of settings, (such as in) neo-natal and intensive care, where you need one to one."

NHS staffing levels have been criticised following the Mid Staffordshire scandal, which uncovered evidence of increased mortality rates and serious neglect.

NICE will issue final guidelines for adult inpatient wards in acute hospitals in England in July following a consultation.

Its deputy chief executive, Professor Gillian Leng, said: "We'll be issuing draft guidelines on Monday, providing advice on how hospitals should ensure nurse numbers on wards are appropriately tailored to the needs of patients.

"The advice is for hospital managers, the board, and nurses working on wards.

"We want to make sure patients receive effective, safe care.

"We've also set out some information about what needs to be monitored in terms of outcomes for patients who have falls or pressure ulcers, and what nurses need to keep track of on a day-by-day, hour-by-hour basis to make sure patients are being cared for effectively."

The Department of Health said administrative staff and managers had been cut since 2010 but there were 5,100 more nurses working on wards.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt added: "NICE's work on staffing is a major step forward.

"For the first time in its history, the NHS will have the evidence it needs to make sure that nurses are able to spend enough time with their patients."

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Hit And Run Death: Classmates 'Devastated'

School friends of a teenager killed in a hit and run have spoken of their devastation at losing a classmate who "made people smile".

Police are appealing for the driver who did not stop after hitting 14-year-old Jasmyn Chan in Sheffield on Friday night to come forward.

Another girl, aged 12, has now left hospital after being treated for serious injuries following the collision at about 9.20pm.

The pair, both from Sheffield, were crossing the road when they were hit by a car on Normanton Hill close to its junction with Richmond Hill Road.

A message left at the scene on Saturday

Friends gathered there on Saturday to leave flowers after hearing about the tragedy on Facebook.

One, Hannah Bellamy, told Sky News: "We're shocked and sad that she's gone. She was always smiling - a funny person to be around who spoke to anyone.

"She always made me smile when I was down. I'm going to miss her loads - she's going to be missed by everyone."

Friend Hannah Bellamy, one of those who laid flowers at the scene

The girls had fallen behind three other friends when they were hit by the car as it travelled down a hill towards the A57 Mosborough Parkway.

Family friend Sarah Parker added: "She's just a lovely little girl. She was gorgeous. I can't get my head around it. It's devastating to hear."

The vehicle was described as small and dark-coloured, possibly green, and possibly a Volkswagen or a Honda.

School friends gathered at the scene

Police say they are following a "number of leads" after getting information from the public.

Chief Inspector Stuart Walne appealed for the driver to contact police.

"The driver may not have intended to cause this collision nor are they likely to have been aware of the extent of the injuries they caused last night," he said.

The crash occurred on Normanton Hill, near the Richmond Hill Road junction

"However, I would urge them to think about the impact on Jasmyn's family, friends and community and please come forward.

"The small dark-coloured car will have damage to the front and the driver's offside.

"If you were the driver of this car, please contact police immediately. This is a tragic situation that has taken a young life and seriously affected another.

Flowers left at the scene in Sheffield

"There may have been reasons that you didn't stop last night but now a girl has died and we need to speak to you."

Witnesses to the crash or anyone with information are asked to contact police on the non-emergency 101 number.

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Sixth Formers Given 'Stress-Free' Late Start

A private school in Surrey is to delay the start of lessons for sixth formers to 1.30pm, saying it will better suit teenagers' sleeping patterns.

Hampton Court House in East Molesey said lessons will be pushed back from the normal 9am start until several hours later and finish at 7pm. 

The school said it hoped the "bold and pioneering step" would offer sixth formers a more productive and "stress-free" way of focusing on their crucial A-level years. 

In a statement on its website, it said: "Persuasive research has further reinforced the fact that teenagers have a biological disposition to going to bed late and struggling to get up early."

Headmaster Guy Holloway added: "There is now more and more scientific evidence to support what many parents and teachers have known for years.

Mr Holloway said 'biology' dictates that teens have diferent sleep patterns

"The fact is that many teenagers do not sleep sufficiently during the week and this can, and often does, have a significant impact on teenage cognition and mental and physical health generally."

The delayed start times are due to come into force in 2015.

Gabriel Purcell-Davis, 15, who will be among the first to try out the new start times, told Sky News he was in favour of the scheme.

He said: "I know I work best in the evenings and if you ask any teenager out there, they will be tired all day but as soon as 10 o'clock hits, that's when we decide to recognise our rooms, do all our work. So I think it would be the best timings for a teenager's mind."

The school also was quick to point out another added bonus; staggered start times will help staff and students avoid the early morning rush-hour.

But the scheme has been met with some criticism.

Dr Tony Sewell, an education advisor and chair of governors at the specialist school STEM Academy Tech City, told Sky News it could cause problems for teens in later life.

He said: "The reality is that they won't be able to adjust this when it comes to the world of work. So their bodies might as well get used to it now ... so they can perform well in the work place."

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League Boss' Apology Over 'Inappropriate' Emails

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore has apologised after a Sunday newspaper published emails which it claims show him making crude and sexist remarks about women.

Mr Scudamore said he accepted the contents of the messages, which were passed to the Sunday Mirror by a former PA, were "inappropriate".

The PA told the paper she was sent the messages automatically in order to arrange Mr Scudamore's diary.

In one of the emails, Mr Scudamore is claimed to have written: "You will learn over time that female irrationality increases exponentially depending on how many members join your family.

"That should keep you within the Chinese government's one child per family enforcement rules. Very clever those Chinese."

In a statement, Mr Scudamore, who has been head of the Premier League since 1999, said: "These were private emails exchanged between colleagues and friends of many years.

"They were received from and sent to my private and confidential email address, which a temporary employee who was with the organisation for only a matter of weeks should not have accessed and was under no instruction to do so.

"Nonetheless I accept the contents are inappropriate and apologise for any offence caused, particularly to the former employee.

"It was an error of judgement that I will not make again."

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Theatre-Goers In Shock Over Gore At The Globe

By Richard Suchet, Arts and Entertainment Correspondent

Nine theatregoers have fainted in the first fortnight of The Globe's blood-soaked production of Titus Andronicus, it has been revealed.

The tragedy is Shakespeare's most violent and brutal work.

First aiders are on stand by at every performance of Lucy Bailey's version of the play, just in case people pass out.

The director told Sky News: "I think there's something interesting about theatre in that there is nothing between the eye and the image.

"People take the blood - which is obviously stage blood - at face value. So when they see blood come out of the mouth and they can't understand how it has got there, they understand it as real at that moment."

In this revival of a 2006 production, there are graphic images of mutilation, rape, murder, cannibalism and a live burial.

The gruesome scenes are proving hard for some to stomach

"There is a build up of violence in the piece," says Bailey.

"It can get to a point where an actor will come on and say 'I will chop off your hand' and on the word 'chop' you can almost guarantee that someone is going to faint.

"That I find fantastic, because it is the power of listening. It is not about the blood, it is that they are so involved in the story that it will just overwhelm them at that moment."

There are 14 deaths throughout the course of the play and it is probably one of the darkest productions ever staged at The Globe.

The majority of those who have fainted so far have done so while watching the play on their feet in the 'yard' of the open-air theatre.

As the weather gets warmer, the number of people who pass out every week is expected to rise.

Production director Lucy Bailey defends her revival

Titus Andronicus was very rarely staged during the Victorian era, as the piece was widely considered to be distasteful in its violence.

But in Elizabethan times, the play was incredibly popular.

"It was a very early play and it was written by a young Shakespeare and I think it was to some extent a crowd-pleaser," adds Bailey.

"People were coming to these theatres to see bears being ripped apart by dogs and on an alternate day there would be a play. So the play itself in some ways highlights the bloodlust that was very present for the Elizabethan audience."

Titus Andronicus runs at The Globe theatre until July 13.

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Billionaire Britain: New Nation Of Super-Rich

Top 25 Billionaires In Britain

Updated: 12:54am UK, Sunday 11 May 2014

The top 25 names on the 2014 Sunday Times Rich List, including their total fortune and the change from last year.

1. Sri and Gopi Hinduja, £11.9bn, up £1.3bn

2. Alisher Usmanov, £10.65bn, down £2.65bn

3. Lakshmi Mittal and family, £10.25bn, up £250m

4. Len Blavatnik, £10bn, down £1bn

5. Ernesto and Kirsty Bertarelli, £9.75bn, up £2.35bn

6. John Fredriksen and family, £9.25bn, up £450m

7. David and Simon Reuben, £9bn, up £719m

8. Kirsten and Jorn Rausing, £8.8bn, up £3.691bn

9. Roman Abramovich, £8.52bn, down £780m

10. The Duke of Westminster, £8.5bn, up £700m

11. Galen, Hilary and George Weston and family, £7.3bn, up £650m

12. Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken and Michel de Carvalho, £6.365bn, down £635m

13. Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber and family, £6.16bn, up £1.645bn

14. Carrie and Francois Perrodo and family, £6.14bn, new

15. German Khan, £6.08bn, new

16. Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay, £6bn, up £3.65bn

17. Hans Rausing and family, £5.9bn, up £1.18bn

18. Nicky Oppenheimer and family, £4.57bn, up £785m

19. Earl Cadogan and family, £4.2bn, up £525m

20. Joseph Lau and family, £4.03bn, down £570m

21. Sir Philip and Lady Green £3.88bn, no change

22. Denis O'Brien, £3.854bn, up £486m

23. Mike Ashley, £3.75bn, up £1.45bn

24. Sir Richard Branson and family, £3.6bn, up £86m

25. Idan Ofer, £3.43bn, new

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'Overworked' Doctors Fear Missing Illnesses

More than eight out of 10 GPs have said they fear missing serious illnesses in patients because they are so overworked, according to a survey.

Nine out of 10 family doctors, meanwhile, feel their general practices do not have sufficient resources to provide high quality care.

The survey was carried out by the Royal College of General Practitioners, the professional membership body for family doctors.

The results were released the day after it was claimed patients in some NHS hospitals are at risk of unsafe care because of staff shortages.

Dr Peter Carter, the chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, told Sky News some nurses were having to look after 15 patients on a ward when draft guidelines for the NHS will recommend eight is a suitable number.

When asked whether they are worried about missing signs of a serious illness because of their workload, 29% of GPs said they worried "a great deal", while 55% said they worried "a fair amount".

The poll found 96% of GPs felt their job was stressful, while the same number said morale had decreased in the last five years.

Seven in 10 (70%) believed GP practices will not exist in 10 years' time because of a funding crisis.

The college said that despite accounting for 90% of all NHS contacts, GP practices are allocated just 8.4% of the NHS budget.

Dr Helen Stokes-Lampard, a spokeswoman for the college, said: "(This) is a damning indictment of the impact of the deepening funding crisis in general practice.

"Family doctors and practice nurses want to provide their patients with excellent patient care and this takes the right levels of funding.

"However, only 7% of GPs currently think sufficient investment is going into general practice.

"Our poll shows family doctors are severely demoralised and this can only be bad news for patients."

The Department of Health said the Government has committed to increase the number of GP trainees from 40% of all newly qualified doctors leaving medical school to 50% by 2020.

A spokesman said: "We've taken tough decisions to protect the NHS budget, which is allowing us to restore proper family doctoring, reform out of hospital care, and improve GP access for 7.5 million people across the country.

"But we know GPs are under pressure, so we're cutting GP targets by more than a third to free up more time with patients and increasing trainees so that GP numbers continue to grow faster than the population."

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Gove Accused Of 'Lunacy' In Free Schools Row

Michael Gove has been accused of stripping £400m from a fund for extra school places in order to plug a financial "black hole" in his free schools programme in a move described as "nothing short of lunacy".

A senior Government source also accused the Education Secretary of being willing to see children struggle for a classroom place so the department can "lavish" money on the free school "experiment".

The attack is the latest coalition spat with the Department for Education at the heart of it.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg was earlier this week accused of "lying" over how plans to provide free school meals for infant school pupils would be funded.

The senior Government source said: "Michael Gove is so ideologically obsessed with his free school experiment, he's willing to see children struggle to get suitable school places.

"Everybody knows there's real pressure on school places at the moment. It is nothing short of lunacy to slash the amount of money available for new school places to lavish on free schools.

"Michael Gove was warned by the schools minister David Laws that this was a bad idea but the zealot pressed on anyway.

"The Conservatives are putting the needs of a handful of their pet-projects ahead of the requirements of the other 24,000 schools in the country."

The source claims Mr Gove reduced the basic need allocation by £400m - enough to provide around 30,000 new school places - to £2.35bn between 2015 and 2017 to help fund an overspend in the free schools budget of around £800m between 2013 and 2016, the source said.

A spokesman for Mr Gove said: "The suggestion we are cutting money for new places in areas of need to pay for free schools where they are not needed is totally wrong.

"These claims pretend that money spent in free schools is not creating new places in areas of need. That is simply not true.

"From 2015, funding to councils for new school places will rise by more than £200m a year. On top of this, investment in free schools will provide tens of thousands of new places in areas of need.

"Indeed the vast majority of free schools - more than seven in 10 - are in areas with a shortage of places."

David Cameron responded to the allegations by telling Sky News: "What the government is doing is putting £5bn in this parliament into expanding the number of school places.

"Part of that is investing in free schools, most of which in the primary schools are in areas of high need, and they are providing good new school places for people inside the state sector.

"I think you should judge the government on its results in education. We are seeing real progress."

Former schools minister Nick Gibb told Sky News: "This is a legacy from the previous government not having put those plans in place to provide new schools."

Shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt said: "The free school programme had the Lib Dem stamp of approval from day one. They're as much to blame for the failings as the Tories."

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Manchester City Win Premier League Title

Manchester City have won the Barclays Premier League title with a 2-0 defeat over West Ham United at home.

Goals either side of half-time from Samir Nasri and Vincent Kompany saw City capture the title with an easy victory.

Manuel Pellegrini's side led second-place Liverpool by only two points in the league heading into the match.

Man City captain Vincent Kompany celebrates his goal against West Ham

But their sizeable goal difference meant a draw against West Ham at Etihad Stadium would be enough to take the title.

The title is Man City's second in three seasons.

For Liverpool, only victory over Newcastle United and a shock West Ham win could have seen them finish the season on top.

A Manchester City fan holds a banner in the stands

Liverpool trailed after an early own goal from Martin Skrtel, however two goals in the second half - from Daniel Agger and Daniel Sturridge - secured second place in the league.

Man City received a boost for their final match with the return of Argentine striker Sergio Aguero from a groin injury.

Aguero's return was the only change from the City side which beat Aston Villa 4-0 mid-week.

Sami Nasri (R) celebrates his goal before ecstatic fans at Etihad Stadium

But it was Nasri who broke through West Ham's defences six minutes before the interval, taking aim from 20 yards with a powerful shot which went in off the post.

The goal was followed by another four minutes into the second half when Kompany struck home from six yards after Edin Dzeko won the ball from a corner.

Aguero had two chances to extend City's lead, but his header sailed wide at the near post and he later failed to score before an open goal from a Zabaleta cross.

More follows...

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