Man guilty of £40m jewellery raid
Aman Kassaye, 25, of no fixed address, forced a young shop assistant to help steal gems worth £40 million at gunpoint in the "high stakes" heist at Graff Diamonds in Mayfair, central London, last summer. He was convicted at Woolwich Crown Court, in south east London, of kidnap, conspiracy to rob and possessing a firearm. He was acquitted of a further gun possession charge. The jury is still deliberating on six co-defendants, who all deny charges relating to the robbery. The gems taken in the robbery have never been recovered. Kassaye used a professional make-up artist to disguise his appearance and a series of getaway cars to escape across the capital. The raiders shot at anyone who got in their way, Woolwich Crown Court was told.(press association)
'No foetal pain' before 24 weeks
Nerve connections in the brain are not sufficiently formed to allow pain perception until after the official 24-week limit for terminations, a Government-commissioned report found. The study, carried out by members of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), also said the foetus was in a state of "continuous sleep-like unconsciousness or sedation" even after 24 weeks. This could mean that late abortions, which are permitted for serious abnormalities or risks to the mother's health, may not result in foetal suffering.(press association)
Weekend Weather On The Up In Mini Heatwave
Three days of sunshine and thunder storms are being predicted by forecasters. Sunday is to be the hottest day with the South East seeing the best of the sunshine with highs of 30C. But thunder storms could be triggered by the heat. Saturday is to be dry and bright for most of England and Wales. Showers will hit Northern Ireland, Scotland and the north west of England later in the day.(Skynews)
No Charge Against GP Who Helped Man To Die
Dr Michael Irwin paid £1500 towards the cost of 58-year-old Raymond Cutkelvin's death at the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland. The 79-year-old had been arrested and questioned by police after he vowed to highlight the "hypocritical British system" surrounding euthanasia. The Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer said there is sufficient evidence to proscute him but it would not be in the public interest. Mr Cutkelvin's partner of 28 years, Alan Cutkelvin Rees has also been told he will not face prosecution. Mr Cutkelvin had been diagnosed with an inoperable tumour of the pancreas in 2006 and died the following year at the clinic in Switzerland.(skynews)
British Firm Says It Can Fix BP's Oil Slick
Ultra Green is an environmental research and development company based in Brighton that has been working on a solution to the ongoing disaster in the US. The firm has developed a membrane that captures oil from the surface of the water so it can then be squeezed out safely. It plans to mobilise up to 170 local fishing boats which will tow platforms holding a device with the membrane attached into the sea. The oil slick has already spread over hundreds of miles of water and is threatening already endangered species living in the region. Ultra Green estimates that its invention can soak up 25,000 gallons of oil a day down to a depth of five metres. The plan is to capture the oil before it reaches the coastlines and transfer it from the platforms to conventional oil tankers to then be resold. A share of the profits made from the salvaged oil will go to the local fishermen and communities. Thousands of people have had their livelihoods ruined since the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig on April 20 which killed 11 workers. British-based oil firm BP says the total clean-up cost of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill has cost them more than £1.5bn so far.(skynews)
Aman Kassaye, 25, of no fixed address, forced a young shop assistant to help steal gems worth £40 million at gunpoint in the "high stakes" heist at Graff Diamonds in Mayfair, central London, last summer. He was convicted at Woolwich Crown Court, in south east London, of kidnap, conspiracy to rob and possessing a firearm. He was acquitted of a further gun possession charge. The jury is still deliberating on six co-defendants, who all deny charges relating to the robbery. The gems taken in the robbery have never been recovered. Kassaye used a professional make-up artist to disguise his appearance and a series of getaway cars to escape across the capital. The raiders shot at anyone who got in their way, Woolwich Crown Court was told.(press association)
'No foetal pain' before 24 weeks
Nerve connections in the brain are not sufficiently formed to allow pain perception until after the official 24-week limit for terminations, a Government-commissioned report found. The study, carried out by members of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), also said the foetus was in a state of "continuous sleep-like unconsciousness or sedation" even after 24 weeks. This could mean that late abortions, which are permitted for serious abnormalities or risks to the mother's health, may not result in foetal suffering.(press association)
Weekend Weather On The Up In Mini Heatwave
Three days of sunshine and thunder storms are being predicted by forecasters. Sunday is to be the hottest day with the South East seeing the best of the sunshine with highs of 30C. But thunder storms could be triggered by the heat. Saturday is to be dry and bright for most of England and Wales. Showers will hit Northern Ireland, Scotland and the north west of England later in the day.(Skynews)
No Charge Against GP Who Helped Man To Die
Dr Michael Irwin paid £1500 towards the cost of 58-year-old Raymond Cutkelvin's death at the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland. The 79-year-old had been arrested and questioned by police after he vowed to highlight the "hypocritical British system" surrounding euthanasia. The Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer said there is sufficient evidence to proscute him but it would not be in the public interest. Mr Cutkelvin's partner of 28 years, Alan Cutkelvin Rees has also been told he will not face prosecution. Mr Cutkelvin had been diagnosed with an inoperable tumour of the pancreas in 2006 and died the following year at the clinic in Switzerland.(skynews)
British Firm Says It Can Fix BP's Oil Slick
Ultra Green is an environmental research and development company based in Brighton that has been working on a solution to the ongoing disaster in the US. The firm has developed a membrane that captures oil from the surface of the water so it can then be squeezed out safely. It plans to mobilise up to 170 local fishing boats which will tow platforms holding a device with the membrane attached into the sea. The oil slick has already spread over hundreds of miles of water and is threatening already endangered species living in the region. Ultra Green estimates that its invention can soak up 25,000 gallons of oil a day down to a depth of five metres. The plan is to capture the oil before it reaches the coastlines and transfer it from the platforms to conventional oil tankers to then be resold. A share of the profits made from the salvaged oil will go to the local fishermen and communities. Thousands of people have had their livelihoods ruined since the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig on April 20 which killed 11 workers. British-based oil firm BP says the total clean-up cost of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill has cost them more than £1.5bn so far.(skynews)