Bulging Bill Of Britain's Obesity Epidemic

By Gerard Tubb, Sky News Correspondent

Britain is in the grip of an obesity epidemic costing £5bn a year - and not enough is being done to tackle it, according to the Royal College of Physicians.

A report by the RCP says severely overweight patients are suffering from what it calls "patchy" NHS services and a lack of joined-up thinking from the Government.

Thirty-one-year-old Matthew Briggs, from Strensall, near York, says the NHS was of little help when he weighed more than 31 stone.

Now more than 17 stone lighter, and Slimming World's 2012 champion, he says he was offered slimming pills and a drastic diet.

"They gave me very limited options of what I could have," he said.

"You only see your GP for 15 or 20 minutes (and) you've got an entire week or month before you see them again."

He says he eventually relied on a combination of willpower and encouragement from other overweight people to help him slim down so much he is now training for the London Marathon.

The RCP report calls for teams of specialists to be set up around the country along with a national anti-obesity group similar to Action on Smoking and Health, which is credited with helping to reduce the number of people who smoke.

The authors also want to see an obesity champion in each NHS trust, better training for health care professionals, more research into obesity and help for overweight NHS staff.

With around a quarter of UK adults classed as obese, the report says too many doctors and nurses are seriously overweight and setting a bad example to the people they are trying to treat.

Professor John Wass, academic vice-president of the RCP, said: "Britain is getting bigger and whilst we try to prevent the increase in obesity, we must also prepare the NHS for the influx of patients presenting with severe complex obesity."

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "We are committed to tackling obesity and are taking action to help people keep a healthy weight and prevent them needing hospital care for obesity-related conditions.

"The medical profession has a key role in providing advice and treatment to people who are overweight or obese, and the Royal College of Physicians can help its members do this."

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New Year Celebrations: UK Welcomes In 2013

Large crowds lined the banks of the River Thames in London and the streets of Edinburgh as the UK saw in the start of the New Year.

Along the Thames, up to 250,000 people were expected to watch a major fireworks display as the night sky was set to be illuminated with pyrotechnics to round-off a momentous year.

Revellers were able to watch clips from the 2012 Olympic Games during an 11-minute firework display set around the London Eye.

Millions more were expected to watch it all on television.

In Edinburgh, tens of thousands of people descended on the streets of Scotland's capital for the world-famous Hogmanay celebrations.

Around 75,000 partygoers counted down the last 10 seconds of 2012 before joining in a mass rendition of Auld Lang Syne after the clock struck midnight.

Scottish rockers Simple Minds headlined the Hogmanay concert and street party.

Fireworks explode around the London Eye

The View, Bwani Junction, Reverend and the Makers and The OK Social Club were also due to play to an anticipated crowd of 80,000, and fireworks were set off to mark the start of 2013.

Pete Irvine, artistic director of the Hogmanay celebrations, said: "I think it's going really well this year.

"It's really, really busy here tonight - probably busier than we've seen it in some time because the weather is so good.

"There's a moon in the sky, it's actually not cold and it's not raining.

"We've been very lucky with the weather and I think we are going to be very lucky with the crowd and all the performances tonight on many stages."

Following their hard work during the London 2012 Games, more than 150 of the mayor's 'Team London Ambassadors' volunteered at the Thames event to help ensure it was a success.

They gave out maps, helped direct people to the viewing areas, and provided guidance and advice on getting home safely.

Kisses exchanged during Hogmanay celebrations in Edinburgh

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, who organised the event, said: "Our New Year's Eve fireworks will cap a triumphant year for London."

He added: "As we welcomed the world to the magnificent celebrations for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the glorious success of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, London was at its very best.

"From the thrilling sporting action to the breathtaking cultural celebrations, it has been an unforgettable year and I am immensely proud of the contribution that our Ambassadors made to that success.

"As we go into 2013 with a spectacular fireworks display I hope we can build on that energy and enthusiasm to make ours the best big city in the world."

Early celebrations got under way in Edinburgh on Sunday night with a torchlight parade.

A record crowd estimated at 35,000, including 7,000 torch carriers, were led by the massed pipes and drums and the Up Helly Aa' Vikings from Shetland.

The procession made its way through the city streets to the burning of the effigy of a Viking boat and a spectacular Son et Lumiere display on Calton Hill.

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Foiled Car Bomb Attempt In Belfast Condemned

An apparent attempt to kill a policeman in Northern Ireland with a car bomb was an attack on the entire community, Stormont's Justice Minister has insisted.

Police have blamed dissident republicans for placing the booby trap device under the officer's car in east Belfast.

They said the unexploded viable bomb, which was discovered by the off duty policeman on Sunday afternoon, was clearly intended to kill.

His car was parked at his home on the Upper Newtownards Road - a busy route into the city centre.

The scene, which was sealed off until late on Sunday night amid an extensive security and forensic operation, is close to Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) headquarters at Knock and the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont.

Army robot used to examine the device

Justice Minister David Ford condemned those responsible, saying: "This was an attack not only on a police officer and his family but on our whole community. The officer was serving the community - he was working for all of us."

People living in nearby homes were evacuated in the alert. A local church offered them shelter while army technical officers worked to make the scene safe.

PSNI Assistant Chief Constable George Hamilton said it was very fortunate no one was killed or injured.

"Initial investigations would indicate that this was a viable device placed below an officer's car some time in the last 48 hours," he said on Sunday night.

"It was clearly intended to kill the police officer. His family and neighbours in the vicinity were also put at risk of serious harm.

"Obviously there are people out there who are still intent on causing murder and mayhem."

Map showing the road where the bomb was placed

Dissidents have repeatedly targeted security force members in recent years.

In November, long-serving prison officer David Black, 52, was shot dead in a motorway ambush in Co Armagh as he drove to work.

A group styling itself the "new IRA" claimed responsibility for that attack. The faction was formed in the summer when a number of splinter groups joined forces.

In April 2011, newly-qualified police officer Ronan Kerr, 25, died when a dissident booby trap car bomb exploded under his vehicle at his home in Omagh.

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Revellers Get Ready For New Year Knees Up

Spectacular shows of fireworks and entertainment will take place across the globe as revellers welcome in the new year.

A dazzling display of pyrotechnics and lights is set to illuminate London's night sky to round-off a momentous year in the capital city.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, who has organised the event, said: "Our New Year's Eve fireworks will cap a triumphant year for London.

"As we welcomed the world to the magnificent celebrations for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the glorious success of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, London was at its very best.

"From the thrilling sporting action to the breathtaking cultural celebrations, it has been an unforgettable year and I am immensely proud of the contribution that our Ambassadors made to that success.

"As we go into 2013 with a spectacular fireworks display I hope we can build on that energy and enthusiasm to make ours the best big city in the world."

Last year's London celebrations saw Big Ben lit up

Up to 250,000 people are expected to crowd on to the banks of the Thames to watch the display, with millions more seeing it on television.

Following their hard work during the London 2012 Games, more than 150 of the mayor's 'Team London Ambassadors' will volunteer at the event to help ensure it is a success.

They will be giving out maps, helping direct people to the viewing areas, and providing guidance and advice on getting home safely.

Scots rockers Simple Minds will be headlining the Hogmanay concert and street party in Edinburgh.

The View, Bwani Junction, Reverend and the Makers and The OK Social Club will also be playing to an anticipated crowd of 80,000, and fireworks will be set off to mark the new year.

Celebrations got under way in the city last night with a torchlight procession. A record crowd estimated at 35,000, including 7,000 torch carriers, were led by the massed pipes and drums and the Up Helly Aa' Vikings from Shetland.

The procession made its way through the city streets to the burning of the effigy of a Viking boat and a spectacular Son et Lumiere display on Calton Hill.

Sydney's fireworks are expected to be bigger than last year

The central Pacific Ocean island of Kiritimati (Christmas Island) and the eastern-most island in the island nation of Kiribati will be the first to usher in the new year at 1000 GMT.

Sydney will be the first major world city to see in the new year at 1300 GMT, with some 1.5 million people expected to attend the city's events.

As one of the largest new year events in the world, the traditional firework show on the Sydney Harbour Bridge will display more than 100,000 firework patterns, costing 6.5m Australian dollars (£4.2m).

American Samoa, an unincorporated territory of the US in the southern Pacific Ocean, will be the last place on Earth to herald in the new year on Tuesday at 1100 GMT.

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Alan Greaves Murder: Two Arrests In Sheffield

Police have arrested two men over the murder of pensioner Alan Greaves, who was attacked as he walked to church in Sheffield on Christmas Eve.

The 68-year-old was found with head injuries on the pavement close to his home on Greengate Lane at around 11.15pm.

The suspects, both from Sheffield, have been arrested on suspicion of murder, South Yorkshire Police said. One is in his 20s and the other in his 40s.

Officers are searching properties in the High Green area and a police spokesman has said there is a "high-visibility police presence".

Mr Greaves, a retired social worker, had been an organist and lay preacher at St Saviour's Church in High Green for nine years.

He died on Thursday night surrounded by his family at the city's Northern General Hospital.

Police have called the attack "brutal" and are continuing to appeal for witnesses to come forward.

Detective Superintendent Matt Fenwick said it is likely a weapon was used but the motive for the attack is not known.

Friends and neighbours have described Mr Greaves as a good and kind man. His wife Maureen, a church community worker, is said to be devastated.

"He was a good man and this was an evil act," said Canon Simon Bessant, who worked closely with Mr Greaves and his wife.

"He was a gentle soul. He wasn't foolish - he would have handled the situation as best as anyone would but we don't know what he encountered."

Mr Bessant said Mr Greaves had been attacked 250 yards from the church and that his family had been at home.

"His wife wants justice but she doesn't want vengeance. She is not embittered but obviously she wants this person to be caught."

Mr Greaves had four adult children and had recently become a grandfather to twin boys adopted by his daughter in Mozambique.

He and his wife had recently set up a food bank and community project in the area where he was murdered.

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Cameron: Britain 'On Right Track' For 2013

By Jon Craig, Chief Political Correspondent

David Cameron has used his New Year's message to declare that Britain is "heading in the right direction" on all the big issues and can look forward to 2013 with "realism and optimism".

In a video address, the Prime Minister acknowledged 2012 was "tough", with many families finding it difficult to make ends meet - and admitted he had "no quick fixes" to the UK's economic problems.

But he cited evidence of "real progress" on cutting the state deficit, reforming welfare and improving school standards, which he said was preparing Britain to succeed in the "global race" with emerging economic giants like China and India for the jobs and opportunities of the future.

Mr Cameron said that his administration was "a Government in a hurry" which would not give in to pressure to slow the pace of deficit reduction or rein in reforms to welfare and education.

"This is my message to the country at the start of 2013," said the Prime Minister. "We can look to the future with realism and optimism.

"Realism, because you can't cure problems that were decades in the making overnight. There are no quick fixes and I wouldn't claim otherwise.

"But we can be optimistic too because we are making tangible progress. We are doing what's right for our country and what's best for our children's future."

Insisting that "we are on the right track", Mr Cameron said: "On all the big issues that matter to Britain, we are heading in the right direction and I have the evidence to prove it."

The deficit is forecast to be a quarter smaller at the New Year than it was when the coalition Government came to office. There are almost half a million more people in work, and more than 1,000 new academy schools have opened, said Mr Cameron.

And he hailed moves to take millions of low-paid workers out of income tax, freeze council tax bills and deliver the largest-ever increase in the state pension.

"This is, quite simply, a Government in a hurry," said Mr Cameron. "And there's a reason for that.

"Britain is in a global race to succeed today. It is a race with countries like China, India and Indonesia; a race for the jobs and opportunities of the future.

"So, when people say we can slow down on cutting our debts, we are saying no. We can't win in this world with a great millstone of debt round our necks.

"When people say we've got to stop our welfare reforms because somehow it is cruel to expect people to work, we are saying no. Getting people into good jobs is absolutely vital, not just for them, but for all of us.

"And when there is a fight on our hands to change our schools, we are ready and willing to have it, because having a world-class education is the only way our children are going to get on in this world."

He added: "This is what this Government is about: making sure Britain succeeds in this global race and, above all, helping our people succeed - the people who work hard and aspire to a better life for their families."

The message steered clear of the debates over Britain's future in the European Union - due to feature in a long-awaited speech by the Prime Minister in the coming weeks - and gay marriage, which have driven divisions through the Conservative Party over the past year.

Instead Mr Cameron looked back on 2012 as "an extraordinary year for our country", characterised by the Diamond Jubilee celebrations and the successful Olympics and Paralympics.

In response, Labour vice chair Michael Dugher said: "It's a case of more of the same from David Cameron.

"In his New Year message, Cameron talks of people who work hard in this country but he's the one hitting hard-working families on lower and middle incomes whilst cutting taxes for millionaires.

"David Cameron stands for the old divide and rule Tory approach of the past - he can't be the One Nation Prime Minister Britain needs.

"Cameron promised change but nothing is changing for the better. Britain's economy is failing under his policies over the last year, with nearly one million young people out of work.

"Prices are still going up faster than wages and borrowing is going up not down, over 7% higher this year than last year.

"This Prime Minister is out of touch, he stands up for the wrong people and he's failing to deliver for working people."

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Bradley Wiggins Knighted In New Year Honours

By Ian Woods, Senior News Correspondent

Britain's gold rush during the London Olympic and Paralympic Games has led to 78 athletes and coaches being named in the New Year Honours List.

Among the top honours are knighthoods for cyclist Bradley Wiggins and yachtsman Ben Ainslie, while Paralympic cyclist Sarah Storey becomes a Dame.

Dave Brailsford and David Tanner, the Performance Directors who have ensured that Britain now leads the world in cycling and rowing are also rewarded with knighthoods.

Every British athlete who won a gold medal in the Olympics or Paralympics is included in the list unless they have already been honoured in the past.

Heptathlete and face of London 2012 Jessica Ennis is awarded a CBE

So Sir Chris Hoy, who was knighted after the Beijing Games, is omitted from the list despite adding two more gold medals to his career tally of six.

Somali-born middle-distance runner Mo Farah becomes a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his stunning double gold medal performances in the 5,000m and 10,000m.

He joins four other competitors who become CBEs having previously collected the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) - rower Katherine Grainger, cyclist Victoria Pendleton, heptathlete Jessica Ennis and wheelchair athlete David Weir.

David Weir was also given a CBE after winning four gold medals in London

Sir Bradley admitted to having mixed feelings about receiving a knighthood. Born in Kilburn, he is now almost as famous for his sideburns and Mod image as his cycling exploits.

This was the year he became the first Briton to win the Tour De France, and he also won the Olympic Time Trial title and the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.

He told Sky News: "It's an incredible honour and it's an incredible thing to have. It's still not something that sits incredibly easily with me, I don't think it's something I'm going to use in daily life.

"(It's) an amazing thing to have in the drawer for my wife my kids and my family. It's topped the year off really."

Dame Sarah Storey first won Paralympic gold as a swimmer, and achieved even greater success when she switched to cycling.

A birth defect means she does not have a left hand, but she also competes against able-bodied cyclists and was pushing for a place in the Olympic squad.

Ben Ainslie was also knighted after winning four gold medals

"I really hope that everybody who's been connected to what I've done feels a part of what has happened," she told Sky News.

"To be honoured in this way - the top gong as you might say - you never even imagine or dream of it. It's just beyond your wildest dreams."

Her boss, Dave Brailsford, becomes Sir Dave after overseeing not just the Olympic triumphs, but the rise of Team Sky as a professional road racing team. Like Sir Bradley he is struggling to adjust to the adulation.

He said: "[It feels] very strange. On the one hand you feel proud and honoured, on the other hand it feels quite humbling really.

Swimmer Ellie Simmonds gets an OBE, while Sarah Storey becomes a dame

"It's a recognition for everything that's happened in cycling over a period of time. I'm the lucky one who gets recognised."

Jessica Ennis CBE told Sky News: "It sounds very surreal. It's such an honour.

"When you get involved in sport, and when I started, it certainly wasn't something that I ever thought of, so to now be in this position at 26 and be receiving a CBE is such an honour."

Cyclists Jason Kenny and his girlfriend Laura Trott end 2012 sharing four gold medals and two OBEs (Officer of the Order of the British Empire).

Andy Murray gets one not just for his Olympic victory, but also for winning the US Open.

Andy Murray caps his Olympic gold and US Open title with an OBE

Olympic rower Katherine Grainger, double equestrian gold medalist Charlotte Dujardin and paralympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds and paralympic horsewoman Sophie Christiansen add OBEs to the MBE's they collected following winning performances in the 2008 Beijing Games.

Christiansen told Sky News: "As athletes we work towards getting gold medals but this is the icing on the cake to be recognised."

Lord Coe, the mastermind of the Games, becomes a companion of honour, but one notable absentee from the list is film director Danny Boyle, the creator of the opening ceremony.

He appears to be one of the minority who for various reasons decline to be honoured.

London 2012 mastermind Lord Coe becomes a companion of honour

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Abducted Atiya Back With 'Overwhelmed' Mum

Atiya Anjum-Wilkinson is back with her mother in Greater Manchester three years after being abducted by her father and taken to Pakistan.

The six-year-old flew into Manchester Airport on Friday night on a Pakistan International Airlines flight from Islamabad accompanied by her uncle.

Speaking after seeing her daughter for the first time since 2009, Gemma Wilkinson said she was "absolutely overwhelmed".

She said: "We've literally gone from now knowing where Atiya is, to then finding out that we do know where Atiya is, to receiving pictures of Atiya and how she looks now, and then to Atiya's coming home and now she's here.

"It's been an absolute whirlwind. It's more than I could ever imagine or hope for."

Sky Correspondent Frazer Maude, in Manchester, said: "It is going to be a very difficult period of readjustment that could take some time.

"She has spent three years now living in Pakistan with her extended family we believe and she will be returning here to try and relearn a Western way of life.

"These must be very difficult times for her mother as well, the uncertainty as to what reaction she is going to get from her daughter, whether her daughter will even speak the same language when she arrives."

Atiya vanished in 2009 after she was taken to Pakistan by her father

MEP Sajjad Karim, who contacted Pakistan authorities to try and track down Atiya, told Sky News he wished he had known about the case earlier.

He said: "There is nothing that I have done now, that I couldn't have done three and a half years ago."

Mr Karim added that Atiya was located on Christmas Eve and authorities were able to show up-to-date pictures of her to Ms Wilkinson on Christmas Day.

No money changed hands in getting her back, he said.

Atiya vanished in November 2009 after going to stay with her father, Razwan Ali Anjum.

The former insurance salesman said he was taking her to Southport.

Instead he took her to Lahore, Pakistan and told Ms Wilkinson she was "never going to see Atiya again", courts have heard.

Anjum is serving a prison sentence in Britain for refusing to reveal his daughter's whereabouts despite a court order.

Ms Wilkinson's "on-off" relationship with Anjum ended in 2008.

Anjum was handed a fourth consecutive jail term by a High Court judge in April after he refused to say where his daughter was.

Mr Justice Moor imposed a 12-month sentence after he found him in contempt of a High Court order instructing him to disclose Atiya's whereabouts.

He said Anjum, in his late 20s, would not be eligible for release until he had served at least six months. He had previously been given one two-year and two 12-month sentences.

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Weather: Downpours To Bring Yet More Flooding

Large parts of Britain are braced for yet more flooding with heavy rain forecast on Friday and Saturday.

Just under two inches of rain are needed by Monday for 2012 to be the wettest year on record for the UK overall.

A new record has already been set for England with 43.1in of rain falling between January 1 and Boxing Day, the Met Office said.

The Environment Agency (EA) said that the west of the UK should prepare to take the brunt of more wet weather, with many areas still saturated with water from before Christmas, when floods forced many to flee their homes.

The Thames Barrier was closed to keep the high tide out of London

Heavy rain in the north and west on Friday will increase the risk of flooding, while more downpours are forecast on Saturday.

"The weather is set to remain unsettled into the weekend. With the ground still very wet, and river levels running high, any rain is likely to increase the risk of flooding," an EA spokesman said.

"There is also an ongoing risk of flooding from groundwater, particularly in Dorset, and some larger rivers like the Thames and Severn are still rising as they slowly respond to the recent downpours.

"As a result, we may see further flooding of low-lying land, such as flood plains and low-lying roads as the peak in river levels moves downstream."

A car drives down a flooded road between Sonning and Playhatch in Berkshire

There are 82 flood warning and 182 less-serious flood alerts in place, focused on the Midlands, south west and south east.

The recent heavy rain, coupled with late-running engineering work and other problems, meant a miserable return to work for rail travellers on Thursday.

First Great Western said the main line in the South West, which has been closed since before Christmas because of flooding between Exeter St Davids and Tiverton, is expected to reopen on Saturday.

The Thames Barrier was also raised on Thursday morning to keep the high tide out of London and reduce the risk of flooding.

It reopened later in the day, but was closed again from 10.15pm through to 3am.

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Norfolk Car Crash: Two Young Girls Killed

Two girls aged seven and 10 have been killed and three other people injured after a car crash in Norfolk, police have said.

The children were in a car along with two adults and another child which crashed on the A47 near Wisbech at 6.40pm, according to Norfolk Police.

All five occupants of the black Ford Focus were taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, where the girls died from their injuries.

The crash happened on the A47 near Wisbech at 6.40pm on Thursday

The other three occupants of the car remain in hospital, although police said their injuries are not believed to be serious.

A Norfolk Police spokesman said: "The incident happened on the A47 at approximately 6.40pm when a black Ford Focus left the road, ending up on its side at the edge of a ditch.

"Five people were travelling in the car, two adults and three children, who were all taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn.

"Sadly, two girls aged seven and 10 died in hospital as a result of injuries sustained in the collision."

The road was closed in both directions for several hours at the scene of the accident - close to the Norfolk border with Cambridgeshire - before reopening just before 10.30pm.

A police spokesman said officers were continuing to investigate how the vehicle came to leave the road and asked for witnesses to the crash to come forward.

The accident comes two days after two young brother were killed in a Christmas Day motorway crash.

Adnan Habib, 10, and four-year-old Arsalaan were killed when the car they were in - also a Ford Focus - crashed on the M6.

In a statement their family said: "Adnan and Arsalaan were our family's precious jewels, spreading joy wherever they went. They were happy and joyous boys who were a central part of the family, always smiling and bringing smiles to everyone they met."

Their 32-year-old aunt, Bushra Tazarib, also died in the crash which happened close to junction 15, near Stoke-on-Trent, at about 11.25am.

Two other women were travelling in the car, including the boys' mother, who was driving at the time of the crash. Both were taken to hospital but discharged on Boxing Day after treatment.

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