http://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/default.aspxen-gbFri, 17 Jul 2009 08:37:56 GMThttp://www.teletext.co.uk/images/Logo64x64.gifhttp://www.teletext.co.uknews/nationalhttp://feedburner.google.comTwenty-nine people have now died in the UK after contracting swine fluGrim estimates of thousands of deaths were made as the Government confirmed 29 people in the UK have already died after contracting swine flu.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/news/national/~4/zLG-5vUv_AQ" height="1" width="1"/>
Chief Medical Officer for England, Sir Liam Donaldson, said figures being used by the NHS to plan its services show that a 30% infection rate among the population could possibly lead to 65,000 deaths.

However, estimates vary depending on the numbers who end up infected.

Sir Liam said a National Pandemic Flu Service for England should be up and running towards the end of next week.

The telephone and internet-based service will enable people to get a diagnosis and obtain a unique reference number which gives them access to Tamiflu.

A "flu friend" can then use the number to obtain the antiviral from a depot around the country and take it to the patient.

Sir Liam said the aim of the new flu service was to alleviate pressure on hospitals and GP services, enabling them to look after the "most seriously ill".

Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales have not yet implemented similar services but could do so in future if pressure on their health services continues to rise.

Twenty six people in England and three in Scotland have now died after contracting the virus.

NHS South East Coast said it was investigating a case but could not confirm whether it was that of an apparently healthy six-year-old boy, who according to some reports died on Wednesday after contracting the virus.

]]>2c1d97cd52c3a9568625fd27f5a1c4echttp://feeds.teletext.co.uk/~r/news/national/~3/zLG-5vUv_AQ/'65,000+could+die+from+swine+flu'.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/2c1d97cd52c3a9568625fd27f5a1c4ec/'65,000+could+die+from+swine+flu'.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/2c1d97cd52c3a9568625fd27f5a1c4ec/'65,000+could+die+from+swine+flu'.aspxGeneral Sir Richard Dannatt said the MoD may have to re-order its prioritiesThe Ministry of Defence may have to use money allocated for other projects to finance the war in Afghanistan if it cannot convince the Treasury to provide additional resources, the head of the Army said.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/news/national/~4/Hi3EKgnEy28" height="1" width="1"/>
General Sir Richard Dannatt said the MoD would have to "re-order" its internal priorities if the state of the nation's finances meant more funding could not be provided.

He acknowledged that such a move would not be popular at the MoD but warned: "We just may have to do it."

The comments come after a bloody start to July which has seen the UK death toll in Afghanistan pass that of the Iraq war.

It has sparked debate on whether operations in the country are being adequately financed, with a report calling for more helicopters to be sent to Afghanistan and warning that a shortage of air transport was undermining the protection of British troops in the country.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has insisted that UK troops in Afghanistan are "properly equipped" and promised: "We will do whatever is necessary and what is right to equip our Armed Forces."

But Gen Dannatt told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "If this is really important, and the national finances are in such dire straits that we are not going to get more from the Treasury, then the Ministry of Defence gets £34 billion or so a year which we choose to spend on a range of programmes.

"There is then a strong case to say if this is so important, and there is not going to be additional money from the Treasury, then we will have to re-order - yet again - some of our internal priorities. And that latter point will not be welcome at the Ministry of Defence, but it's the right thing to do - shifting between the maritime, the air, the land environment, shifting between other areas of spending. We just may have to do it."

MPs discussed the situation in Afghanistan on Thursday in a special Commons debate sparked by the deaths of 15 UK service personnel in just 10 days this month.

Shadow defence secretary Liam Fox said Gen Dannatt was right and called for a review of defence spending to re-evaluate the MoD's priorities. He also said the Tories would be "extremely likely" to approve the deployment of more troops to the country if they were in power.

]]>d4ab2e3a593ecfaaafb259b870c21e7fhttp://feeds.teletext.co.uk/~r/news/national/~3/Hi3EKgnEy28/Army+chief+issues+war+funds+warning.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/d4ab2e3a593ecfaaafb259b870c21e7f/Army+chief+issues+war+funds+warning.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/d4ab2e3a593ecfaaafb259b870c21e7f/Army+chief+issues+war+funds+warning.aspxThe damage after an explosion went off at Marriott hotel in Jakarta, IndonesiaSuicide attackers are suspected of carrying out twin bomb attacks on hotels in Jakarta which killed nine people and injured 50, a senior Indonesian politician said.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/news/national/~4/0CefSYmORMI" height="1" width="1"/>
Theo Sambuaga, chairman of the parliamentary security commission, said "there are indications of suicide bombs" at the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton.

Manchester United, which had been due to stay at the Ritz-Carlton, cancelled a match in the Indonesian capital as part of a tour of Asia.

The English champions were to play an Indonesia Super League XI in Jakarta in a pre-season friendly on Monday. But the club said the game would not be going ahead.

After seeking advice from various parties, including the Foreign Office, United confirmed they would not be flying to Jakarta.

The Indonesian security minister and police said a New Zealander was among those killed.

Thirteen other foreigners were among the wounded, including nationals from the United States, Australia, Canada, India, the Netherlands, Norway and South Korea.

It has been nearly four years since a major terrorist attack in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation.

]]>9cf228b523052633bcb31d9fad179454http://feeds.teletext.co.uk/~r/news/national/~3/0CefSYmORMI/Nine+killed+as+bombs+hit+hotels.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/9cf228b523052633bcb31d9fad179454/Nine+killed+as+bombs+hit+hotels.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/9cf228b523052633bcb31d9fad179454/Nine+killed+as+bombs+hit+hotels.aspxSupermarkets and the Government missed target to reduce number of plastic bags given to customersLeading supermarkets and the Government narrowly missed a target to reduce the number of plastic carrier bags given to customers, it was revealed.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/news/national/~4/waxDbSEETIw" height="1" width="1"/>
Seven supermarkets signed up to the voluntary scheme which aimed to reduce the number of bags given out by 50%.

Plastic bags are the scourge of environmentalists as they take hundreds of years to decompose despite typically being used only once.

Discarded bags blight the landscape and kill small animals and birds that become snared up in them. And bags that make it into the sea are eaten by turtles and marine mammals, who mistake them for jellyfish, with disastrous consequences.

Last year, the seven supermarkets signed up to a voluntary agreement with the Government to achieve a 50% cut in the number of bags given out compared to 2006.

The scheme has led to millions fewer plastic carrier bags being dispensed across the UK, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Supermarkets and their customers are now using 346 million fewer carrier bags every month than they were in 2006.

In May 2006, 718 million bags were being given out - by May 2009 this had almost halved to 372 million, a reduction of 48%.

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said: "This is a great achievement by the seven supermarkets and their customers and it shows that by working together, we really can change our bag habits.

"The target of a 50% reduction was only narrowly missed and retailers have really put a lot into this in the last six months. This means that several hundred million fewer carrier bags are going to landfill every month and we're using less raw materials to make them, which is great news. I look forward to seeing further reductions in the months ahead."

]]>de3f952844069d5063f21234504f4556http://feeds.teletext.co.uk/~r/news/national/~3/waxDbSEETIw/Narrow+miss+in+plastic+bag+target.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/de3f952844069d5063f21234504f4556/Narrow+miss+in+plastic+bag+target.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/de3f952844069d5063f21234504f4556/Narrow+miss+in+plastic+bag+target.aspxBritish Airways has planned to raise &#163;600 million in emergency cash fundingBritish Airways said that it planned to raise &#163;600 million in emergency cash funding as it battles for survival.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/news/national/~4/6gy5MoQwUG4" height="1" width="1"/>
The airline, which also said it expected to report operating losses of around £100 million for the quarter to June 30, will raise £300 million through a debt issue.

BA said it had agreed new terms with its pension fund, which would release around £330 million in banking facilities.

Chief executive Willie Walsh said: "Following discussions with institutional investors, we're taking action to improve our liquidity and strengthen our position within the industry."

Mr Walsh said the move "puts to bed any suggestions that British Airways is in any sort of risk".

"We are clearly in a very strong position relative to most airlines," he added. "However, trading conditions are difficult and that is a situation that the industry must address. I think British Airways is taking all the right actions."

BA said the deal it had struck with the trustees of its UK defined benefit pension schemes would see it take back the bank facilities which had been set aside for use if the company became insolvent. The pension funds have not been given anything in return for the loss of access to the back-up funds.

Mr Walsh said the funds would benefit from a stronger airline. The company can draw cash from the facilities at any time before June 21, 2012.

BA said the funding was expected to add £600 million of further liquidity to the airline, giving a total of around £2 billion. The airline has already obtained facilities of more than three billion US dollars (£1.9 billion) for future aircraft deliveries.

Its debt issue will involve creating bonds that can later be converted into shares.

]]>6eca8f89a3c313cffae644111f452d77http://feeds.teletext.co.uk/~r/news/national/~3/6gy5MoQwUG4/BA+seeks+600m+in+emergency+funding.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/6eca8f89a3c313cffae644111f452d77/BA+seeks+600m+in+emergency+funding.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/6eca8f89a3c313cffae644111f452d77/BA+seeks+600m+in+emergency+funding.aspxPostal workers are holding a 24-hour strikeThousands of postal workers across the UK are staging a 24-hour strike and more will join demonstrations in an escalating row over jobs, pay and services, threatening the worst disruption to mail deliveries for years.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/news/national/~4/k_UWFGoLUmM" height="1" width="1"/>
The Communication Workers Union (CWU) said more than 12,000 of its members in areas including London, Edinburgh, Bristol, Darlington and Plymouth are taking part in the day of action on Friday.

The walkout is the latest stage in a series of strikes which have hit parts of the UK in recent weeks and is now threatening to escalate into a national dispute.

Royal Mail and the union have blamed each other for the unrest, which comes as the company continues to modernise.

Dave Ward, the CWU's deputy general secretary, accused the firm of cutting jobs, freezing pay and hitting services, saying that a latest round of cuts was "arbitrary and illogical."

He added: "There's nothing modern in cutting jobs and hours and imposing a pay freeze. We need genuine talks on how to modernise the Royal Mail. Our offer of a three month no-strike deal stands and we hope that Royal Mail will take that up in return for talks on modernisation.

"Royal Mail management are again failing to address the serious issues facing their industry. The Government, as shareholder, must instruct Royal Mail to return to the table to address the big picture problems of modernisation and pensions."

The Royal Mail said almost all postal services outside London would be operating normally despite the strike, adding that modernisation and change had been implemented at most offices and was covered by the 2007 agreement which was drawn up to end the last national strike.

"The CWU's claim to have offered a three month moratorium is deliberately misleading and is nothing more than an attempt, backed by the threat of escalating strike action, to actually halt the modernisation of the mails business," it said.

The union will deliver letters to Royal Mail chief executive Adam Crozier and Business Secretary Lord Mandelson ahead of a rally in central London.

]]>e3baacaa93e81e0296414877d67e86cahttp://feeds.teletext.co.uk/~r/news/national/~3/k_UWFGoLUmM/Postal+workers+stage+24-hour+strike.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/e3baacaa93e81e0296414877d67e86ca/Postal+workers+stage+24-hour+strike.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/e3baacaa93e81e0296414877d67e86ca/Postal+workers+stage+24-hour+strike.aspxMichael Jackson?s full post-mortem report has been delayed, US coroner?s office saidA US coroner&#39;s office said it will take longer than first expected to complete Michael Jackson&#39;s full post-mortem report.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/news/national/~4/Hk1wHnPKwrk" height="1" width="1"/>
The office previously expected to wrap up the report late this week or early next week.

But Los Angeles County assistant chief coroner Ed Winter said that it is now expected to be two weeks away.

He declined to explain the reason for the delay.

The toxicology report should include what drugs were in Jackson's system when he died and whether they caused his death.

That will be key in determining whether any criminal charges are brought.

Jackson died on June 25.

]]>40f06123a50543dcbd1fe572de2d7c39http://feeds.teletext.co.uk/~r/news/national/~3/Hk1wHnPKwrk/Jacko's+post-mortem+report+delayed.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/40f06123a50543dcbd1fe572de2d7c39/Jacko's+post-mortem+report+delayed.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/40f06123a50543dcbd1fe572de2d7c39/Jacko's+post-mortem+report+delayed.aspxBaking soda could help kidney failure patients, research has foundA daily dose of baking soda could transform the lives of patients with failing kidneys, it has been claimed.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/news/national/~4/dIo8hC-qM3A" height="1" width="1"/>
New research by British scientists suggests sodium bicarbonate - otherwise known as baking soda - can dramatically slow the progress of chronic kidney disease.

The simple household product used for baking, cleaning, bee stings and acid indigestion is so effective it could prevent patients having to be put on kidney machines, the results show.

Around three million people in the UK suffer from chronic kidney disease, which may have a number of causes.

The condition ranges in severity from a mild degree of poor functioning to complete kidney failure.

Seriously affected patients may have spend time each day on a dialysis machine which takes over the function of the kidneys.

An estimated 37,800 patients in the UK receive renal replacement therapy, which may involve dialysis or a kidney transplant.

The cost of looking after kidney failure patients soaks up 3% of the entire NHS budget. On average, every patient on dialysis costs the NHS £30,000 per year.

The pilot study conducted at the Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel, was the first controlled test of the treatment in a clinical setting.

The findings have been published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

]]>baa3f3e8f410d32a345a03bdc81c765dhttp://feeds.teletext.co.uk/~r/news/national/~3/dIo8hC-qM3A/Baking+soda+'could+help+kidneys'.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/baa3f3e8f410d32a345a03bdc81c765d/Baking+soda+'could+help+kidneys'.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/baa3f3e8f410d32a345a03bdc81c765d/Baking+soda+'could+help+kidneys'.aspxBritish scientists saluted the men who set foot on the Moon four decades ago (AP/Nasa)British space scientists have saluted the men with the "right stuff" who set foot on the Moon four decades ago.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/news/national/~4/EExH9q_8Lr4" height="1" width="1"/>
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong stepped off Apollo 11's lunar module descent vehicle onto the dusty lunar surface.

Grainy TV footage of the moment was broadcast around the world, and Armstrong's fluffed soundbite: "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" went down in history.

The Apollo 11 mission was followed by six others. All were completely successful, apart from unlucky Apollo 13 which suffered a crippling explosion in space.

But even Apollo 13 turned out to be a text book example of ingenuity and heroism - later to be made into a Hollywood film - as the crew used the lunar module to steer their stricken craft safely back to Earth.

Nothing like the Apollo missions has been seen since, and some believe nothing ever will be.

Leading spacecraft expert Professor Andre Balogh, from Imperial College London, argues that the level of commitment and risk required to get astronauts to the Moon and back in 1969 would simply not be possible today. He said: "It was carried out in a technically brilliant way with risks taken ... that would be inconceivable in the risk-averse world of today.

"The Apollo programme is arguably the greatest technical achievement of mankind to date. And it was carried out successfully, against the backdrop of a difficult political situation in the USA, caused in large part by the worsening of the human and financial cost of the Vietnam war. Even Apollo 13 proved to be a brilliant recovery from near disaster."

He added: "Humans in space, even if at best moderately useful for space research, still have the power to excite the public and the media. But nothing since Apollo has come close the excitement that was generated by those astronauts - Armstrong, Aldrin and the 10 others who followed them, hopping around on the Moon or driving their buggy over that rocky terrain.

"I still get a buzz when I look at the Moon and think that humans visited it and came back safely."

]]>594750513a019c922e4ec561b3f34617http://feeds.teletext.co.uk/~r/news/national/~3/EExH9q_8Lr4/Scientists+hail+1969+moon+landing.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/594750513a019c922e4ec561b3f34617/Scientists+hail+1969+moon+landing.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/594750513a019c922e4ec561b3f34617/Scientists+hail+1969+moon+landing.aspxFern Britton will say final farewell to daytime show This Morning after 10 yearsFern Britton will say a final farewell to the viewers of ITV&#39;s flagship daytime show This Morning after 10 years on its famous sofa.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/news/national/~4/BPvy6SR2mIk" height="1" width="1"/>
Britton, 52, is leaving to work on new projects and will be replaced by 28-year-old Holly Willoughby when the show returns after its summer break.

Willoughby said presenting the show was "the ultimate dream job" and she was delighted to be reunited with Dancing On Ice co-host Phillip Schofield.

Britton has rejected rumours she quit the show after falling out with Schofield because he was being paid more than her and predicted she would be compared to her replacement.

"The next thing will be a comparison between me and the goddess who replaces me on This Morning. But that's fine," she told the TV Times earlier this month.

"I couldn't care less, but it annoys me to be used as fodder. I want my successor to have a great time - the moment's right for someone else to have a go."

Schofield thanked Britton for her efforts during a decade on the show.

"This Morning is a very close-knit family and I've had the most fun of my whole television career with Fern," he said. "Friday is a huge day for her, the team and audience when Fern moves from the sofa back to her family and garden."

Writing on his website, he also described how Willoughby's appointment was confirmed while he was having pictures taken for the new series' opening titles. "Holly immediately jumped in to a car and came to the This Morning studios where we all had a couple of bottles of bubbly waiting for her arrival," he said.

Willoughby was "at the top of everybody's list" to take over from Britton, he wrote, and would fit in perfectly to the This Morning team.

]]>1270f179508f2df4fbd4e2c488eb0355http://feeds.teletext.co.uk/~r/news/national/~3/BPvy6SR2mIk/Fern+bids+farewell+to+This+Morning.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/1270f179508f2df4fbd4e2c488eb0355/Fern+bids+farewell+to+This+Morning.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/1270f179508f2df4fbd4e2c488eb0355/Fern+bids+farewell+to+This+Morning.aspx