Mum's Cancer Battle Inspired Pioneering Device

Kate Gross achieved many things in her short life, but she became best-known for her blog, "The Nuisance," which detailed her battle with colon cancer.

After achieving a First in English at Oxford University, she joined the civil service and - at the age of just 26 - became one of Downing Street's main advisers to Tony Blair for Prime Minister's Questions.

On meeting her for the first time and noticing how young she was, Mr Blair recalls her saying: "I'll do my job, and, provided that you do yours, we'll do just fine." 

Within a year, she became Whitehall's youngest-ever female civil servant.

Diseases like lung cancer produce miniscule but unique chemical traces

After Tony Blair's resignation in 2007, Ms Gross worked for his successor Gordon Brown and then left to work again with Mr Blair, this time in setting up a charity, the Africa Governance Initiative, which helps promote effective administration in the region.

It was at the end of a work trip to the US that Ms Gross began to feel unwell.

On returning home, she took herself to A&E and had emergency surgery that evening.

Just hours later, she was diagnosed with colon cancer, aged just 34.

Following her diagnosis, she began to write about her experiences in her blog, under the tagline "News from Kate's attic on life, and cancer. In that order."

Ms Gross worked as an aide to former Prime Minister Tony Blair

She also wrote a book, Late Fragments: Everything I Wanted to Tell You About the Magnificence of Life, which was published in December.

Ms Gross - who had five-year-old twin boys - was married to Billy Boyle, a researcher who has developed a breathalyser to detect early-stage cancer.

On 11 December, she wrote about her illness taking hold, saying: "I have had this disease for over two years, but now I am drawing in like the December nights… In this new world my quest is for liveable days, pleasant and comfortable hours and moments of snatched happiness."

Kate Gross died at home on Christmas Day, aged 36.

In an entry on her blog, her mother wrote: "I'd like to say it was all peaceful. It was at the end, but not all the time."

Among the many tributes to her, Tony Blair wrote: "No one conquers death. But you can achieve a certain triumph over it.

"This Kate did, and how she did it is a lesson for those of us who knew her well and those of you who never knew her at all."

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Lung Cancer 'Breathalyser' To Go On Trial

By Tom Cheshire, Technology Correspondent

A "breathalyser" that can diagnose lung cancer will be used in two NHS hospitals this summer as part of a £1m clinical trial.

The device was originally invented by engineer Billy Boyle to detect explosives in airports and on the battlefield, but he refocused on medical applications after his wife Kate Gross, then 34, was diagnosed with colon cancer in October 2012.

She was given a 5% chance of survival.

Kate Gross' with her husband Billy and twins Isaac and Oscar

The LuCID (lung cancer indicator detection) project by Owlstone, the company founded by Boyle, analyses the chemicals present in a person's breath.

Diseases like lung cancer produce miniscule but unique chemical traces.

Video: Inventor On His Wife's Loss

This can indicate illness long before symptoms become obvious - when survival rates are much higher.

The survival rate for Stage 1 lung cancer is 75%; Stage 4 is just 5%.

Mr Boyle told Sky News: "The great thing is the technology exists today.

"We already have the microchip, we're working on small handheld devices in (a) GP's office.

"It's important to get the clinical evidence first. But we think we can have systems available, proven, within the next two years.

"And our goal is to save the NHS £245m - but more importantly to save 10,000 lives."

After two years with cancer, Kate died early on Christmas Day, aged 36.

Mr Boyle said: "Me and my wife talked about different applications of Owlstone's technology.

"We spent many years sitting in cancer wards in Addenbroke's in Cambridge and down in London and you see a lot of people there.

Video: Breathalyser That Can Detect Cancer

"And they're there because the disease is detected too late.

"So early detection means that you will have fewer people sitting in those waiting rooms.

"Because of the experience of my wife and my family, we saw the devastation that cancer brings to families, in the various hospitals that we've been.

"You develop technologies for a reason.

"Sometimes it's for monetary gain. Other times it's to make a difference. And I think we have a real opportunity to try and improve the lives of patients."

Owlstone's technology can be applied to other diseases too, including bowel cancer, tuberculosis and asthma.

Dr Jonathan Bennett, a consultant respiratory physician at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester, told Sky News: "If successful, this test could be delivered locally - for example at GP surgeries and pharmacies for people assessed at being high risk."

"We are looking forward to answering this question with this innovative study."

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HSBC Helped Clients Dodge Tax - Report

HSBC's Swiss banking arm helped wealthy customers avoid tax and hide millions of dollars, according to a report by a network of investigative journalists.

The British banking giant provided accounts to international criminals, corrupt businessmen, politicians and celebrities, secret files analysed by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) show.

The documents have led to criminal investigations in several countries and attempts to get the money back after being stolen by an IT worker in 2007 and passed to authorities in France.

Details of the 30,000 accounts, which hold nearly £78bn of assets, are coming to light after the files were obtained by the French newspaper Le Monde and analysed by the ICIJ.

The files are reported to include evidence that the bank colluded with some clients to hide accounts from tax authorities in their home countries.

While holding a secret bank account is not illegal, they have been used by some to deliberately conceal assets to dodge tax, which is against the law.

"HSBC profited from doing business with arms dealers who channelled mortar bombs to child soldiers in Africa, bag men for Third World dictators, traffickers in blood diamonds and other international outlaws," the ICIJ reported.

According to the files, the bank's clients included former and current politicians from Britain, Russia, India and a number of African countries.

Those named in the files include people sanctioned by the US, such as Turkish businessman Selim Alguadis and Gennady Timchenko, an associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin who was the subject of sanctions over the Ukraine crisis.

HM Revenue and Customs was passed the data in 2010 and has since then clawed back £135m from some of the 3,600 Britons identified as potentially avoiding tax.

But some MPs have complained about HMRC's perceived slow progress and the fact that only one evader has been prosecuted to date.

The bank said in a statement that since the period in question, it had "implemented numerous initiatives designed to prevent its banking services being used to evade taxes or launder money".

"Although there are numerous legitimate reasons to have a Swiss bank account, in some cases individuals took advantage of bank secrecy to hold undeclared accounts," the statement continued.

"This resulted in private banks, including HSBC's Swiss private bank, having a number of clients that may not have fully met their applicable tax obligations.

"We have taken significant steps over the past several years to implement reforms and exit clients who did not meet strict new HSBC standards, including those where we had concerns in relation to tax compliance," it added.

"We are fully committed to the exchange of information with relevant authorities and are actively pursuing measures that ensure clients are tax transparent, even in advance of a regulatory or legal requirement to do so.

"We are also co-operating with relevant authorities investigating these matters and we acknowledge and are accountable for past control failures."

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'Internet Asbos' For Hate Crime Perpetrators

People who persistently spread racial hatred online could be given "internet Asbos" banning them from sites such as Twitter and Facebook, under proposals to crack down on a "disturbing" rise in anti-Semitism in Britain.

A group of MPs has called on the Crown Prosecution Service to examine whether prevention orders, similar to those which can be used to restrict sex offenders' online access, could be applied to hate crimes.

The request follows an alarming rise in incidents against Jews which occurred during fighting in Gaza and Israel last year.

The issue has come under renewed scrutiny following the Paris terror attacks in which a Jewish supermarket was targeted.

The MPs' report says that "Hitler" and "Holocaust" were among the top 35 key words used on Twitter last summer.

Video: Theresa May Tries To Calm Nerves

Highly abusive posts on the microblogging site were singled out, including the hashtag "Hitler was right", which was trending in July, as well as the "presence of Hitlerian themes and imagery on Facebook".

The report said: "There is an allowance in the law for banning or blocking individuals from certain aspects of internet communication in relation to sexual offences.

"Informal feedback we have received from policy experts indicates that this is a potential area of exploration for prosecutors in relation to hate crime.

"If it can be proven in a detailed way that someone has made a considered and determined view to exploit various online networks to harm and perpetrate hate crimes against others then the accepted principles, rules and restrictions that are relevant to sex offences must surely apply."

It comes after Twitter chief executive Dick Costolo admitted they "suck" at dealing with abuse and so-called trolling, vowing in an internal memo to "start kicking these people off right and left".

Video: Paris Facing Jewish Exodus

The MPs' report said: "Given the scale of social media content produced on a daily let alone minute by minute basis, we have some albeit limited sympathy for the companies that are responsible for hosting it.

"Whilst there is rightly an expectation on those companies to act as there is on government, police and prosecuting authorities, so too civil society has a crucial role to play."

Other proposals in the report include setting up a government fund to cover the costs of security at synagogues and establishing an independent council on anti-Semitism.

Last week, figures released by the Community Security Trust - a charity that monitors anti-Semitism and provides security for the Jewish community in Britain - showed there were a record number of anti-Semitic hate incidents in the UK last year.

Data from the Metropolitan Police supplied to the panel showed that there were 306 anti-Semitic incidents and 236 offences in London between April and November last year.

Video: Jewish Paris Victims Laid To Rest

Prime Minister David Cameron described the report as "hugely important", adding: "Tackling anti-Semitism goes right to the heart of what we stand for as a country."

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said: "We remain staunchly committed to tackling anti-Semitism wherever it occurs and will continue to take a zero-tolerance approach.

"Those who perpetrate hate crimes of any kind will be punished with the full force of the law."

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis welcomed the report, saying it "could not come at a more opportune time".

He said: "The threat against the Jewish community is real and anxiety remains high following recent events in France and elsewhere."

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Prince Charles: Youth Extremism 'Alarming'

The Prince of Wales has weighed in on rising fears over the radicalisation of young people in the UK, describing it as "alarming".

In a radio interview Prince Charles said the extent to which young people are becoming radicalised is one of the "greatest worries."

He said it was particularly concerning "in a country like ours where you know the values we hold dear".

"You think that the people who have come here, born here, go to school here, would abide by those values and outlooks," the Prince told BBC Radio 2's The Sunday Hour.

His comments came as he kicked off a six-day tour of the Middle East. 

Video: Jordan Air Force Hits IS Targets

The Prince of Wales landed in Jordan late on Saturday, where he is due to hold talks with Jordan's King Abdullah II.

Jordan has carried out three consecutive days of airstrikes on Islamic State targets after the terrorist group released a video showing 26-year-old Jordanian pilot Moaz al Kasabeh being burned to death.

Prince Charles said preventing the radicalisation of Muslim youth was a "great challenge" and something that could not be swept "under the carpet".

Video: Family Of IS Hostage Retain Hope

He expressed particular concern over the threat posed by young Muslims coming into contact with extremists online, describing it as "frightening".

"I can see I suppose to a certain extent, some aspect of this radicalisation is a search for adventure and excitement at a particular age," he said, adding that he had tried to create alternative paths for young people through his work with The Princes Trust charity.

The Prince's tour will also see him travel to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

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Children Among 7 Victims In Georgia Shooting

Five people have been killed and two children injured in a shooting in a residential area of Douglasville, Georgia, police have said.

Police said they were called to the housing development, west of Atlanta, shortly after 3pm local time.

The gunman, who has not been identified, is understood to have opened fire on his ex-wife and several others, including children.

Douglas County Sheriff's Lt Glenn Daniel said the gunman, who is among the dead, is believed to have died from a self-inflicted gun shot wound.

"I've been in law enforcement out here 20 years and this is the worst I've ever seen," Lt Daniel said.

Local residents described hearing "police car after police car" and several police helicopters.

"It's very devastating, nothing ever really happens here," one resident said.

The motive for the attack remains unclear.

The identity of the victims have not yet been released as family members have not been notified.

Police say they are working to establish their relationship to the gunman.

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Kayla Mueller: What We Know About IS Hostage

Islamic State claims US hostage Kayla Mueller has been killed in an airstrike by Jordanian jets, but what do we know about her?

The 26-year-old is an aid worker from Prescott in Arizona, a small town 100 miles north of Phoenix and from a young age had a single-minded determination to help others.

She was taken prisoner in Aleppo, Syria on 4 August 2013 after leaving a Spanish Doctors Without Borders hospital.

Ms Mueller is thought to be Islamic State's last remaining American hostage.

Other aid workers kidnapped at the same time are thought to have been released, but according to a CBS report last year, IS was demanding a $6.6m (£4.3m) ransom to set her free.

Kayla Mueller worked in a refugee camp. Pic: Matt Hinshaw/The Daily Courier

Ms Mueller had been helping Syrian refugees on the Turkish border since December 2012, working with aid agencies including Support to Life and the Danish Refugee Council.

In 2013, she described the desperate situation in a refugee camp, including how she helped reunite a six-year-old with his relative after the camp was bombed.

"For as long as I live, I will not let this suffering be normal," she told Prescott's Daily Courier.

"(I will not let this be) something we just accept."

"This story is not rare in Syria," she added. "This is the reality for Syrians two and a half years on.

"When Syrians hear I'm an American, they ask, 'Where is the world?' All I can do is cry with them, because I don't know."

Ms Mueller had also campaigned on behalf of genocide victims and volunteered for three years with the Save Darfur Coalition in her late teens.

A 2007 interview for the Daily Courier describes how she called and wrote to members of the US Congress, and took part in silent walks to raise awareness.

Kayla Mueller with her mother, Marsha

"I love cultures and language and learning about people's cultures," she told the paper as she prepared to start university in Flagstaff.

After graduating in 2009, she spent around a year living and working with humanitarian aid groups in northern India, Israel and Palestine.

Heading back to Arizona in 2011, she worked at an AIDS clinic and volunteered at a women's shelter at night.

The US government and Ms Mueller's family had kept her name secret until IS claimed she had been killed, fearing any publicity would put her in more danger.

Her parents, Carl and Marsha Mueller, said in a statement on Friday: "Kayla found this (aid) work heart-breaking but compelling; she is extremely devoted to the people of Syria.

"When asked what kept her going in her mission, she said, 'I find God in the suffering eyes reflected in mine, if this is how you are revealed to me, this is how I will forever seek you.'"

If her death is confirmed she would be the fourth American to die while being held by IS.

The others, journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and aid worker Peter Kassig were beheaded by the group.

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Family Of IS Hostage Hopeful She Is Still Alive

The family of US hostage Kayla Jean Mueller say they are hopeful she is still alive despite Islamic State claims that she was killed in a Jordanian airstrike.

In a statement released by a family representative, Ms Mueller's parents Marsha and Carl Mueller made a personal appeal to IS.    

"You told us that you treated Kayla as your guest, as your guest her safety and well-being remains your responsibility," they said, addressing "those in positions of responsibility for holding Kayla".

The statement asked IS to contact the family privately.

According to the Site Intelligence Group, which monitors extremists, Islamic State said the 26-year-old aid worker died on Friday after Jordanian warplanes struck the building where she was being held.

Video: IS: 'Airstrike Kills US Hostage'

The terrorist group said no IS fighters died in the raids in their de facto capital of Raqqa, Syria.

It released images showing a damaged building it said had been targeted in airstrikes, but no photos to back their claims Ms Mueller had been killed.

The White House, State Department and Pentagon have said they can't confirm the unsubstantiated report.

"We are obviously deeply concerned by these reports," said Bernadette Meehan, spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council, in a statement.

"We have not at this time seen any evidence that corroborates ISIL's claim."

Video: Jordan 'Unwavering' Against IS

Jordan has also dismissed Islamic State's claim as "criminal propaganda", but said its jets did carry out a second consecutive day of strikes on Islamic State sites on Friday.

It has stepped up its operations against IS since the militants burned to death a captured Jordanian pilot.

Kayla Mueller, of Prescott, Arizona, disappeared in August 2013 in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo.

A media blackout on her abduction was broken by President Barack Obama on Sunday, when he confirmed Islamic State still had at least one US hostage.

He said the US was "deploying all the assets that we can" to find Ms Mueller.

Video: Jordan Air Force Hits IS Targets

Her name had not been made public due to fears for her safety.

The group has already executed three American hostages: James Foley, Peter Kassig and Steven Sotloff.

Two British hostages, David Haines and Alan Henning, and two Japanese hostages, Kenjo Goto and Haruna Yukawa, have also been killed.

British reporter John Cantlie is still being held captive. 

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British Army Seeks To Recruit More Muslim Troops

By Alistair Bunkall, Defence Correspondent

More must be done to recruit soldiers from ethnic minorities and in particular the Muslim community, the Head of the British Army has admitted.

General Sir Nicholas Carter, who took up the role of Chief of the General Staff last year, said that ethic minority representation in the military is "nowhere near where it needs to be".

"We have to do more. My highest priority is ensuring we continue to have the best possible talent throughout our Army," he said.

Figures released by the Ministry of Defence reveal there are only 480 Muslims serving in Army.

That is only 0.54% of the total regular force of 88,500. Moreover, not all of those Muslims are British - some joined from Commonwealth countries.

Overall, all ethnic minorities - including black, Asian, Sikh, Hindu and Fijian people - make up less than 10% of the force.

The military's Islamic Religious Advisor welcomed General Carter's comments.

"In my view, the values of the Armed Forces are fully compatible with the values of Islam as well as other faiths," said Imam Asim Hafiz.

"Anybody wishing to pursue a career in the Services, Regular or Reserve, and is prepared to work hard can be assured of a very rewarding experience."

Senior figures in the military and Ministry of Defence recognise that conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have led to negative perceptions of the military in Muslim communities.

General Carter wants that to change through closer interaction and engagement with ethnic minority communities.

"Our recruitment from the black, Asian and minority ethnic communities has been improving over the years, but it is nowhere near where it needs to be," General Carter said.

"The values and standards we espouse resonate closely with these communities and there is much common ground that we can build on to broaden our recruitment base."

To that end, the Army has launched an Armed Forces Muslim Forum to bring military and civil communities together.

It is also working to create a Muslim Peace Garden to commemorate Muslims killed in the armed forces.

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War-Torn Ukraine Facing AIDS Care 'Disaster'

By Nick Martin, Sky News Correspondent

Hundreds of children were born with HIV unnecessarily in Ukraine last year because of a shortage of vital drugs, a Sky News investigation has discovered.

A year of conflict has led to claims the country's AIDS programme is "breaking down" and not enough is being done to fight the epidemic, which has plagued the former Soviet state for more than 25 years.

War in the east of the country and political turmoil in Kiev has choked off the supply of antiretroviral drugs used to prevent the spread of the virus.

International organisations like Unicef are worried that one of the key indicators - the transferral of the virus from pregnant women to unborn children - is beginning to rise for the first time since 2002.

"There is potential for a real disaster," said Giovanna Barberis, Unicef's representative in Ukraine.

Video: HIV Babies Abandoned By Mothers

"Because of the crisis in Ukraine the system is breaking down and there is a shortage of antiretroviral drugs.

"They cost money, they are expensive and whilst the international community is there to support, it is probably not enough."

Many pregnant women who should have received antiretroviral therapy did not get access to the drug and have gone on to give birth to HIV-positive babies, Ms Barberis said.

Video: 80% Of Children Suffering From TB

Months of turmoil have left Ukraine's finances shattered and the government forced to sign a $17bn (£11bn) bailout with the International Monetary Fund.

Despite the warnings, Ukraine's new health minister Alexander Kvitashvili told Sky News the country has "a grip" on the epidemic.

"We're very well prepared to face the challenges and we are ready to send that message to our international donors," he said.

Video: Infected Families Underground

"Given the situation in the country, given the full-blown Russian aggression that we're facing, given the financial crisis, I think we have a grip on the situation."

But doctors on the frontline of the fight against HIV do not agree.

The National Treatment Centre in Kiev is home to 20 children, all of whom have HIV.

Video: HIV Sufferers Receiving Poor Care

Many of them have been abandoned by their mothers and left to live in state-run orphanages.

Dr Vera Checheneva, an HIV specialist and paediatrician, is one of the few doctors who agrees to treat children with HIV - such is the level of fear among the medical profession.

"At the moment I feel I am not in Ukraine, that I am in Africa or somewhere," she said.

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1. Gallery: Mothers And Children Shunned In War-Torn Ukraine

   These are antiretrovirals which can help alleviate the symptoms of HIV or AIDS. They are expensive and Ukraine needs constant help from international donors in order to keep up supply

Dr Vera Checheneva is an HIV specialist and Paediatrician at the Okhmadut clinic in Kiev. She is one of the few doctors in Ukraine willing to treat children with HIV and AIDS

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