GPs Who Miss Cancer 'To Be Named And Shamed'

GPs who repeatedly fail to spot signs of cancer in their patients could be named and shamed.

Surgeries will be marked out with a red flag on an NHS website for patients if they are deemed to be missing too many cases.

Doctors will also be red-flagged if patients have to make repeated visits before being referred for tests, according to the Mail on Sunday.

Practices will be given a green rating on the NHS Choices site if they have quick referral times for patients who show possible signs of having the disease.

Jeremy Hunt says surgeries could "do much better" with cancer diagnosis

But GPs have hit out at the plan, with one labelling it "very unhelpful" and saying it would be counter-productive.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said tough action must be taken to bring standards at surgeries with poor cancer referral rates into line with those with highest standards.

"We need to do much better," he told the newspaper.

"Cancer diagnosis levels around the country vary significantly and we must do much more to improve both the level of diagnosis and to bring those GP practices with poor referral rates up to the standards of the best."

A survey of 70,000 patients showed that one in 10 cancer sufferers had to see their GP at least five times before being referred to hospital to be diagnosed.

More than a quarter had seen their GP at least three times before being sent to a specialist.

Dr Monah Mansoori told Sky News: "I think we're going to end up having a system where GPs will start to refer defensively, they're just going to refer anything that's vaguely, possibly going to be a cancer because they don't want to be black marked and put on this list.

"It's very unhelpful, it's going to make people not confident in their GPs and more of them will end up at A&E and this is the problem they are supposedly trying to prevent and I think there's another issue, they haven't really said what they're going to do after they've put this black mark on GP's practices that perhaps aren't performing as well."

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Teen Gang-Raped After Walking Through Woods

A 17-year-old girl has been raped by a group of men while walking along a footpath in woodland.

Thames Valley Police said the teenager was attacked close to the Jubilee River in Slough, Berkshire, on Friday evening.

She was talking to a man she met in the town's High Street earlier but when she moved to a quiet path in the Chalvey area, four other men arrived in a car and it was then that she was attacked.

Det Insp Nicola Hurdley said: "We are still speaking with the girl at this time to get a full picture of what has happened, but what we do know is that while she was in this wooded area she has been raped by several of the men.

"We have specially trained officers with her now, who are supporting her while we carry out our enquiries in the area.

"Right now our investigation is focused on identifying the men involved and gathering information about their whereabouts.

"I would like to speak to anyone who may have seen these men in the Chalvey area last night, around early evening, and who may have seen them driving around in a small silver car.

"All the men are described as being Asian."

The girl was walking from Darvill's Lane towards the High Street when she met with a group of men around the junction with Church Street and Chalvey Road West.

Spackmans Way, close to where the rape is said to have happened

Police said she talked with one of the men and walked with him along the High Street, stopping at an off licence, before heading along Spackmans Way and then along a footpath before going into some woods near to the Jubilee River.

They were then joined by four other men who had been part of the group earlier, who arrived at the location in a small silver car.

It was soon after that the alleged rape took place.

Det Insp Hurdley said people in the area should be vigilant but should not be unduly alarmed.

She said: "There will also be additional patrols by uniformed officers in and around the area, who will be on hand to discuss any concerns that people may have.

"There have been no similar offences reported to the police but I would appeal to anyone who thinks they saw the victim, the offenders or the vehicle to come forward.

"I would also like to remind people to be vigilant and take care when out and about on their own."

Anyone with information should contact the police on 101.

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Parcelforce Starts Seven-Day Delivery Service

Parcelforce, the express parcels business of Royal Mail, will today become the first national parcels carrier in Britain to deliver on Sundays.

The business said it anticipates the new service will be of particular benefit to online shoppers.

Among the first retailers to sign up is the department store Fortnum and Mason.

Iain Anderson, director of communications agency Cicero Group, said the move was about Royal Mail "sharpening up its act".

He told Sky News: "This is all about parcels not letters and what Royal Mail really see as an opportunity to hold onto market share.

"There is a lot of competition and seven-day trading is about making sure they maintain and, if they can, grow their market share.

"The significance of this is that by 2017 the vast majority of revenues and profits are going to be coming from parcels.

"This is all about making sure they can continue that trajectory because the letters business, for all mail providers with the growth of email, is in long-term decline."

The Communication Workers Union said it had reached an agreement that Sunday working would be voluntary, while negotiations will be held on new shift patterns.

National officer Terry Pullinger said: "Talks with Parcelforce management established a very important principle as far as employment security is concerned and we are delighted that we have had an assurance that permanent employees will be used to deliver this new exciting innovation to customers."

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England Fan Bites Supporter's Ear Off In Brazil

Police are hunting an England fan who bit another fan's ear off after the national side's World Cup defeat against Uruguay.

The victim was left with half his left ear ripped off and bloodied in the attack, police have confirmed.

The attack happened before Uruguay and Liverpool striker Luis Suarez bit an Italian player, which led to him being banned.

But details of the fan's attack have only just emerged.

Video footage obtained by the Sunday People appeared to show the moment the attack took place on the top tier of the Arena Corinthians.

Several men can be seen in a melee before one is led away by stewards.

When asked what happened, the victim appears to tell the camera: "He bit off my ear."

Blood can be seen dripping down his neck but he continues to smile and laugh.

Luis Suarez consoles England captain Steven Gerrard after the game

Former Liverpool striker Stan Collymore tweeted that he had seen the footage and claimed it would be "the biggest story in the UK, especially who did it".

Chief Superintendent Rachel Barber said: "We were made aware during the England vs Uruguay match in Sao Paulo that an incident had taken place which resulted in an England fan having a portion of his ear bitten off by another England fan.

"In the immediate aftermath, we managed to make contact with the victim and offered advice and support.

"The day after the attack, the victim chose to make a formal complaint to the local police, and they opened an investigation."

No arrests have been made yet but interviews with witnesses gave police a name for the alleged attacker, Ms Barber said.

Police went to England's final match against Costa Rica in Belo Horizonte in case the assailant travelled to the match but did not find him there.

Chief Superintendent Barber added: "Efforts are ongoing to identify the suspect and bring him to justice either in the UK or, if possible, back in Brazil where the offence occurred."

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are aware of an incident in Sao Paulo on June 19 involving a British national and we provided consular assistance."

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All Staff Get Rights To Work From Home

By Emma Birchley, Sky News correspondent

The right to request flexible working arrangements is about to be extended to apply to all staff and not just parents and carers.

From Monday, workers who have been in their job for six months will be able to ask for flexitime, to job share or to work from home.

The change will extend flexible working rights to around 20 million people.

Many businesses who already offer it say it increases staff motivation and productivity and reduces absence.

Workers may be able to avoid painful commutes to work

It has been an option for all employees at the small advertising agency Osbornenash in Norwich since they set up three years ago - and it has paid off.

Managing director Carole Osborne said: "For us as a business it has helped because we want to be able to recruit the best staff that we possibly can ... it's important that we are flexible around their lives and then also that they can be flexible around what we as a business offer our clients."

The company's senior art director, Neil Wright, has two young daughters and is able to change his hours to suit his family life.

"Obviously family is important to everyone particularly having two children and my wife also works full time," he said.

"It's very valuable to be able to balance life and work equally."

The team at Osbornenash support flexi hours

But employment lawyer Fraser Younson, a partner at Squire Patton Boggs, fears it could leave bosses with tough decisions about whose request to prioritise.

Flexibility will not be an option for all businesses and there are various grounds on which they can reject an application.

Christopher Soule, from the Federation of Small Businesses, said that one reason might be if the request worked out as too expensive for the employee's company.

But Mr Soule believes that many companies will embrace the opportunities.

"About 70% of our members already do some kind of flexible working," he said.

"It will make people think about whether it will help their business and improve their business and improve their staff relations."

Workers will have the right to appeal if the decision does not go their way and apply again 12 months later.

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Sir Elton Says Jesus Would Back Gay Marriage

Sir Elton John has revealed plans for a "very quiet" wedding - and said he believes Jesus Christ would support gay priests getting married.

In an exclusive interview with Sky News, the star told Dermot Murnaghan he hopes to marry David Furnish some time next year and that it would be a low-key affair.

He also revealed his thoughts about the Pope - describing him as a "wonderful" man whose tolerance was an example to the Church of England.

Sir Elton shares his thoughts with Dermot Murnaghan

The entertainer also spoke about the launch of a new fund to support the training of young athletes determined to compete in the Olympics and Paralympics.

He said he hoped a concert, performed for the charity SportsAid at Stoke Park in Buckinghamshire last night, would raise £500,000 for the fund.

Sir Elton told Murnaghan that the global fight for gay rights was stalling and that he planned to talk with Vladimir Putin in Russia on the subject in November.

Sir Elton performs at Stoke Park for SportsAid

"Globally, we seem to have gone backwards over the last 18 months," Sir Elton said.

"I will see Putin and talk to him - I don't know what good it will do though."

Discussing gay rights, he said that the Church of England might learn from the humility and tolerance of Pope Francis.

"The new Pope has been wonderful, he's excited me so much," Sir Elton said.

"He's stripped it [the Church] down to the bare bones and said it's all basically about love."

Sir Elton hopes to marry David Furnish next year

Sir Elton agreed that gay clergy should be allowed to get married and suggested that the celibacy vow for Catholic priests be abolished.

"These are old and stupid things. If Jesus Christ was alive today, I cannot see him, as the Christian person that he was and the great person that he was, saying this could not happen.

"He was all about love and compassion and forgiveness and trying to bring people together and that's what the church should be about."

Asked about his own wedding, he said: "I don't think we can get married until next year.

"However, when we do do, it will be very quiet and off the cuff - we had our big shebang when we had our civil union."

Sir Elton also described the Glastonbury festival as the ultimate music event - but said he had never been asked to perform there.

Murnaghan spoke to Sir Elton at the concert for SportsAid at Stoke Park. The aim of it was to create a new athlete fund that will help young people who hope to represent Great Britain at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Sir Elton, who has been involved in the charity since its creation in the 1970s, explained how he hopes to create Britain's next Olympians.

He hoped the money raised would mean "for the next eight years 20 kids will get a grant of £2,000 that they normally couldn't get.

"It is just a way of supplementing their incomes and giving them hope for the future," he said.

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Rates 'May Return To Pre-Recession Levels'

Homeowners should expect interest rates to return to their pre-recession levels within a decade, the Deputy Governor of the Bank of England has warned.

Last week the Bank's Governor Mark Carney suggested that even once borrowing costs rise, the "new normal" for them to settle at would be around 2.5% - significantly lower than the long-term average of 4-5%.

But in an exclusive interview with Sky News Sir Charlie Bean, the Bank's longest-serving senior policy maker, said that this lower rate was only caused by a range of temporary factors.

Sir Charlie said that in the "long term", meaning beyond five or ten years, it could easily rise again towards 5% - the level traditionally considered "neutral".

"It might be reasonable to think that in that long term you would go back to 5% but it's probably quite a long way down the road," he said.

Sir Charlie's comments will be welcomed by savers who have suffered ever since the Bank lowered interest rates to just 0.5% five years ago.

However, they may also alarm millions of mortgage holders who may struggle to make their repayments.

The deputy governor, whose term comes to an end on Monday, also said that markets' expectations that the first increase in interest rates would come at the turn of the year seemed "reasonable".

He added: "The market has rates going up to 2.5% over the next three years. That seems like broadly sensible judgement."

Sir Charlie also admitted that in the run up to the crisis he, along with other economists, was "not sufficiently cognisant of the risks building up in the financial system".

However, he said that he was leaving the Bank in safe hands, and the economy far more resilient than when he arrived in 2000.

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Manhunt For Convicted Burglar Who Fled Jail

A convicted burglar who has absconded from a Yorkshire prison is being hunted by police.

Damian Pearson, 24, fled HMP Hatfield open prison in Doncaster at around 7am.

South Yorkshire Police did not elaborate on how that happened but have appealed for help to find him.

Pearson was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for burglary at the beginning of 2013.

He is not thought to be dangerous but members of the public are advised not to approach him.

Pearson is described as white, 6ft 1in slim build. He has links to Doncaster, in particular the Wheatley Park area.

Anyone with information should call police on 101.

HMP Hatfield, near Hatfield Woodhouse in South Yorkshire, houses 266 prisoners and is a Category D men's prison and Young Offenders Institution.

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Police 'Concerned' For Man Bundled Into Car

Police are appealing for information after an unidentified man was forced into a black car in Manchester.

The man was jostled into the vehicle at the junction of the A34 Kingsway and Mauldeth Road around 1.30am.

Officers said the car had alloy wheels similar to a Volkswagen Golf.

Police are concerned about the man's welfare, according to Detective Inspector Sarah-Jane Lennie.

"We don't know exactly what has gone on or why, but from the details we have we are obviously concerned for the welfare of the person seen forcibly put into the car," she said.

"I am keen to hear from anyone who witnessed anything or saw the car in and around the area in the early hours of this morning.

"I would also like to hear from anyone who thinks they might know what has happened, who the people involved are and who this person is and why he may have been targeted.

"If you have any information please call us. We will treat it in absolute confidence."

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 0161 856 4596.

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Radical Islamic Preacher Seeks Asylum In UK

The family of Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammad are applying for his asylum in the UK after claiming he had been tortured in Lebanon.

They say the radical preacher has suffered systematic torture while in custody at a maximum security prison.

The family say he should be allowed back into Britain on "humanitarian grounds" as his health has deteriorated and he is no longer able to walk.

Mohammad left the UK in 2005 and was barred from returning

The cleric caused outrage in the wake of the 2005 London bombings after saying he would not inform police if he knew Muslims were planning attacks.

He left the UK in 2005 and was told he would not be allowed to return.

But the cleric's son, Mohammad Bakri, told Sky News: "I'm here on the humanitarian basis. At the end of the day, many people find what he says distasteful, and he quotes things from the Islamic perspective.

"But I think unless you know the character, himself, like my father - I grew up with him - so therefore I understand the tactics that he uses to attract the media in order to pass the message of Islam.

"You may find that distasteful, but at the end of the day he has not committed any crimes in the UK."

Sky's Home Affairs Correspondent Mark White said the family's claims have not been independently verified.

"The families of Omar Bakri Mohammad say that he has been transferred to a maximum security prison ... in Lebanon," he said.

"They also say that he has been systematically tortured during his time in that maximum security prison.

Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammad's daughter and son

"We have no independent verification of this, but the family insists that he is in very poor health.

"They claim that he is actually close to death and they're seeking an urgent appeal now to the UK authorities to have him returned to the UK under asylum."

Mohammad holds Syrian and Lebanese citizenship and lived in Britain for 20 years, where he headed the now-disbanded radical Islamist group al Muhajiroun.

He was among 54 people sentenced in Lebanon in November 2010 in trials of militants who fought deadly clashes with the Lebanese army in 2007.

He was convicted of belonging to an armed group that aimed to carry out terrorist acts and plots to kill Lebanese soldiers.

The preacher speaks in London alongside Abu Hamza in 1999

A Home Office spokesperson said: "An individual must be physically present in the UK in order to make a claim for asylum.

"Omar Bakri Mohammad was permanently excluded from the UK in 2005 on the grounds that his presence is not conducive to the public good.

"As Omar Bakri Mohammad is excluded from the UK, he will be unable to make a claim for asylum."

Conservative Party chairman Grant Shapps told Sky News: "People will have their own opinions, but there are proper processes in place to deal with these things."

Asked whether those processes meant that people had to be in the country to claim asylum, Mr Shapps added: "Those are the processes, that's right."

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