http://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/default.aspxen-gbSat, 11 Jul 2009 02:21:53 GMThttp://www.teletext.co.uk/images/Logo64x64.gifhttp://www.teletext.co.uknews/nationalhttp://feedburner.google.comAir Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, who insists UK forces are defeating the TalibanThe head of Britain&#39;s armed forces has insisted that the Taliban is "losing" the fight in Afghanistan.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/news/national/~4/JCuV-CrPQCM" height="1" width="1"/>
Chief of Defence Staff Sir Jock Stirrup was defending the bloodiest 24-hour period for ground troops since operations began.

He sent his condolences to the bereaved families, but said it was important to "remember why our people are fighting in Afghanistan and what they are achieving through their sacrifice".

He went on: "It's tough going because the Taliban have rightly identified Helmand as their vital ground. If they lose there then they lose everywhere - and so they are throwing everything they have into it.

"But they are losing - and our commanders on the ground are very clear of that. But it's going to take time and alas it does involve casualties, but when it's complete there will be the opportunity for considerably greater governance for the people of Helmand."

Eight troops died in a 24-hour period, bringing the total who have been killed in the country since 2001 to 184 - surpassing the death toll in Iraq. Fifteen soldiers have been killed in the last 10 days.

On Friday, five British troops from the 2nd Battalion The Rifles died in two separate blasts on the same patrol near Sangin, and another British soldier from the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment died near Nad-e-Ali.

All their families have been informed.

On Thursday, two soldiers - one from 4th Battalion The Rifles and the other from Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment attached to 1st Battalion Welsh Guards - died in separate incidents.

The grim news came as the bodies of another five British servicemen killed in Afghanistan over the past week were returned to the UK. Many of the most recent fatalities came during Operation Panchai Palang, or Panther's Claw, a major British assault against the Taliban in Helmand ahead of next month's Afghan elections.

]]>47b502807d55efe626751d6f4a5ca2behttp://feeds.teletext.co.uk/~r/news/national/~3/JCuV-CrPQCM/Taliban+losing,+says+military+chief.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/47b502807d55efe626751d6f4a5ca2be/Taliban+losing,+says+military+chief.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/47b502807d55efe626751d6f4a5ca2be/Taliban+losing,+says+military+chief.aspxPatient from Essex became the first person without underlying health problems to die after contracting swine fluA medical chief has said there is no need for alarm despite a hospital patient becoming the first person without underlying health problems to die after contracting swine flu.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/news/national/~4/hLS55SvB1JA" height="1" width="1"/>
The patient died on Friday at Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, NHS East of England said - taking the total number of UK swine flu-related deaths to 15.

In the other 14 cases the people involved had underlying health issues, such as heart problems and long-term illnesses.

Professor Steve Field, chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said the latest death should not lead to panic.

"This doesn't change things at the moment," he said. "We would expect a certain number of deaths. I would have expected a death with no underlying causes to have happened earlier. It doesn't change anything we're doing."

The patient's family has asked that no details of their relative be released.

Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson said: "This death underlines that, although the virus is proving generally mild in most people, it is more severe in some cases.

"As with all flu-like viruses, some people are at higher risk than others. Unfortunately, people who are otherwise healthy could also become seriously ill or, sadly, die."

The Essex patient was the first in the UK with no underlying health problems to die after contracting swine flu but not the first in the world, the Department of Health said.

John Oxford, Professor of Virology at Queen Mary's College of Medicine in London, said the death was to be expected and did not give any extra cause for concern. The Essex patient may have died from the virus moving deep into their respiratory tract and into the lung, followed by an infection of the lungs by a bacterium, he added. This would result in breathing difficulties and pressure on the heart.

]]>5f581f35ac5014002f09944cc6c3d5f7http://feeds.teletext.co.uk/~r/news/national/~3/hLS55SvB1JA/'Don't+panic'+plea+after+flu+death.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/5f581f35ac5014002f09944cc6c3d5f7/'Don't+panic'+plea+after+flu+death.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/5f581f35ac5014002f09944cc6c3d5f7/'Don't+panic'+plea+after+flu+death.aspxKatie Price reveals all on an ITV talk show about her lifeKatie Price has revealed she suffered a miscarriage less than a month before her split from husband Peter Andre.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/news/national/~4/1-wVntSW7xA" height="1" width="1"/>
In a tearful TV interview the glamour model-turned-author told how she lost the baby 10 weeks into her pregnancy.

But she continued to run the London Marathon a week later because she did not want to let down her sponsors.

Price, aka Jordan, said in the programme - to be screened on ITV1 on Saturday night - she never dreamed she would ever divorce Andre and denied a fling with dressage trainer Andrew Gould.

Price said she lost the child while she and Andre filmed in the US.

"I was pregnant in America and the baby died," she told presenter Piers Morgan in her first major interview since her separation.

The miscarriage only became clear on her return during a routine scan. The scan prompted concern and tests. Finally, after much reassurance that the foetus was still developing, she was asked to return to hospital once more.

"I went in thinking, 'it is going to be great, the doctor is going to see a heartbeat.' But no, he said, 'It has died, it's gone.'

"I said, 'Well, what am I going to do?' I said, 'You know, I've got the marathon.' And he said, 'Well, we can terminate it tonight.' So I had to be there, I had to be put to sleep and have it terminated."

On Katie Price Exclusive - With Piers Morgan, Price adds: "Emotionally for any woman, whether you're in the media or not, to have a baby died, run the marathon, which is also a big thing on your body, and then your husband wants a divorce, split up. That's a lot for someone to take in."

]]>fd6c99583d9e8d402305c6d9360575abhttp://feeds.teletext.co.uk/~r/news/national/~3/1-wVntSW7xA/Jordan's+miscarriage+and+love+split.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/fd6c99583d9e8d402305c6d9360575ab/Jordan's+miscarriage+and+love+split.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/fd6c99583d9e8d402305c6d9360575ab/Jordan's+miscarriage+and+love+split.aspxThe News of the World's publisher has denied the phone hacking allegationsThe publisher of the News of the World has denied its reporters hacked into the phones of hundreds of public figures.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/news/national/~4/_FdzJlLZqUo" height="1" width="1"/>
It comes as a second person was named as receiving damages from the paper in an out-of-court settlement.

The Guardian said the paper had paid damages to Jo Armstrong, the legal adviser to the Professional Footballers Association (PFA), for hacking into her phone.

The Guardian has previously reported that the News of the World had paid £700,000 in damages to PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor.

In a statement, News International said that following an internal investigation it was confident that there were no fresh cases of News of the World journalists hacking into voicemails.

It also denied that the newspaper or its journalists had instructed private investigators or other third parties to access voicemails or that there had been "systemic corporate illegality" to suppress evidence.

It said that apart from the case of the paper's former royal correspondent Clive Goodman, who was jailed in 2007, the only evidence connecting its reporters to the accessing of voicemails was that which emerged during a case brought by Mr Taylor.

"It goes without saying that had the police uncovered such evidence, charges would have been brought against other News of the World personnel," it said.

"Not only have there been no such charges, but the police have not considered it necessary to arrest or question any other member of News of the World staff."

In a statement, The Guardian said that the News International statement marked the first acknowledgement by the organisation that it had reached a settlement with Mr Taylor.

]]>a5596a1bf0640e858dfceacf0dc5079fhttp://feeds.teletext.co.uk/~r/news/national/~3/_FdzJlLZqUo/Phone+hacking+by+reporters+denied.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/a5596a1bf0640e858dfceacf0dc5079f/Phone+hacking+by+reporters+denied.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/a5596a1bf0640e858dfceacf0dc5079f/Phone+hacking+by+reporters+denied.aspxChancellor Alistair Darling wants 'to try to level with people' via a review of public spendingThe Government could still hold a review of public spending before going to the country in a general election, Chancellor Alistair Darling has indicated.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/news/national/~4/5cOu-DpHZyI" height="1" width="1"/>
In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, he said that the Government would have to tell people "the lie of the land" when it came to the public finances.

His comments will be seen as a rebuff to Business Secretary Lord Mandelson, who suggested recently that plans for a government department-by-department spending review had been abandoned ahead of the election.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown also warned that it would be a mistake for the Government to try to set departmental budgets for up to three years ahead at a time when economic outlook was so uncertain.

But with whichever party winning the next election being expected to have to make deep cuts in order to rebuild the public finances in the wake of the recession, Mr Darling said it was important to "try to level with people".

"I'm very clear that we do have to tell people the lie of the land. People will understand there are uncertainties but we do have to set out our stall. Public spending will be tighter than it has been in the past," he said.

"People will need to know where we stand and what judgments we are likely to make if we are faced with difficult situations."

According to the Telegraph, the options being considered by the chancellor include a full, three-year comprehensive spending review, or a streamlined version which would focus on a few key departments such as health and education.

Mr Darling also raised the possibility that he could reverse next year's planned increase in the higher rate of tax to 50p on incomes above £150,000.

"The increase in the top rate is not something I would have wanted to do. Certainly in future I would like to be able to reduce tax," he said.

]]>d304285ea849de2860217f12dba3eadbhttp://feeds.teletext.co.uk/~r/news/national/~3/5cOu-DpHZyI/Darling+still+wants+spending+review.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/d304285ea849de2860217f12dba3eadb/Darling+still+wants+spending+review.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/d304285ea849de2860217f12dba3eadb/Darling+still+wants+spending+review.aspxJack Waterhouse remains seriously ill in hospital after he was allegedly attacked by a teacherA science teacher charged with the attempted murder of one of his students is due to appear in court.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/news/national/~4/yYnNETu7hek" height="1" width="1"/>
Peter Harvey, 49, is accused of attacking 14-year-old Jack Waterhouse at All Saints' Roman Catholic School in Mansfield on Wednesday morning.

Paramedics found the teenager unconscious in a pool of blood at the entrance to a classroom in the school's science block.

He is currently in a stable condition at the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham, where he is being treated for serious head injuries.

Harvey, of Rannoch Drive, Mansfield, will appear before magistrates in the town.

]]>631251656f7bd245aaf55e5f713e84e6http://feeds.teletext.co.uk/~r/news/national/~3/yYnNETu7hek/Teacher+in+court+over+boy's+injury.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/631251656f7bd245aaf55e5f713e84e6/Teacher+in+court+over+boy's+injury.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/631251656f7bd245aaf55e5f713e84e6/Teacher+in+court+over+boy's+injury.aspxA man falls to the ground during the bull run in PamplonaA British student described being gored in the leg by a rogue bull who went on the rampage at Spain&#39;s Pamplona festival, leaving one man dead.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/news/national/~4/7DKgGARUVkM" height="1" width="1"/>
Alex Short, 20, from Watford, became separated from his friends at the bull-running event and was unable to flee in time.

Daniel Jimeno Romero, 27, from Madrid, became the first person to be gored to death at the event in nearly 15 years when he was cornered by the bull.

Speaking from his bed at the Virgen del Camino Hospital, Mr Short said: "I saw people running the wrong way and realised something was really wrong. But I couldn't jump over the barrier fast enough and the bull gored me in my left leg and then flipped me and landed me on the ground.

"I hit my head and blacked out, but then I must have come round because I managed to run to the side. A lad next to me grabbed the bull by its head but he was gored too."

Mr Romero was gored in the neck after the bull - one of six on the half-mile course - separated from the pack, becoming frightened and aggressive. Soon after the incident, a man was pictured lying on a stretcher with his face and neck stained with blood and his eyes half-open.

Mr Short, who is studying geography at Manchester University, was on holiday with six friends. He had attended two bull runs already this week and was due to fly home from Bilbao on Friday. But he expects to be kept in hospital until Tuesday in case his wound - which he described as "a horn-sized puncture" - becomes infected.

The bull, a brown beast called Cappuccino and weighing 1,130lb, left runners scrambling for cover as it charged right and left. A 61-year-old American who suffered serious injuries was being treated in intensive care.

Fifteen people have now died at the Fiesta of San Fermin in northern Spain since record-keeping began in 1924.

This was the first fatal goring at the event since 1995, when 22-year-old American Matthew Tassio was killed. In 2003, 63-year-old Pamplona native Fermin Etxeberri died after he was trampled on the head.

]]>01988493a3206f2e5d406f2c5d7eed7chttp://feeds.teletext.co.uk/~r/news/national/~3/7DKgGARUVkM/Briton+describes+fatal+bull+rampage.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/01988493a3206f2e5d406f2c5d7eed7c/Briton+describes+fatal+bull+rampage.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/01988493a3206f2e5d406f2c5d7eed7c/Briton+describes+fatal+bull+rampage.aspxPolice to investigate allegations by former Guantanamo Bay detainee Binyam Mohamed that MI5 officers were complicit in his tortureThe Metropolitan Police are to investigate claims that British agents colluded in torture, Scotland Yard said.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/news/national/~4/ww3jJpxR8WA" height="1" width="1"/>
Officers are to investigate allegations by former Guantanamo Bay detainee Binyam Mohamed that MI5 officers were complicit in his torture.

The case was referred to police by the Attorney General, Baroness Scotland, earlier this year.

A Met spokesman said: "The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) was invited by the Attorney General to investigate allegations surrounding the detention of Binyam Mohamed.

"The papers were reviewed by the MPS and the investigation accepted. A team of detectives, working to Deputy Assistant Commissioner Sue Akers, has now been selected and vetted to appropriate levels. As a result a criminal investigation has now begun.

"The inquiry team is in close liaison with the Crown Prosecution Service and will regularly consult them as the investigation moves forward.

"Inquiries will be conducted as expeditiously but thoroughly as possible and will follow the evidence to identify whether any offences have occurred."

Mohamed, 30, a former UK resident, was arrested in Pakistan in 2002. He alleges that, during three months of detention, he was tortured by Pakistani agents and interrogated by the FBI and MI5.

He says he was then taken to Morocco after being subject to "extraordinary rendition" by the CIA with the explicit knowledge of the Security Service.

During further torture in Morocco, he says he became aware that his torturers were being fed questions and material from British intelligence agents. Ethiopian-born Mohamed, who lived in London before his arrest, was then taken to Guantanamo Bay, where he stayed for four years before returning to this country on February 23.

]]>ef3c4331d3793465fb931701b356d4cahttp://feeds.teletext.co.uk/~r/news/national/~3/ww3jJpxR8WA/Met+probe+torture+collusion+claims.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/ef3c4331d3793465fb931701b356d4ca/Met+probe+torture+collusion+claims.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/ef3c4331d3793465fb931701b356d4ca/Met+probe+torture+collusion+claims.aspxFirefighters tackle a blaze in Dean Street, LondonOne hundred firefighters have fought to contain a blaze in a bustling part of central London.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/news/national/~4/i4uw9iyspSc" height="1" width="1"/>
Black smoke was seen billowing from a four-storey office building in Dean Street, Soho, after a fire started in the basement.

A man who was one of 50 people evacuated from the building, which is home to finance company Future Capital Partners, said the blaze started in an air conditioning duct.

Fire crews were called at around 2pm on Friday and about an hour later, around 10% of the building was alight, London Fire Brigade said. At 5pm, 100 firefighters were at the scene.

Kensington fire station manager Andy Pike said the area was likely to remain cordoned of.

He said that no members of public were injured but two firefighters were slightly hurt, and added: "We hope we contain the fire to the building it is in now."

Soho is filled with shops, bars and restaurants, and tourists clamoured to get a glimpse of the flames.

Nino Ripani, manager of nearby restaurant Signor Zilli's, said: "It's really shocking, it's something that you don't see every day. It's really getting to serious stuff now - we can see the black bits coming out."

Fire engines struggled through the crowds to get to the building. A large section of the street was cordoned off and shortly after 3pm, firefighters could be seen using a ladder to help tackle the blaze.

It is the second blaze to hit Soho in as many days. On Thursday, fire crews were called to a building in Newport Place, housing a restaurant and offices. The fire damaged the basement of the five-storey building but no-one was hurt.

]]>8d38807206eebfd5d5bbb9c1364668bbhttp://feeds.teletext.co.uk/~r/news/national/~3/i4uw9iyspSc/100+firefighters+tackle+Soho+blaze.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/8d38807206eebfd5d5bbb9c1364668bb/100+firefighters+tackle+Soho+blaze.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/8d38807206eebfd5d5bbb9c1364668bb/100+firefighters+tackle+Soho+blaze.aspxRoyle Family star Liz Smith with her MBE for services to dramaRoyle Family star Liz Smith received the royal seal of approval - but the Prince of Wales admitted his relief that his relatives were nothing like her fictional family.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/news/national/~4/tlH9cCVDprw" height="1" width="1"/>
Charles told the 87-year-old, who played the ailing Nana in the hit show, as he presented her with an MBE that the sofa-bound TV characters were "nothing like my family, thank God".

Smith, who only became a household name in her 50s, said: "Everything happens to me late in life - nothing happened early, I just struggled on."

She confirmed that she plans to retire from acting after recently suffering a stroke and finding that ill-health had left her "too tired". But she said: "If there is a role where I can just lie in bed perhaps I'll do it - like the grandmother in Charlie And The Chocolate Factory."

Former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant was also at Buckingham Palace to be honoured with a CBE, and he said it was "humbling" to take part in the ceremony alongside "very selfless" military heroes and community volunteers.

With his long hair tied into a ponytail and wearing a simple blue suit accessorised with just a handful of heavy silver rings giving away his rock roots, he denied that the award meant he was now part of the establishment.

"The diversity of people who have moved through here this morning prove there is no real establishment here," he added.

Plant last year decided not to take part in a Led Zeppelin reunion tour, choosing instead to concentrate on his collaboration with American bluegrass singer Alison Krauss.

Asked if he would ever return to the stage with his old band-mates, he said: "Sometimes I go a bit deaf in either ear, especially when people are talking nonsense."

Jazz musician Courtney Pine was also due to receive a CBE but did not attend the ceremony. Palace officials confirmed he was planning to take part but had to pull out this morning. They would not comment on the reason for his withdrawal.

]]>039181a4eb13b06cda607e9e73a82d24http://feeds.teletext.co.uk/~r/news/national/~3/tlH9cCVDprw/A+royal+occasion+for+Royle+Liz.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/039181a4eb13b06cda607e9e73a82d24/A+royal+occasion+for+Royle+Liz.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/039181a4eb13b06cda607e9e73a82d24/A+royal+occasion+for+Royle+Liz.aspx