A-Level Students Turning Backs On University

By Mike McCarthy, North of England Correspondent

About 300,000 teenagers are due to receive their A-level results today as more students than ever are turning their backs on university.

Market research suggests that more than half of young people currently studying at university would rather do an apprenticeship if given the chance.

The Higher Education Funding Council has reported a drop in students accepting undergraduate places for the first time since 2008 and the number of people applying for schemes such as apprenticeships and vocational courses through one website has more than doubled within a year.

The rise follows a three-fold increase in tuition fees at many universities and a CBI report this summer which warned businesses to change the perception that a degree is the only way to for young people to equip themselves for work.

The skills organisation Semta has urged parents to put aside their prejudice, arguing it is hindering the flow of students into vocational training.

"Pupils are passing A-levels only to be let down when their parents fail the big test," chief executive Sarah Sillars said.

"Research has shown they can't describe what an apprenticeship is, let alone recommend their kids to take up one."

She claims many parents are "squeamish" about a vocational route because of "the long-held belief that university is the only way to go and get a decent education".

Meanwhile, the multinational company Unilever says it has placed greater emphasis in recent years on attracting talented young people to a new apprenticeship scheme.

Richard Jones, research and development director, told Sky News: "We're able to bring in students fresh from college or school and we're then able to tailor the apprenticeship to the skills that we require into the future.

"Obviously our organisation evolves and the requirements of technology evolve, so we're able to adapt throughout the (apprenticeship) programme."

Emma Brown had been offered an unconditional place to study at Sheffield University but chose an apprenticeship with Unilever at Port Sunlight on the Wirral instead.

"I had a few older friends who had already graduated and were struggling to find a job," she said.

"Everyone was asking for experience and you don't have that until someone gives you a chance.

"I thought that if I worked here I would get work experience and have no student debt. It's going to be the best option for me."

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Pair Charged With Attempted Rape Of Baby

A man and a woman have been charged with attempted rape of a baby girl after a child was admitted to a hospital in Colchester.

Essex Police were contacted by social services after the baby was admitted to Colchester General Hospital on August 10.

The 31-year-old man and 23-year-old woman have also been charged with neglect and assault after the 10-week-old baby girl was found to have suffered serious injuries..

The pair also each face three counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, relating to serious head injuries and injuries of a sexual nature.

They have been remanded in custody and will appear at Colchester Magistrates' Court later.

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Don't Send Thieves To Prison, Says Law Expert

Thieves and fraudsters should be spared jail and punished with fines and community sentences instead, a legal expert has said.

Law professor Andrew Ashworth believes imprisonment for "pure property offences", including those who continually commit such crimes, is disproportionate.

He said the focus should be on making sure perpetrators make amends and that victims are compensated - which he argued was less likely from someone behind bars with little or no income.

Prison, as the UK's most severe punishment, should be reserved for the most serious crimes only including those of a violent, threatening or sexual nature, he said.

His comments are in a pamphlet titled What If Imprisonment Were Abolished For Property Offences? which has been released by the Howard League for Penal Reform which plans to distribute it to every magistrates' court in England and Wales in a bid to spark a debate on sentencing issues.

Victims say they want the punishment to fit the crime

Prof Ashworth, the Vinerian Professor of English Law at Oxford University, said while prison should still be considered in cases of robbery, blackmail and burglary, its use is disproportionate for crimes that do not involve violence, threats or sexual assault.

According the professor, prison sentences are only truly worth considering where a victim is targeted because of their vulnerability, although there may be some exceptions.

His pamphlet states that some 20,000 people go to prison each year for theft or handling stolen goods, 5,000 for fraud and 1,000 for criminal damage.

The effect of such a policy would reduce the number of men serving prison sentences by 8% (5,000 men) and women by 21% (700 women), saving around £230m each year, it claims.

A spokesman for Victim Support said: "Victims tell us they want more than anything else the punishment to fit the crime and for the criminal not to re-offend.

"A community sentence may be appropriate in some instances of property crime but not in others because crime type is not a reliable indicator of the impact an offence has on an individual victim.

"It would be hard for community sentences to retain public confidence if offenders knew they could keep committing certain types of crime and never be jailed.

"It is essential when passing sentence that judges and magistrates can take into account the full facts of the case - including the impact on the victim - not just the nature of the offence."

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Whipps Cross Hospital 'Unsafe And Uncaring'

An NHS trust has been issued with three formal warnings after inspectors found "unsafe" conditions including filthy maternity wards and water placed out of the reach of elderly patients.

Barts Health NHS Trust "failed to protect the safety and welfare of patients" at Whipps Cross University Hospital in Leytonstone, east London, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said.

The trust must now make "urgent improvements", following unannounced inspections in May and June.

The hospital was failing to meet 10 of the 16 national standards for quality and safety, inspectors found.

On maternity wards, "serious shortfalls" were noted, such as blood-stained equipment, filthy curtains, staff not cleaning their hands and midwives failing to carry out proper checks on newborns.

Resuscitation equipment for babies did not have an oxygen supply and was not checked regularly, while some equipment was not sterile, inspectors found.

"We saw examples of poor care, unacceptable staff behaviour and poor infection control in maternity services," inspectors said in their report.

"In surgery, theatre processes and communication arrangements put people's safety at risk."

During just one visit, inspectors identified "serious shortfalls" in eight out of the 16 essential standards hospitals are required to meet by law.

Staff on postnatal wards were found to be "uncaring".

The report said: "We saw a woman in a blood-stained gown and bed. About 10 minutes later we saw the same woman crying in the corridor.

"The midwife on duty asked the woman 'Why are you crying?' The woman replied 'I am in pain'. 'Pain!' the midwife repeated in a sarcastic manner.

"The midwife got some medication and handed her a white pot which contained tablets without telling the woman what the tablets were.

"We observed the same midwife bringing the wrong formula milk (as it was different to what the woman had previously been feeding her baby). When asked by the woman, the midwife did not accept she had brought the wrong milk and did not offer the woman the correct alternative."

On the labour wards, the theatre sluice pipe had previously leaked onto the floor.

"We saw visible dried stains on that sluice pipe and floor," inspectors said.

Inspectors also found shortages of staff on elderly care wards, including a lack of qualified nurses.

Barts Health NHS Trust chief executive Peter Morris said: "Barts Health is committed to ensuring the safety and welfare of every one of our patients and we are extremely sorry for the failings in some of our services at Whipps Cross Hospital.

"We have taken immediate action to rectify the failures to ensure we meet standards across the hospital at all times."

Barts Health NHS Trust is already under scrutiny by chief inspector of hospitals Professor Sir Mike Richards.

It is one of 18 trusts being examined due to potential risks to patients, and is one of five on the list, announced in July, that is considered to be "high risk".

Royal College of Nursing (RCN) London regional director Bernell Bussue said: "It's deeply concerning to see these failures in relation to basic standards of infection control, hygiene, waiting times and providing adequate food and drink."

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Britain's Most Wanted Fraudsters Revealed

By Martin Brunt, Crime Correspondent

These are the faces of 25 most wanted identity fraudsters who were caught in the act.

They allegedly stole other people's personal details and then tried to use their own photographs to get passports, driving licences and other official documents.

Some of their victims may have had information taken in burglaries or muggings, others may simply have been intimidated into revealing it.

The scam is often used by organised gangs to commit crimes such as money laundering, drug trafficking and illegal immigration, say investigators.

Nigel Kirby, of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), said: "Be in no doubt, these fraudulently obtained documents are being used by criminals for criminal purposes.

"Passports and driving licences do not just allow you to travel and drive, they are important identity documents that can be used to support applications for mortgages, bank loans and benefits."

The Crimestoppers charity wants the public's help in tracking down the 25 alleged fraudsters.

Director of operations Roger Critchell said: "We need to protect ourselves from such criminals, particularly now with data-driven identity crimes making up the vast majority of all fraud in the UK."

Identity theft is the fastest growing type of fraud in Britain, and hit an all-time high last year with 150,000 identifiable victims, according to the UK's Fraud Prevention Service CIFAS.

:: Anyone who recognises any of the suspects can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online

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Perseids Treats Stargazers To A 'Magical' Night

One of the most spectacular meteor showers of the year lit up the skies as stargazers were rewarded with scores of sightings.

A Perseids meteor streaks across the night sky over Bulgaria

Images of the "natural firework display" were captured by astronomers and professional photographers, but with the astronomical spectacle visible to the unaided eye even amateur stargazers were not left disappointed.

The Perseids meteor shower is a result of material falling from the tail of Comet Swift-Tuttle, which last passed near the Earth in 1992, and is active each year from around mid-July to late-August.

A multiple exposure picture of the meteor shower taken in Madrid, Spain

The rare occurrence was also played out on social networking sites including Twitter - as stargazers shared their photographs and experiences with one another.

One tweeted: "Everybody! It's the #Perseid #Meteorwatch Look up for Shooting stars!"

Stargazers come out to watch the spectacle near Castaic Lake, California

Another said: "Watching the #perseid meteor shower. Magic."

A stargazer on Lake Michigan in the States tweeted: "Night fishing for King Salmon off the pier and stargazing at the Perseid meteor showers which peak tonight."

Photographers in Los Angeles point their camera to the stars

Another added: "Shooting Stars and Owls, magical combo :-) Time for bed now."

Meteors, commonly known as shooting stars, are the result of small particles entering the Earth's atmosphere at high speed.

Aerospace photographer Bill Hartenstein uses his iPhone to help take photos

These heat the air around them, causing the characteristic streak of light seen from the ground.

They mostly appear as fleeting flashes lasting less than a second, but the brightest ones leave behind trails of vaporised gases and glowing air molecules that may take a few seconds to fade.

A stargazer in the UK captures a shooting star (Pic: @ShaunLadd.jpg)

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Cycling 'Revolution' Shifts Into Top Gear

A big cash injection for cycling and a nationwide drive to promote cycling in cities and national parks is being announced by the Prime Minister.

The initiative includes plans to make roads safer for those on two wheels and means a number of English cities will get Government money for cycling schemes.

A total of £77m will be divided between Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Newcastle, Bristol, Cambridge, Oxford and Norwich.

Also, the New Forest, Peak District, South Downs and Dartmoor areas will each share a slice of £17m funding for national parks.

With local contributions, the total new funding for cycling is £148m between now and 2015.

The announcement includes a commitment to cut red tape that can stifle cycle-friendly road design and to encourage changes to the way roads are built or altered.

Councils will be expected to up their game to deliver infrastructure that takes cycling into account from the design stage.

Mr Cameron said: "Following our success in the Olympics, the Paralympics and the Tour de France, British cycling is riding high - now we want to see cycling soar.

"Our athletes have shown they are among the best in the world and we want to build on that, taking our cycling success beyond the arena and onto the roads, starting a cycling revolution which will remove the barriers for a new generation of cyclists."

He went on: "This Government wants to make it easier and safer for people who already cycle as well as encouraging far more people to take it up and business, local government, developers, road users and the transport sector all have a role to play in helping to achieve this."

Bradley Wiggins has inspired a generation of Britons to cycle

New trunk road schemes, such as junction improvements or road-widening, will be 'cycle-proofed' so they can be navigated confidently by the average cyclist.

Significant junction upgrades will help cyclists at 14 locations on the trunk road network where major roads can prove an obstacle for journeys by bike.

A total of £5m will be invested in upgrades this year and a further £15m will be invested in 2015/16, with plans in place for many more similar schemes.

The boost is intended to put Britain on a level-footing with countries like Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: "We have seen a significant growth in the number of cyclists in London over the last few years. But cycling shouldn't be confined to the capital.

"Today's announcement shows we are absolutely committed to boosting cycling in cities and the countryside across the whole of England."

It was also announced that there would be a feasibility study to look into creating a new national cycleway.

The route would broadly follow the route of the HS2 rail line from London to Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester.

It would link communities and rail stations to work, schools and shops as well as countryside and tourist attractions along the way.

Thousands of cyclists took part in an event in London recently

In addition, a new national School Awards Scheme  will be created to recognise schools that have demonstrated excellence in supporting cycling and walking.

The UK cycle industry, led by the Bicycle Association, has volunteered to work with the Government to sponsor this award.

It was also announced that the Government is extending its commitment to support Bikeability cycle training into 2015/16.

All of the cities receiving funding have either already implemented, or are looking to expand, the network of 20mph zones, with Norfolk and Cambridge looking to introduce extensive area-wide 20mph schemes.

Similar work has been done to make it easier to introduce 40mph limits in rural areas.

Shadow transport secretary Maria Eagle said: "No amount of cynical spin from David Cameron will make up for the fact that, immediately on taking office, he axed Cycle England, the Cycle Demonstration Towns scheme and the annual £60m budget to support cycling that he inherited.

"Since then he has axed targets to reduce deaths and serious injuries on our roads, reduced traffic enforcement, cut the THINK! awareness campaign and allowed longer HGVs."

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Missing Teen Erika Kacicova: New Appeal

Detectives looking for a 13-year-old schoolgirl who vanished from her home have received a number of reports of possible sightings.

Police, who believe Erika Kacicova is with people she knows, made a direct appeal to the teenager on Sunday afternoon, calling on her to return to her "distraught" family.

She was last seen leaving her home in the Darnall area of Sheffield at around 4pm on Monday, August 4.

Erika has been urged to contact her family

Police have been conducting house-to-house inquiries there, and have expanded their search to Bradford.

A 22-year-old man from Bradford was released on police bail earlier after being arrested on suspicion of child abduction.

He approached police on Friday, the day officers made an urgent appeal for information about Erika's whereabouts.

Detective Inspector Helen Tate said: "Please remember she is a young girl who has never been away from home for this long before and we want her to return safe and well."

She added: "Erika, if you are reading this, please let us know you are okay. You're not in any trouble."

Erika's home in Poole Road, Darnall, in Sheffield

She said members of the public had come forward with information and reports of sightings but that "time was of the essence" as they search for the teenager.

Her disappearance was described as "out of character".

Erika is described as being slim and around 4ft 11ins tall. She has long, dark-brown, straight hair and brown eyes.

She was last seen wearing blue jeans, a pink polo-style shirt and a silvery-grey coloured jacket.

:: Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101.

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High Street Housing Plans Come Under Fire

Store Vacancies Hit New High Level

Updated: 11:50am UK, Monday 20 May 2013

A surge in shopping centre vacancies means almost one in every eight British stores is now empty, according to a new survey.

Empty shops now account for 11.9% of retail space, after failures including Comet and Jessops knocked holes in the shopping hubs and out-of-town retail parks.

The percentage of UK shop vacancies in April worsened from 10.9% in January and was the highest rate since the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Springboard survey began in 2011.

It said high streets have been "vastly outperforming" malls and retail parks, boosted by a 5% increase in evening drinkers, diners and clubbers.

The retail sector has been battered by a wave of failures this year, with entertainment retailer HMV and camera chain Jessops both entering administration in January.

Electricals retailer Comet slumped into administration in November.

BRC director general Helen Dickinson said: "It's a major concern that the vacancy rate has reached a record high, driven by increases in almost every part of the UK, with some regions like the South West seeing a significant leap in empty shop numbers."

But rising temperatures lifted April footfall 1% on a year earlier, a marked improvement on the 5.2% fall in March, as more shoppers ventured out compared with a rainy April 2012.

Ms Dickinson added: "The unsettled weather at the start of the month seems to have created pent-up demand, which brought many of us out to shop when more spring-like weather finally made an appearance."

High street footfall was up 3.4%, the strongest performance since December 2011, but shopping centre visitors fell 3%.

Greater London was the strongest-performing region with footfall rising 4.2% and just 7.4% of its shops vacant.

Footfall in Northern Ireland slumped 6.4% in April, while its shop vacancy rate hit 18.1%. In Wales, shoppers were down 2.1%, with a vacancy rate of 17.9%.

The South West saw footfall slide 1.3% and shop vacancies hit 14%.

The UK's surging vacancy rate follows recent downbeat sales figures from the BRC, which showed retail sales slumped at the fastest rate for a year in April as the timing of Easter and a freezing start to the month offset improvements in fashion and beauty.

Like-for-like sales fell 2.2% in April from a year earlier, with the early Easter hitting food sales in particular, it said.

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HIV Home-Testing Kits: Law Change Proposed

HIV Mother Case Study

Updated: 10:29pm UK, Monday 04 March 2013

Sky News talks to a mother with HIV in the wake of the apparent cure of an HIV-infected baby in Mississippi.

Following a routine sexual health check-up in January 2010, Amanda Mammadova discovered that she was HIV Positive.

She had no reason to believe that she had contracted the disease and merely thought it was time to get checked out.

When she was told she was positive, she was convinced she would never have children again. So when she fell pregnant she said that whilst she was overjoyed, she was also filled with fear.

"As a mother the last thing you ever want to do is pass HIV onto your child or cause your child any harm," she said.

But after doctors advised her how to minimise the risk to the baby, and told her that the chances of the child being positive were minimal, she felt more comfortable.

However, Ms Mammadova thinks the latest news from America could potentially have a huge impact on those diagnosed as HIV positive and their attitudes to having a family.

"It's going to make a huge difference to people, the fact that this baby has come back as negative, as potentially cured. It means that you can still have a family, that you can still have a happy life have children … it's a huge thing," she said.

Ms Mammadova and her husband, who is HIV negative, hope that results from the US case will not only change the outlook of those who are HIV positive, but also go some way to address the social stigma that she says surrounds the disease.

"I see so many people who think their life is over … they're young and they can't have children because of their HIV. So this story will go some way to show them they can have children and they can have whatever they want."

The couple now face an agonising wait until April, when their daughter Saabira will be tested to see whether she is HIV positive or not. 

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