Man Dies After Being Hit By Falling Masonry

A 61-year-old man has died after he was hit by bricks falling from a building during stormy conditions.

The masonry came off a building in Cliff Street, in the seaside town of Bridlington, East Yorkshire, and struck the victim and a parked vehicle on Monday afternoon.

A police spokesman said the area would remain sealed off until checks on the building are completed.

The force said it was too early to say whether the stormy weather caused the bricks to collapse.

Sky News weather producer Rebecca Yussuf said rain in the area was accompanied by gale-force winds at around the time the tragedy happened at 1pm.

She said: "Mean wind speeds reached 34mph, with gusts of 48mph."

Gusts reached up to 48mph in Bridlington at around 1pm on Monday

The first storm of the autumn swept across the country on Monday.

Gale force winds reached 84mph overnight on South Uist in the Western Isles, damaging power lines.

Northern Ireland Electricity said around 6,000 customers lost power overnight, while some 6,500 homes were hit with blackouts in the Republic, with the vast majority reconnected by the evening.

Around 2,000 homes were affected in Workington, Cumbria, with most having supply restored within an hour.

Heavy rain and strong winds are expected to move north overnight, with gusts expected to reach 70mph in the most exposed areas on Tuesday.

An elderly man trapped on an island at Marykirk on the River Esk in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, was rescued by a sled boat as heavy rain saw water levels rise rapidly.

Three anglers stranded on an island between St Cyrus and Montrose were airlifted to safety by a helicopter from RAF Boulmer.

Flood warnings were in place in Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee and Angus and Tayside, and flood alerts for Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen city, Caithness and Sutherland, Easter Ross, Speyside, Orkney and Shetland.

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Alice Gross Murder: Suspect's Body Identified

Police have formally identified a decomposed body found in west London as that of Alice Gross murder suspect Arnis Zalkalns.

A post-mortem examination of the body, which was discovered in Boston Manor Park on Saturday, has now been completed.

Scotland Yard say the body is that of the 41-year-old Latvian builder who emerged as the prime suspect in the schoolgirl's death.

The cause of death is consistent with hanging and there is no evidence of any third party involvement, police added.

Zalkalns vanished from his flat in Ealing on 4 September, a week after Alice is thought to have been abducted and murdered while walking home along a canal towpath in Hanwell.

Alice was found dead in the River Brent on Tuesday after a five-week search. Zalkalns was filmed cycling along the same route behind Alice on the day she went missing.

Alice's body was found about a mile away from Zalkalns' remains

He worked at a building site in Isleworth, west London, and is thought to have come to the UK in 2007.

Authorities have faced criticism for apparently holding no record of his conviction for bludgeoning and stabbing his wife Rudite to death in Latvia.

Video: Alice: Body Found In Suspect Hunt

During the investigation it also emerged Zalkalns was arrested in London on suspicion of indecently assaulting a 14-year-old girl in 2009, but was never charged.

A post-mortem examination on Alice was inconclusive and further tests are to be carried out to find out how she died.

Police said "significant efforts" were taken to conceal her body in the water.

Video: CCTV Footage Shows Alice Suspect

Zalkalns had not accessed his bank account or used his mobile phone since 3 September, nor had he returned home to his partner and young child in Ealing. He also left behind his passport.

Scotland Yard has said that although Zalkalns had been identified as a suspect in the murder investigation, inquiries continue to establish the full circumstances surrounding the crime.

A spokesman said: "Officers are still searching for evidence, and once again appeal to the public for any information that could assist them. Anyone with any information is asked to contact us on 020 8358 0100."

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Alice Murder: Tests On Body Found In Park

A post-mortem is due to take place today on a body believed to be that of the man wanted for the murder of 14-year-old Alice Gross.

It is understood that Arnis Zalkalns was found hanged on Saturday in woods at Boston Manor Park - a mile from where the schoolgirl's body was hidden.

The badly-decomposed body was taken by private ambulance to a mortuary in west London, and a post-mortem examination is scheduled for this afternoon at Fulham Mortuary.

The convicted killer vanished from his flat in Ealing on September 4 - a week after Alice is thought to have been abducted and murdered while walking home along a canal towpath in Hanwell.

Alice was found dead in the River Brent on Tuesday after a five-week search.

Video: Alice's Movements Reconstructed

Zalkalns, 41, was filmed cycling along the same route behind Alice on the day she vanished on 28 August.

His sister, Jolanta Daksa, told Sky News: "British police have not contacted me, or my brothers and sisters.

"Arnis' girlfriend, who is living in London, told me that they had found the remains and I told the other family members. Other details about what the police found we learned from the media.

"Now we are waiting for the results from the examination of the body and the police investigation.

"We want to know from police is it really is Arnis."

Video: Alice: Body Found In Suspect Hunt

The Latvian labourer worked at a building site in Isleworth, west London, and is thought to have come to the UK in 2007.

Authorities are facing criticism for apparently holding no record of his conviction for bludgeoning and stabbing his wife Rudite to death in Latvia.

It also emerged Zalkalns was arrested in London on suspicion of indecently assaulting a 14-year-old girl in 2009, but was never charged.

A post-mortem examination on Alice was inconclusive and further tests are to be carried out to find out how she died.

Police said "significant efforts" were taken to conceal her body in the water.

Video: CCTV Footage Shows Alice Suspect

Zalkalns had not accessed his bank account or used his mobile phone since 3 September, nor had he returned home to his partner and young child in Ealing. He also left behind his passport.

Scotland Yard has said that though Zalkalns had been identified as a suspect in the murder investigation, inquiries continue to establish the full circumstances surrounding the crime.

A spokesman said: "Officers are still searching for evidence, and once again appeal to the public for any information that could assist them. Anyone with any information is asked to contact us on 020 8358 0100."

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Anni Dewani's Father Tells Of 'Torturous' Wait

The heartbroken father of murdered bride Anni Dewani has described his four-year wait for justice as "torture".

Vinod Hindocha, 65, said: "Since that terrible day it has been a period of torture and we have missed her each and every minute of each and every day."

Mr Hindocha was speaking after flying into Cape Town, where his 28-year-old daughter was shot dead on her honeymoon in 2010.

Anni's husband Shrien, a wealthy Bristol businessman, goes on trial for her murder this morning.

A German rent boy Leopold Leisser is expected to be a key witness, who will tell the court Shrien Dewani paid him for sex in the months leading up to the shooting and told him he regretted his engagement to Anni, but was too ashamed to back out.

Mr Hindocha said: "Now that I am back here all I ask for is the full story and justice.

"I am confident that South Africa will conduct a fair and open trial of Shrien Dewani."

Dewani was extradited to Cape Town in April after losing a three-year UK court battle in which he claimed he was mentally unfit to stand trial.

After his wife's death, he told South African police the couple were carjacked at gunpoint as they took a taxi outside the city to the Gugulethu  township where Anni "wanted to see the real Africa".

He claimed he and the driver were thrown out of the vehicle before two abductors kidnapped his new wife.

Video: Murdered Bride's Family Want Truth

Her body was found in the back of the abandoned taxi the next morning.

But the driver Zola Tongo said Dewani had offered him £1,300 to arrange for his wife to be killed.

Tongo and two other local men, Xolile Mngeni and Mziwamadoda Qwabe, are already serving long jail sentences for Anni's murder.

Video: Anni Dewani's Bedroom Now A Shrine

Anni's cousin Sneha is likely to be another witness, and is expected to tell the court that Anni wanted to stop her wedding, a lavish affair in Mumbai.

Anni, who was born in Sweden, met Shrien after moving to London to stay with Sneha.

As Anni's family were preparing to leave Sweden to attend the trial her elder sister Ami, 37, told Sky News last week: "Three weeks before the wedding Anni actually threw the ring back at Shrien. She called me and said a lot of things like it wasn't working well.

Video: Sister's Shock Over Anni's Death

"I thought she was just stressed out and told her she would get over it.

"Looking back, I should have told her to break it off. If I had, maybe she would be alive today.

"It still haunts me."

Video: 'I Told Anni It Was Wedding Stress'

Unlike the murder trial of athlete Oscar Pistorius in Pretoria this year, Dewani's trial will not be televised, though cameras may be allowed in briefly to film him in the dock.

The hearing is expected to last until mid-December.

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NHS Spending On Patient Meals Hard To Swallow

By Thomas Moore, Health Correspondent

Hospitals are spending as little as £3.68 a day providing food for patients in their care, official figures show.

A Sky News analysis of recent NHS statistics shows 18 hospitals spending £5 or less on daily patient meals.

And 177 institutions - almost half of those who supplied data - spend under £9 - the equivalent of less than £3 per meal.

On average, hospitals spend £9.66 per patient per day on food, the figures show. But there are huge variations between different NHS trusts.

The lowest amount spent was £3.68 at Livingstone Community Hospital in Dartford in Kent.

Hospitals that prepare meals on site are able to make big savings

Tonbridge Cottage Hospital and Faversham Cottage Hospital, also both in Kent, spent £3.70 and £3.88 per patient per day respectively.

A spokesman for Livingstone said the costs were low because it bought food in without the need to maintain staff and kitchens to prepare it.

Video: Hospital Food Shake-Up Announced

The highest reported spending was £31 at Broadgreen Hospital in Liverpool.

However, a spokesman said average costs were higher than usual because it included staff costs and they had to cater for more patients than they ended up admitting.

The figures also show that 52 hospital do not provide fresh fruit to their patients and 16 have not had their menus checked by a dietician.

At Nottingham University Hospitals, 15% of the ingredients are organic, meat comes from local farms and every meal is cooked from scratch. Yet the food bill is still below average at £8.67 a day.

John Hughes, catering manager for Carillion which operates the kitchen, said voluntary nutritional standards on hospital meals should be mandatory.

He told Sky News: "You have somebody providing a soup and a sandwich and calling it a meal and somebody providing a four-course dinner and calling it a meal.

"I am disappointed and worried there is still no minimum standard.

"We have very high standards here. We operate to a very reasonable cost, so cost is not a barrier.

"It comes down to a political decision - do we care enough?"

In August, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt announced that for the first time hospitals will have to meet legally mandated standards and inspections will evaluate the quality of the food they serve.

Alex Jackson, from Sustain's Campaign for Better Hospital Food, said more than half of hospitals now buy in chilled ready meals.

"The data shows that where hospitals are freshly preparing and cooking food on site in their own kitchens they are able to make big savings. Those meals are also often the most popular with patients.

"So what we want the Government to do is support hospitals so they can keep cooking."

How much hospitals are spending on food was revealed as part of the publication of an enormous range of data for NHS institutions for the year 2012/13.

The figures show a wide variation in staffing, spending and procedures.

Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, medical director of NHS England, said the website "allows people to hold us to account."

"Overall, what this wealth of published data suggests is an encouraging picture," he added.

"Despite having received little increase in funding over recent years, the NHS continues to provide high quality care, often to the highest standards in the world."

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British Teacher Held Hostage In Libya Freed

A British teacher held hostage by militants in Libya has been released and reunited with his family, the Foreign Office has confirmed.

David Bolam, who worked at the International School in Benghazi, was abducted earlier this year.

His kidnapping had not been reported at the request of his family and the Foreign Office.

Although it has not been officially confirmed who his captors were, a group calling themselves the Army of Islam, a faction in Libya, released an online video of Mr Bolam dated 28 August pleading for his release.

The 53-second video showed him sitting in a room wearing a white t-shirt.

In it, he said: "My name is David Richard Bolam. I am a British citizen. I am a teacher.

"My health is good at the moment. I have been here a very long time."

He went on to plead for Britain to arrange a prisoner exchange or other diplomatic initiative to secure his release.

The Foreign Office said in a statement: "We are glad that David Bolam is safe and well after his ordeal, and that he has been reunited with his family.

"We have been supporting his family since he was taken.

"We do not comment on the detail of hostage cases. The family have asked for privacy."

There are unconfirmed reports a ransom was paid through "unofficial channels" in exchange for Mr Bolam's release.

The Foreign Office confirmed the Government has paid no money, saying: "HMG never pays ransoms. It is illegal to pay ransoms to a terrorist group."

While several Western governments have paid money to secure the release of hostages held by militants, the UK and US governments have a policy of refusing demands for ransoms.

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Alan Henning Beheaded In Islamic State Video

British aid convoy volunteer Alan Henning has been beheaded by an Islamic State militant in a video posted on the internet.

Mr Henning is seen kneeling in front of a knife-wielding militant in a desert setting before being beheaded in front of the camera.

Prime Minister David Cameron said the murder was "brutal" and revealed "just how barbaric and repulsive these terrorists are".

Mr Henning, a 47-year-old former taxi driver, was captured by militants last December while delivering aid in Syria.

Video: IS Hostage Alan Henning Beheaded

Since then family, friends and colleagues have made repeated calls for him to be released.

However, a video. lasting for one minute and 11 seconds and titled "Another Message To America and Its Allies", was posted on YouTube on Friday evening.

It shows Mr Henning, originally from Eccles in Greater Manchester, kneeling down in front of a man with a knife.

Video: Islamic State: Audio Of Threat

The masked killer, who speaks with a British accent and is believed to be the man responsible for previous beheadings, makes a direct statement to Mr Cameron: "The blood of David Haines was on your hands, Cameron. Alan Henning will also be slaughtered, but his blood is on the hands of the British Parliament."

At the end of the video another hostage - a former US soldier - is paraded in front of the cameras.

The hostage is believed to be Peter Edward Kassig who had returned to the region as a charity worker, after serving in Iraq in 2007.

Video: Terry Waite: Beheading 'Tragic'

The militant in the video says Mr Kassig will be the next victim. 

Mr Cameron said: "The brutal murder of Alan Henning by ISIL shows just how barbaric and repulsive these terrorists are.

"My thoughts and prayers tonight are with Alan's wife Barbara, their children and all those who loved him.

Video: Family Appeals 'Were Last Resort'

"Alan had gone to Syria to help get aid to people of all faiths in their hour of need.

"The fact that he was taken hostage when trying to help others and now murdered demonstrates that there are no limits to the depravity of these ISIL terrorists.

"We will do all we can to hunt down these murderers and bring them to justice."

Video: Alan Henning 'Was Clearly Innocent'

US President Barack Obama condemned the "brutal" murder, saying the United States would bring those responsible to justice.

"Standing together with a broad coalition of allies and partners, we will continue taking decisive action to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL," he said in a statement.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg wrote on Twitter: "Barbaric actions of ISIL are held in complete contempt. We are resolved to defeat this evil."

Video: 'IS Call To Send Ground Troops'

British Muslims also joined condemnation of the murder as a "despicable and offensive act" which showed IS had "no regard for Islam".

Dr Shuja Shafi, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, said: "Alan was a friend of Muslims, and he will be mourned by Muslims.

"Alan Henning's murderers have clearly gone against that spirit of Islam. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family."

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1. Gallery: Profile: Alan Henning

   Alan Henning, 47, was born in Salford, Greater Manchester. Friends gave him the nickname "gadget" due to his love of technology

2. He was married for 23 years and he had a teenage son and daughter

3. He worked as a self-employed taxi driver

4. Mr Henning saw the plight of Syrian people and volunteered with a Muslim charity. He had been to the region at least three times

5. He drove life-saving medical equipment from the UK to Syria in old ambulances. He left in December 2013 to make the 4,000-mile trip

6. He was kidnapped by IS in Syria by masked men. He may have been held in Ad Dana near Aleppo, then Raqqa

Mr Henning was previously seen at the end of a video released last month following the beheading of fellow British captive David Haines.

Mr Haines' brother, Mike, wrote on Facebook last night: "Tonight saw the death of Alan Henning at the hands of ISIL. Alan like David had a proven history of humanitarian work. Our hearts and prayers go to his family, our love too."

Meanwhile, another video has emerged purportedly showing a wounded Islamic State fighter with a British accent.

Video: Wife Pleaded For Henning's Release

In the video the fighter taunts Mr Cameron and other coalition leaders to send troops on the ground rather than "bomb us from the skies".

The footage has not been authenticated, and it is not clear when or where it was filmed.

:: Full coverage now on Sky News – watch Sky 501, Virgin Media 602, Freesat 202, Freeview 132.

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Pill For Heavy Drinkers To Help Curb Cravings

Around 600,000 people in England and Wales who drink have half a bottle of wine a day are to be offered the first-ever licensed drug to help reduce alcohol consumption.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) recommended the nalmefene tablet's use after trials showed it cut drinking by 61% over six months when used with counselling.

Experts claim the drug, which costs £3 a pill, could save as many as 1,854 lives over five years and prevent 43,074 alcohol-related diseases and injuries.

Nalmefene, also known as Selincro, is the only licensed medicine which helps people reduce their drinking rather than aiding them to stop drinking altogether.

Severe alcoholics and those who are able to cut down without help would not be eligible for the drug.

It is administered orally once a day and is taken when people feel the urge drink.

It works by blocking the part of the brain which gives drinkers pleasure from alcohol, stopping them from wanting more than one drink.

Men drinking three to four pints of beer would be eligible for the drug

Men would qualify to receive the treatment if they consume 7.5 units of alcohol per day - around three to four pints of standard strength lager.

It would be offered to women who consume five units a day, which amounts to around half a bottle of wine.

Video: Female Drink-Driver Number Doubles

Professor Carole Longson, at Nice health technology evaluation centre, said: "Alcohol dependence is a serious issue for many people.

"Those who could be prescribed nalmefene have already taken the first big steps by visiting their doctor, engaging with support services and taking part in therapy programmes.

"We are pleased to be able to recommend the use of nalmefene to support people further in their efforts to fight alcohol dependence.

"When used alongside psychosocial support, nalmefene is clinically and cost effective for the NHS compared with psychosocial support alone."

A final decision to roll out the drug on the NHS in England at a cost of £288m a year will be taken in November.

It has been provided to patients in Scotland since October last year.

Video: Thousands Drinking During Pregnancy

Video: New Report On Drinking And Health

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Thai Murders: Two Men Admit Killing Britons

Two Burmese men have confessed to the murders of British backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller in Thailand, police have said.

Mr Miller, 24, from Jersey, died from drowning and a blow to the head, while Miss Witheridge, 23, from Great Yarmouth, died from head wounds on Sairee beach last month.

Their semi-naked bodies were found on the southern island of Koh Tao, near where they were staying, in the early hours of September 15.

A garden hoe with Miss Witheridge's blood on it was discovered nearby, and investigators have been searching for a blunt metal object used on Mr Miller.

Thai National police chief Somyot Poompanmoung said: "DNA test results (from the two men) confirmed that the same DNA was found in the body of the (female) victim."

Video: David Miller Seen On CCTV

Provincial police chief Kiattipong Khaosamang said the two men had also admitted raping Miss Witheridge.

"Both raped the female victim," he said, adding the pair were killed with a wooden stick and a garden hoe, which was found bloodied at the scene.

Thai police have searched for clues and collected DNA samples from more than 100 men on the island in the Gulf of Thailand.

The latest development came as the Phuket Gazette reported a Koh Tao taxi driver had accused police of trying to bribe him into giving a false testimony to frame members of a Thai football team whose DNA samples were also collected for tests.

Police had originally said they believed three men were involved in the attack.

On Wednesday, they revealed Miss Witheridge had been raped by her two killers, while a third man watched.

Two different semen samples were collected from her body.

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1. Gallery: Thailand Beach Murders

   The family of Hannah Witheridge in Thailand. Miss Witheridge was killed alongside David Miller on a beach on Koh Tao

2. Police outside the Ware family home on Jersey. Christopher and James Ware, who were childhood friends of Mr Miller, have been questioned in Thailand as part of the investigation

3. The pair suffered "gruesome" injuries, according to police

4. The victims were staying in this hotel

5. Thai police at the scene of the beach attack

Almost three weeks after the deaths police also announced they were offering a reward of more than £13,000 (700,000 baht) in an effort to catch the killers.

Thai authorities have been concerned the killings could lead to a further slump in tourism which has never recovered since the bloody protests on the streets of Bangkok that preceded a military coup in May.

On Tuesday, the country's tourism minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul announced plans to issue tourists with wristbands in the wake of the murders to help identify those who run into trouble.

Party curfews and restrictions on where they can be held are also being considered, as well as the idea of introducing a "buddy system" - pairing tourists with a local minder.

"The next step would be some sort of electronic tracking device, but this has not yet been discussed in detail," said the minister.

However, the Phuket Gazette reported the wristband idea had been dismissed by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

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Children As Young As 11 Caught Drink-Driving

Children as young as 11 have been caught drinking and driving, according to police records.

An 11-year-old was stopped in the Thames Valley area in 2011 and several 12-year-olds were apprehended in Scotland in 2012 and in Manchester in 2008.

An average of 1,000 under-18s have been convicted of drink-driving every year since 2008, according to figures obtained by in-car camera provider Nextbase.

Every week since 2008, an average of five drink-drivers under the age of 18 have been caught, the figures also revealed.

All 43 police forces in the UK have stopped under-18 drink-drivers between 2008 and 2013, with figures from Freedom of Information requests revealing the worst area in England for offenders was Greater Manchester, with 409 people arrested over the period.

Other hotspots included Scotland with 718 offenders, Hampshire with 276 and Devon and Cornwall with 241.

Nextbase said the overall number of underage drink-drive arrests had fallen year-on-year, but a number of areas including South Yorkshire, Northumbria and Kent had seen a rise.

A Department of Transport spokesman said: "Under-age driving is illegal and no person under the age of 17 should be driving a car.

"We have tough laws in place to tackle those caught driving without a licence.

"Drink-driving is a menace that costs lives, and the Government is strengthening the law to help police crack down on this problem."

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