Royal Hoax DJ To Appear At Suicide Hearing

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

One of the two Australian radio DJs involved in a hoax phone call to the hospital treating the Duchess of Cambridge will appear at the inquest of the nurse who died.

Mel Greig asked to attend the inquest into the death of nurse Jacintha Saldhana and the coroner has granted her permission.

In a statement Ms Greig's Sydney based lawyers said: "Ms Saldanha's suicide was a devastating tragedy and Ms Greig's thoughts have been with the family ever since.

The nurse committed suicide a few days later

Ms Greig fully understands their need for answers, which is why she has taken this step to appear as an individual at the inquest."

Greig, and co-host on Sydney radio station 2Day FM, Michael Christian, telephoned King Edward VII's hospital when the Duchess of Cambridge was being treated for severe morning sickness.

Jacintha Saldhana was the nurse who put them through to Kate's ward, believing the DJs were the Queen and the Prince of Wales. 

A second nurse then gave the pair information about her condition which was broadcast.

Ms Greig's lawyers Slater and Gordon said: "She is determined to address any questions surrounding her role in these tragic events as part of the inquest.

"Ms Greig wants the family to know she will answer any questions the coroner or the family's lawyers may have at the inquest."

The news comes a day after The Sunday Times printed what it said was an extract from one of three apparent notes written by the 46-year-old mother of two before she died.

Greig made the call with colleague Michael Christian in December 2012

According to the paper in one of the notes directed at her employers at King Edward VII's Hospital in London she blames the presenters, rather than her managers, for her death.

"Please accept my apologies. I am truly sorry. Thank you for all your support. I hold the Radio Australians Mel Greig and Michael Christian responsible for this act. Please make them pay my mortgage. I am sorry," the paper said Ms Saldanha wrote.

If genuine, the note will provide a critical insight into Ms Saldanha's death at her upcoming inquest, which was due to open in London this week but has been delayed.

It had been reported Ms Saldanha criticised the hospital for her treatment after the prank call.

According to the paper another note says she did not blame her work colleagues for the distress she felt. The third left instructions for her funeral.

She has yet to return to radio station 2day FM

Southern Cross Austereo, which owns the Sydney radio station, has said it would contribute $500,000 (£330,000) into a trust fund for Ms Saldanha's family.

Ms Saldanha, who shared a home in Bristol with her husband Benedict Barboza, 49, a hospital accountant, and their two children, Junal, 17, and Lisha, 14, had trained as a nurse in Mangalore in southern India before moving to Britain more than a decade ago.

It was revealed that she was upset by problems she was having at work and Mr Barboza criticised the hospital for its handling of the situation.

It has also emerged that she had previously been placed on anti-depressants.

A spokesman for King Edward VII's Hospital said: "Jacintha Saldanha was an outstanding and much-loved member of our team. We continue to assist the coroner so that she can establish the full facts of the case."

Keith Vaz, the Labour MP who has acted as Ms Saldanha's family's spokesman, said: "The forthcoming inquest will hopefully provide answers for the family and for them it will represent closure."

Ms Greig is yet to return to the airwaves. Michael Christian is however back on air in a lower profile role for a Southern Cross Austereo radio station in Melbourne.

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UK Trio Jailed For Four Years In Dubai

Three British men, who claimed they were tortured by Dubai police, are sentenced to four years in prison for drug offences.

More follows ...

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Bangladesh Factory Owners Arrested

Police in Bangladesh have arrested two clothing factory owners based at the eight-storey building near the capital Dhaka that collapsed killing 304 people.

It comes after police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at thousands of clothing workers who took to the streets on the outskirts of Dhaka to protest over the deaths.

Dhaka police deputy chief Shyaml Mukherjee said: "We've arrested Bazlus Samad, the chairman of New Wave Buttons and New Wave Style factories, and Mahmudur Rahaman Tapash, a managing director of one of these plants, after midnight."

He added that police have filed a case against them for "death due to negligence", after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the owners forced the workers to return to work after cracks appeared in the building.

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association had also asked the factories to shut down on Wednesday morning, hours before the building came down.

"After we got the crack reports we asked them to suspend work until further examination, but they did not pay heed," said association president Atiqul Islam.

Survivors described hearing a loud crack just before the eight-storey building collapsed, with each level pancaking on top of those below.

The building housed at least four factories producing clothes for leading Western retailers.

High street giant Primark confirmed one of its suppliers occupied the second floor of the building.

A Primark spokesman said: "The company is shocked and deeply saddened by this appalling incident at Savar, near Dhaka, and expresses its condolences to all of those involved."

Elsewhere in Bangladesh, hundreds of thousands of workers walked out of their factories in solidarity with their dead colleagues.

Some workers' leaders attacked Western firms, whom they accused of turning "a blind eye" while using Bangladeshis as "money-making machines".

With time running out to save workers still trapped in the collapsed building, rescuers have been digging through mangled metal and concrete to find more survivors.

By Friday evening, more than 80 survivors had been rescued, according to officials.

But more dead were also discovered. Shamim Islam, a volunteer who entered the collapsed building along with rescue workers, said he saw "many bodies inside".

Officials said the search will continue today.

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Max Clifford Charged With 11 Sex Assaults

Publicist Max Clifford has been charged with 11 alleged indecent assaults, including one against a girl of 14, the CPS has said.

Clifford stands accused of sexually assaulting seven separate women.

The first, the girl of 14, was allegedly abused in 1966.

A further three females, aged between 15 and 18, allegedly suffered five offences between 1974 and 1978.

Clifford is also accused of assaulting another three females, aged between 16 and 19, between 1981 and 1985.

He has strenuously denied the allegations and said he is living in a "24/7 nightmare."

Clifford's initial arrest in December 2012 was carried out as part of Operation Yewtree, which was set up to investigate allegations of sex abuse carried out by Jimmy Savile.

There is no suggestion that his alleged offences are connected with Savile's.

Alison Saunders, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS London, said in a statement: "We have carefully considered the evidence gathered as part of Operation Yewtree in relation to Max Clifford, who was initially arrested on 6 December 2012 over allegations of sexual offences.

"Having completed our review, we have concluded that there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest for Mr Clifford to be charged with 11 offences of indecent assault relating to seven complainants."

"Mr Clifford will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 28 May 2013.

"We have also decided that there is insufficient evidence to authorise charges in relation to three separate allegations.

"These decisions were taken in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors and our guidance for prosecutors on sexual offences.

"May I remind all concerned that Mr Clifford has a right to a fair trial. It is very important that nothing is said, or reported, which could prejudice that trial. For these reasons it would be inappropriate for me to comment further."

Indecent assault is an offence contrary to Section 14 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956. It is punishable by up to 10 years' imprisonment upon conviction in the Crown Court.

Clifford said in response to CPS's decision: "The allegations in respect of which I have been charged are completely false and I have made this clear to the police during many, many hours of interviews.

"Nevertheless a decision has been taken to charge me with 11 offences involving seven women, the most recent of which is 28 years ago and the oldest 47 years ago.

"I have never indecently assaulted anyone in my life and this will become clear during the course of the proceedings.

"I am naturally disappointed about today's decision, particularly because of the distress it has caused my wife, Jo, my daughter, Louise, and all those close to me.

"However, at least I will now be in a position to fully consider all the evidence against me and to answer the evidence in public and ultimately clear my name in a court of law.

"Since last December I have been living a 24/7 nightmare. A black cloud has been placed over me, obliterating the bright blue skies that I have been fortunate to live my life under for the vast majority of the past 70 years.

"Fortunately I have and continue to receive wonderful support and understanding from those who knew me, those who know me, as well as people I meet everywhere I go.

"This has made this nightmare so much easier to cope with and I am extremely grateful for this as you can imagine."

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GDP Figures: Triple-Dip Recession Feared

The spectre of a triple-dip recession is hanging over the UK economy ahead of official figures that will show whether the country has avoided another quarter of shrinking output.

Economists fear it will be a close-run result this morning, amid mounting warnings over the strength of the recovery and following last week's latest downgrade to the UK's AAA credit rating.

Most experts are predicting the initial estimate of gross domestic product (GDP) from the Office for National Statistics will show growth of 0.1% in the first three months of the year, which would mean the economy narrowly avoided its third recession since 2008.

But a volatile start to 2013 following snowstorms in January and March and ongoing pressure in the construction sector have left it hanging in the balance.

Facing mounting pressure to do more to help the recovery, Chancellor George Osborne beefed up his flagship Funding for Lending (FLS) scheme on Wednesday to help cash-starved businesses and spur on growth.

Banks are being offered an up to 10-fold increase in the cheap funding they can access in return for extending loans to smaller firms under the FLS revamp.

It is also to be opened up to non-bank lenders such as invoice finance houses and leasing firms that provide around £20bn of working capital to small businesses, and will be extended for a year to January 2015.

Fitch became the second ratings agency to strip Britain of its prized AAA rating on Friday, citing a weaker economic outlook and worse-than-expected progress on cutting debt levels.

The decision came after a brutal assessment of Britain's economic prospects by incoming Bank of England governor Mark Carney, who branded the UK a "crisis economy" alongside stricken eurozone countries and Japan.

Mr Osborne was offered some respite earlier this week when figures revealed underlying public borrowing fell in the last financial year to £120.6bn - but it was just £300 million lower than a year earlier in the latest sign that his austerity plans are stalling.

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Nationwide Drive To Boost MMR Vaccination

By Gamal Fahnbulleh, Sky News Reporter

A national catch-up programme to increase MMR vaccination uptake in children and teenagers has been announced.

The aim is to prevent measles outbreaks by vaccinating as many unvaccinated and partially vaccinated 10 to 16 year olds as possible in time for the next school year.

There were 587 confirmed measles cases in England in the first three months of this year, a figure that comes after a record high of 2000 cases last year.

Experts believe around 330,000 children aged 10 to 16 years of this age group remain unvaccinated.

Mairead Flavin is a nurse at a GP surgery in Middlesex. She has seen an increase in the number of parents getting their children vaccinated and believes the message is getting through.

"It's more standard practice now. Back in the day it wasn't. You had to do a lot of convincing and had to try to encourage parents to vaccinate their children. At this moment in time I think they're very anxious to have it done."

Experts believe the rise in Measles cases can be mostly attributed to the proportion of unprotected 10-16 year olds who missed out on vaccination in the late 1990s and early 2000s when concern around the discredited link between autism and the vaccine was widespread.

Professor David Salisbury, Director of immunisation at the Department of Health, said: "At the moment the hotspots in particular are in the North East and  North West.

"That's quite different from where the vulnerability is and the vulnerability is all over the country. London is a real risk but we must be sure that any child anywhere in the country who has not had two doses of MMR gets vaccinated."

Dr Paul Cosford, Director for Health Protection at PHE, said " We believe this national framework for a catch-up programme sets out an appropriate response to the situation in England, using the range of expertise and skills across the new public health system.

"Although nationally the numbers needing catch-up vaccination is quite large, the are relatively few in each local area.

"We are confident that local teams have the resources to identify and vaccinate those children most at risk, and the NHS has sufficient vaccine to cover the approaches described in the action plan."

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Boston Suspect 'Influenced' By Mystery Radical

In the years before the Boston Marathon bombings, Tamerlan Tsarnaev fell under the influence of a Muslim convert who steered the young man towards a strict strain of Islam, family members have claimed.

After befriending the man, known to the Tsarnaev family only as Misha, Tamerlan gave up boxing and stopped studying music, his family said.

He became vocal about his opposition to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and read websites claiming that the CIA was behind 9/11 and Jews controlled the world.

"Somehow, he just took his brain," said Tamerlan's uncle, Ruslan Tsarni, who recalled conversations with Tamerlan's worried father about Misha's influence.

Dzhokhar has been charged

It was not immediately clear whether the FBI has spoken to Misha or was attempting to, but efforts by the media to identify and interview the mystery man have been unsuccessful.

Throughout his religious makeover, Tamerlan maintained a strong influence over his siblings, including Dzhokhar, who investigators say carried out the deadly attack by his older brother's side, killing three people.

Tamerlan was killed in a police shootout on Friday. The family's claims came as new photos emerged of the stand-off that killed Tamerlan.

The images were taken from inside a house overlooking the scene of the gunfight, and show the brothers crouching near a Mercedes SUV they had carjacked.   

This image shows the brothers crouched by a Mercedes

One of the brothers appears to be holding a gun with both hands in front of his body.

Dzhokhar survived the shootout and was caught by police later in the day.

He was charged on Monday with using a weapon of mass destruction to kill. He could face the death penalty if convicted.

Based on preliminary written interviews with Dzhokar in his hospital bed, US officials believe the brothers were motivated by their religious views.

Anzor was said to be worried about Misha's hold on Tamerlan

Two US officials say the brothers had no tie to terrorist groups, but Tamerlan's relationship with Misha could be a clue in understanding the motives behind his religious transformation and, ultimately, the attack itself.

Elmirza Khozhugov, 26, the ex-husband of Tamerlan's sister, Ailina, said Tamerlan was idolised by his siblings.

"You could always hear his younger brother and sisters say, 'Tamerlan said this,' and 'Tamerlan said that.' Dzhokhar loved him. He would do whatever Tamerlan would say," he said.

Mr Khozhugov, who now lives in Almaty, Kazakhstan, said he was close to Tamerlan when he was married and they kept in touch for a while but drifted apart in the past two years or so.

Tamerlan (L) boxes at the 2009 Golden Gloves

"Of course I was shocked and surprised that he was Suspect No 1," Mr Khozhugov said, recalling the days after the bombing when the FBI identified Tamerlan as a suspect.

"But after a few hours of thinking about it, I thought it could be possible that he did it."

The Tsarnaev brothers are ethnic Chechens raised in a home that followed Sunni Islam, the religion's largest sect.

But they were not regulars at the mosque and rarely discussed religion, Mr Khozhugov said.

Tamerlan is seen here with little brother Dzhokhar and their sisters

Then, in 2008 or 2009, Tamerlan met Misha, who the family described as slightly older, heavyset and bald with a long reddish beard.

"Misha was important," Mr Khozhugov said.

"Tamerlan was searching for something. He was searching for something out there."

Mr Khozhugov did not know where they had met but believed they attended a Boston-area mosque together.

Mr Tsarni made a public appeal to his nephew when he was on the run

Misha was an Armenian native and a convert to Islam and quickly began influencing his new friend, family members said.

Once, Mr Khozhugov said, Misha came to the family home outside Boston and sat in the kitchen, chatting with Tamerlan for hours.

"Misha was telling him what is Islam, what is good in Islam, what is bad in Islam," said Mr Khozhugov, who said he was present for the conversation.

"This is the best religion and that's it. Mohammed said this and Mohammed said that."

Dzhokhar remained in Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre

The conversation continued until Tamerlan's father, Anzor, came home from work around midnight.

"His father comes in and says, 'Why is Misha here so late and still in our house?' He asked it politely. Tamerlan was so much into the conversation he didn't listen."

Mr Khozhugov said Tamerlan's mother, Zubeidat, told him not to worry.

"'They're talking about religion and good things. Misha is teaching him to be good and nice," Mr Khozhugov recalled the mother saying.

The aftermath of the fatal Boston Marathon attacks

As time went on,  Anzor became so concerned about his son that he called his brother, worried about Misha's effects.

"I heard about nobody else but this convert. The seed for changing his views was planted right there in Cambridge," Mr Tsarni said.

Last week, Mr Tsarni made a public appeal for Dzhokhar to turn himself in when he was still at large following his brother's death.

Since the attacks, Anzor has insisted his sons are innocent and the attacks were orchestrated to frame them. Other members of the extended family have made similar claims.

"It's a set-up, a political order, a Hollywood show," Anzor said.

But two US officials have confirmed that Tamerlan, who was married with a young daughter, became an ardent reader of jihadist websites and extremist propaganda.

Lawyers for Katherine Tsarnaeva, Tamerlan's widow, say she is doing everything she can to assist authorities.

In a statement her legal team said Tsarnaeva, a Muslim convert, and her family were in shock when they learned of allegations against her husband and brother-in-law.

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Wrinkle Fillers 'A Crisis Waiting To Happen'

By Thomas Moore, Health and Science Correspondent

Injectable anti-wrinkle treatments are a "crisis waiting to happen", government health advisers have warned.

A review of cosmetic procedures, ordered by the Department of Health, has found that widely-used dermal fillers are as loosely regulated as toothbrushes and ballpoint pens, yet they have potentially serious side effects.

It says the injections should in future be available only on prescription and used solely by qualified practitioners.

In the United States, where there are far tighter regulations, just 14 products are on the market. But in Europe there are 190 different types of filler on sale.

The NHS medical director Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, who led the independent review, said: "The most striking thing is that anybody, anywhere, anytime can give a filler to anybody else and that is bizarre.

"Dermal fillers - which are things you inject into people and put beneath their skin, and they stay there for a period of time - should be treated the same way as other types of implants."

The review of the cosmetic surgery industry was ordered in the wake of the PIP scandal, in which up to 40,000 British women were implanted with breast prostheses that were filled with non-medical grade silicone.

Sir Bruce said the debacle had led to a "cacophony" of concern about the industry.

His final report to ministers calls for a ban on financial inducements and time-limited deals that could influence vulnerable consumers.

Patients should also be better informed by surgeons about the risks and potential benefits of a treatment.

And there should be an insurance scheme to pay compensation when treatments go wrong.

The review team criticised TV shows such as The Only Way is Essex (Towie) for trivialising cosmetic procedures.

Rita Payton nearly died in a private hospital after surgery on her nose went badly wrong. The surgeon sliced off the tip of her nose, and removed too much cartilage causing one nostril to collapse. She came round from the anaesthetic bleeding profusely.

"I was gagging for breath," she said.

"I was choking on my own blood. It was horrible - I was pressing the bell but nobody came.

"The pain in my head was like someone was hitting me with a very big hammer. It was excruciating."

The surgeon has since left the UK to work abroad.

Another surgeon, Mr Rizwan Alvi, reconstructed Rita's nose, although she is still scarred.

He said: "This is as bad as it gets. Complications can happen, but it is essential a surgeon looks after the patient afterwards."

Health minister Dr Dan Poulter said there was currently a "significant risk of people falling into the hands of cowboy firms or individuals whose only aim is to make a quick profit."

The Department of Health will announce a series of controls on the industry later this summer.

"It is clear that it is time for the Government to step in to ensure the public are properly protected," he said.

The UK's largest chain of cosmetic surgery clinics, Transform, supports reform of the industry.

Since the PIP scandal it has made more information available to patients, including infection rates and details of how often surgery needs to be re-done.

But chief operating officer Pat Dunion said tighter rules for clinics won't prevent another PIP scare.

"The whole PIP scandal was caused by a fraudulent manufacturer and a failure of the regulatory body to check the quality of the implants.

"We urge the government to address that now. There is a need for the regulatory bodies to come into hospitals and take sample implants and check the quality of them."

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'Al Qaeda Terror Plot' To Attack Train Foiled

Canadian police say they have foiled an al Qaeda-backed "major terrorist plot" to attack a passenger train on a railway line between New York and Toronto.

Two people have been arrested and charged with conspiring to carry out the attack and murder people in association with a terrorist group, police revealed at a news conference in Toronto.

The suspects - Chiheb Esseghaier, 30, and Raed Jaser, 35 - had been under surveillance since August 2012 after authorities were tipped off about one of the men.

They will attend a bail hearing in Toronto today.

The pair were allegedly planning to target and derail a Via Rail passenger train in the Toronto area, and are alleged to have received "direction and guidance" from al Qaeda "elements" in Iran.

Police said there was "no indication that these attacks were state-sponsored" and declined to say where the suspects were from.

They confirmed they were not Canadian citizens but had been in the country "a significant amount of time".

The suspects' plans were "not based on their ethnic origins but on an ideology," police said.

"This is the first known al Qaeda planned attack that we've experienced in Canada," Superintendent Doug Best said.

Public Safety Minister Vic Toews warned later added that the "arrests demonstrate that terrorism continues to be a real threat to Canada".

Canadian police hold a news conference to reveal details of the arrests

Canadian authorities, the FBI and US Homeland Security police and agents have been involved in a year-long cross-border operation that led to the arrests in Toronto and Montreal.

Assistant Commissioner James Maliza, of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said: "Had this plot been carried out it would have resulted in innocent people being killed, or seriously injured."

Colleague Chief Superintendent Jennifer Strachan added: "We are alleging that these two individuals took steps and conducted activities to initiate a terrorist attack.

"They watched trains and railways in the Greater Toronto area. It was definitely in the planning stage but not imminent."

Sky's US correspondent Amanda Walker said: "They are really hailing this as a successful operation - something particularly in the current climate - that they have managed to prevent.

"It does seem they have treated this as a very serious and major threat which was certainly well-on in the planning, it seems.

"But not far enough for the public or railway staff to be in any immediate danger.

"So obviously they had a difficult act here to actually balance the timing of when they made these arrests - getting enough intelligence, enough information, but not taking that up to the point when the public would have been in real danger."

The news comes one week after twin bombings at the Boston Marathon killed three people and wounded 180 - and as Canada's parliament debates a proposal to beef up anti-terror measures.

A US Justice Department official in Washington said there was no connection between the thwarted terrorist plot and last Monday's attacks in Boston.

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Boston Bomb Suspects 'Had Religious Motive'

The two brothers suspected of bombing the Boston Marathon appear to have been motivated by a radical brand of Islam, but they do not seem connected to any Muslim terrorist groups, US officials say.

Authorities have interrogated and charged the surviving brother Dzhokhar Tsarnaev with crimes that could bring the death penalty.

The 19-year-old remains in a serious condition with a gunshot wound to his throat and other injuries suffered during his attempted getaway.

His older brother, Tamerlan, 26, died on Friday after a fierce gun battle with police.

Tsarnaev was charged in his hospital bed with using and conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction.

He was accused of joining with his brother in setting off the shrapnel-packed pressure-cooker bombs that killed three people a week ago.

Tamerlan is seen here with little brother Dzhokhar and their sisters

The brothers, ethnic Chechens from Russia who had been living in the US for about a decade, practised Islam.

Two US officials said preliminary evidence from the younger man's interrogation suggests the brothers were motivated by religious extremism but were apparently not involved with Islamic terrorist organisations.

Dzhokhar is said to have communicated with his interrogators in writing due to his injuries.

They said they were still trying to verify what they were told by Tsarnaev and were looking at such things as his phone and online communications and his associations with others.

In the criminal complaint outlining the allegations, investigators said Tsarnaev and his brother each placed a backpack containing a bomb in the crowd near the finish line of the marathon.

The FBI said surveillance-camera footage showed Dzhokhar manipulating his mobile phone and lifting it to his ear just instants before the two blasts.

A silent tribute was held in Boston on Monday

After the first blast, a block away from Dzhokhar "virtually every head turns to the east  ... and stares in that direction in apparent bewilderment and alarm", the complaint says.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev "virtually alone of the individuals in front of the restaurant, appears calm."

He then quickly walked away, leaving a backpack on the ground; about 10 seconds later, a bomb blew up at the spot where he had been standing, the FBI said.

The FBI did not say whether he was using his mobile phone to detonate one or both of the bombs or whether he was talking to someone.

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying two foreign nationals arrested Saturday in the Boston area on immigration violations are from Kazakhstan and may have known the two Marathon bombing suspects.

The foreign ministry said US authorities came across them while searching for "possible links and contacts" to Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Their names have not been released.

The aftermath of the Boston Marathon blasts

On Monday, Boston residents observed a moment of silence exactly a week after the first of two bombs went off near the marathon finish line.

A private funeral was also held for Krystle Campbell, a 29-year-old restaurant worker who was among the dead.

Later in the day, a memorial service was held at Boston University for another victim, Lu Lingzi, 23, a graduate student from China.

The youngest person to die was eight-year-old Martin Richard, while police officer Sean Collier was killed during a confrontation with the suspects in the early hours of Friday.

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