Gus Poyet: Brighton Boss Fired During TV Show

A "surprised" Gus Poyet learned he had been sacked as Brighton manager while working as a football pundit on a live television programme.

The Uruguayan was appearing on the BBC, which was covering the Confederations Cup match between Spain and Nigeria.

Poyet, 45, found out about his dismissal when the show's staff handed him a copy of a club statement during the first half.

The programme's host Mark Chapman read out the statement about the sacking in the half-time break.

The club had announced the dismissal, which had not been unexpected, on their Twitter feed.

Poyet said: "I think the BBC have a great story forever, because a manager getting information that he is being released from his employment by the BBC is quite surprising.

"I have had no communication, no texts, no email. I didn't receive anything on my phone, so it is all up to you and the timing.

"The only thing I'm concentrating on is the appeal. I will appeal because it's the right thing to do."

The statement claimed the club had informed Poyet of the decision, but he refuted that.

After the match ended, Poyet re-appeared on screen and revealed the Championship side had subsequently made contact.

Poyet plans to appeal against the sacking

In the statement, Brighton said Poyet's three-and-a-half-year tenure had been terminated following a decision by the Seagulls' internal disciplinary panel into a, so far, unidentified matter.

It said: "Gus Poyet has been informed today by Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club's internal disciplinary panel that his employment has been terminated with immediate effect.

"This followed his suspension, an investigation, and a subsequent formal disciplinary process. In line with the club's own procedures, and UK employment law, Mr Poyet now has a right of appeal. As such, the club will make no further comment on this matter."

Poyet confirmed he would be appealing against the decision.

Brighton have remained tight-lipped over the reasons for the disciplinary action against Poyet and he declined the opportunity to shed any further light on the club's reasons for his dismissal.

His feud with the club had gathered pace since Brighton suffered a play-off defeat to Crystal Palace last month.

Poyet, assistant manager Mauricio Taricco and coach Charlie Oatway were subsequently told to stay away from the club in the wake of a disciplinary hearing, although Taricco's ban has since been lifted.

Poyet said he had not expected Sunday's decision, which came after a disciplinary hearing had to be adjourned last week when he opted not to attend.

"Not really. Today there have been plenty of phone calls between the representatives," he said.

"Everybody and the viewers can take their own conclusion about the way I have been informed.

"(Are they) messing with my career? We'll see. I think it is too early to say. I'm looking forward to making sure we clear this."

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Doctors Condemn Hunt In No Confidence Vote

The British Medical Association has passed a motion of no confidence in Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

The vote by the organisation, which represents more than 150,000 doctors and medical students, was held at the union's annual conference in Edinburgh.

Presenting the motion, Dr Jacky Davis said that Mr Hunt was leading the Government's "ideological attack on the service and on staff".

It was passed with an "overwhelming majority".

Dr Davis said the NHS had been "wrecked" by the Government, adding: "Leading the attack (on the health service) has been the Health Secretary. His main purpose seems to be criticising the service and undermining the staff.

"He is at the forefront of a new political blame game, blaming frontline NHS staff for the predictable chaos resulting from his Government's reforms and cuts."

He added: "The Health Secretary is ready to blame anything and anyone rather than put the blame where it really belongs - with his Government and their cuts, closures, rationing and the debacle of NHS 111 and most of all of course the infamous mess of the Health and Social Care Act.

"We are watching a good service brought to its knees by vandals in Westminster."

Jeremy Hunt at University College Hospital last week

Dr Mark Porter, the chairman of the council at the BMA, accused the coalition of going "out of its way to act against the interests of patients".

A motion claiming the Government's reforms were "bad for patients, bad for the NHS and bad for the public" was also passed as doctors called for the repeal of the Health and Social Care Act.

In his first speech as council chairman, Dr Porter attacked calls for doctors to provide 24-hour care 365 days a year as "ridiculous" and warned the NHS could fail if medics were ignored.

He insisted the health service could "barely afford" its current model because it was struggling to cope with cuts and structural change.

"Doctors are desperately trying to just deal with the sheer, unparalleled scale of demand on existing services," he said.

"And we experience overwhelming frustration that we cannot achieve the changes and improvements that we can see are so necessary to deal with this pressure.

"Therefore, colleagues, above all else, our task this week and in the year ahead is to make sure that the voice of the profession is heard. If it isn't, the NHS will fail."

The votes came as senior doctors were expected to call for NHS patients to pay top-up fees for some services, arguing that the state can no longer provide everything for free.

They are expected to demand that a list of "core" services is drawn up to tell patients what they can and cannot expect from the health service.

Gordon Matthews, from the BMA consultants' committee, will say the public must be told explicitly "what can be funded from central taxation and what cannot".

"A publicly funded and free-at-the-point-of-delivery NHS cannot afford all available diagnostics and treatments," he is expected to tell the conference.

"Everyone recognises that we're in times of austerity, there isn't a lot of money around, while public expectations have gone up and up, medical treatments have become more expensive and there isn't an easy way to square the circle."

A survey found around two thirds - 65% - of medics feel less empowered because of red tape and inadequate staffing levels following changes imposed by the coalition.

Ministers claimed the Health and Social Care Act would put doctors in the driving seat but only two months after its implementation, the poll reveals disquiet about its effects.

Many doctors questioned by the BMA said they felt "hindered" from making improvements in patient services because of the new rules.

Of the 1,000 doctors surveyed, some 81% described pressure at work as "high" and GPs were the group reporting the highest level of pressure.

Dr Porter said: "It is a grave cause for concern that those who wanted to make improvements to patient services feel there are barriers prohibiting that.

"It is particularly worrying that the pressures so many doctors are experiencing on a daily basis appear to be getting worse.

"The Government wants to give doctors more control so they can work effectively for their patients, yet they often find this impossible in the face of an unprecedented funding squeeze, inadequate staffing levels and rising patient demand."

Dr Porter warned ministers not to blame parts of the NHS and to work more with staff to resolve the current problems. "Doctors should be encouraged and supported, not burnt out and drowning in red tape," he said.

"If the NHS is to survive another 65 years there must be a clear recognition that we are reaching boiling point with patient demand."

His comments come after a row over an A&E crisis, which the Government has partly blamed on GPs failing to do enough out-of-hours work.

A Department of Health spokesman said: "It is completely right that the Health Secretary demands the best possible care for patients.

"Following the findings of the Francis Inquiry and other recent reports, it is clear that the culture of the NHS needs to change and it is disappointing that the BMA union still doesn't accept that."

The NHS is ring-fenced from the Government's drastic cuts, with the coalition committed to delivering a real terms increase in health spending.

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Alps Killings: Al Hilli Brother Arrested

A man has been arrested over the murder of three members of his family and a cyclist who were shot dead in the Alps, according to Sky sources.

Zaid al Hilli, 54, was held by Surrey Police, who have been investigating the deaths of husband and wife Saad and Ikbal al Hilli, Mrs al Hilli's mother Suhaila al Allaf and cyclist Sylvain Mollier.

The suspect - Saad al Hilli's brother - was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder at an address in Chessington at around 7.30am, police said.

Surrey Police said the arrest was pre-planned and the result of ongoing inquiries.

The four victims were gunned down near Annecy in the French Alps in September last year.

The couple's two young daughters, aged seven and four at the time, survived the attack on the family's estate car.

Older sibling Zainab was shot in the shoulder and hit in the head by her attacker, but recovered from her injuries.

Her four-year-old sister Zeena survived by hiding under her mother's skirt in the back seat of the vehicle and was only found by police eight hours later.

Police believe Mr Mollier was an innocent bystander, killed because he was passing at the time of the attack on the family.

Surrey Police set up a Joint Investigation Team to work with their French colleagues - with up to 100 officers working on the case.

In May, Surrey Police issued an appeal for help to trace a vehicle, thought to be UK-registered, which was seen near the crime scene.

Detectives said the 4x4 was being driven on the Combre d'Ire Road in Chevaline, near Annecy, about 20 minutes before the shooting.

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Keanu Williams: Mother Guilty Of Son's Murder

By Lisa Dowd, Midlands Correspondent

The mother of a two-year-old boy who was found beaten to death after suffering months of abuse has been convicted of his murder.

Keanu Williams was found in January 2011 at the home of his mother Rebecca Shuttleworth's boyfriend, Luke Southerton.

Southerton had called 999 and told operators that Keanu - known as "Kiwi" - had stopped breathing, was pale and had not been well all day.

The toddler was pronounced dead at hospital.

During the trial Birmingham Crown Court heard that Keanu had 37 external marks of injury on his body.

A police van outside the Birmingham flat where Keanu was found

As well as a fist-sized tear found in his abdomen, which caused substantial bleeding, Keanu had bruising to his chest, head and back.

The prosecution said that Keanu's injuries were not an "isolated event" but the culmination of months of ill-treatment.

Shuttleworth, 24, was also found guilty of four counts of child cruelty.

Southerton, 31, was cleared of murder and manslaughter but found guilty of one count of child cruelty against Keanu.

In a statement, Keanu's aunt Angela Shuttleworth paid tribute to him.

A battered sofa in the flat where the toddler died

She said: "Keanu (Kiwi) was an amazing little boy who had developed a real personality. He was full of life and loved playing with his siblings and cousins.

"He enjoyed all his toys and would empty the toy box every time he came to play, but he especially loved Iggle Piggle from In The Night Garden.

"Kiwi also loved food - he ate everything and was hungry all the time.

"Since the tragic death of Kiwi, we haven't been able to grieve or say goodbye to him properly. The whole family has been torn apart by this and his death has left a gaping hole in our lives.

"We hope now this is over we can lay Kiwi to rest and begin to have some closure."

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France: British Man Killed During Ironman Race

A 30-year-old British man has died after crashing in the cycling section of the Nice Ironman event on the French Riviera, emergency services have said.

The man, believed to be from London, went off the road on a corner and crashed into a wall in Tourrettes-sur-Loup, inland from Nice.

He was said to have suffered a major head injury. A helicopter was sent to take him to hospital, but he died on the way.

The accident happened at around 9.30am on Sunday.

Competition organiser Yves Cordier said: "It was probably driver error that caused the athlete to skid, so that his head hit a rock, causing a concussion.

"Our primary duty is to support this man's family and let the police carry out an investigation before we create rumours. We must protect the family."

The family of the victim asked race authorities not to disclose the competitor's identity.

It was said to be the first death at any such event in France.

News of the fatality left the racegoers shocked, but the event continued, with Belgian Frederiek van Lierde taking first place.

On the podium, the three winning triathletes held a minute's silence out of respect.

Ironman competitions are an extreme form of the triathlon.

The event in Nice involved a 3.8km swim, a 180km cycle ride and running a full marathon (42km).

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Wind Farm Plan In Bristol Channel 'Catastrophic'

By Emma Birchley, Sky Correspondent

A battle is being fought to stop one of the world's biggest offshore windfarms being built in the Bristol Channel as the race continues to hit tough targets on renewable energy.

The Atlantic Array is a development of 240 wind turbines that will be visible both from South Wales and North Devon.

If planning permission is granted, it would provide enough power for 900,000 homes and reinforce the UK's status as the global leader in offshore wind power.

But Steve Crowther from the Slay The Array campaign says it will be "environmentally catastrophic".

"They call this an offshore wind farm - it's inshore. It is between this beautiful Devon coast visited by four million people every year and the Pembroke coast visited by three million people every year.

"And people don't come here to see the landscape and the horizon covered in wind turbines. They come here for peace, tranquility, rural settings and seascapes."

But with the Government committed to offshore wind power, the number of turbines is only going to increase.

One of the biggest players in the industry is DONG Energy.

Steve Crowther says the wind farm will destroy the beauty of the area

It operates the 48 turbines at Gunfleet Sands near Clacton, which have been up and running for three years and supply electricity to 120,000 homes in Essex.

UK wind power manager for the company, Benj Sykes, says despite concerns about the efficiency of wind farms, they are generating energy more than 80% of the time.

"They are becoming more efficient by the day and Dong Energy is committed to improving that further.

"By the end of the decade we will see the cost of energy coming down by something like 40%, making them competitive with other technologies."

And with nearly 8000 miles of coastline there is plenty of opportunity for further development.

Offshore wind turbines in the UK can currently generate more than 3GW watts of energy - enough to power two million homes.

In all, 12.5% of the UK's electricity is already created from renewable sources.

The target is to produce around 30% by 2020, which means building many more turbines - and that creates jobs.

In Brightlingsea, an entire business has been built because of the Essex wind farm.

Andy White, chairman of Ctruk and Cwind, said: "Three years ago we didn't exist. We started the two companies to go out and help build offshore wind farms for the utility companies so three years ago we had zero people working for us and now three years on we have 150 people working for us."

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Brighter 'Supermoon' Graces Weekend Skies

A 'supermoon' has been appearing in skies this weekend as it appears in its biggest and brightest form of the year.

The phenomenon, known as a perigee full moon, occurs when the Moon reaches its closest point to Earth.

It will appear up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter, particularly on Sunday night when viewing conditions are likely to be better.

"The clearest skies will be across southern and western parts of England," said meteorologist Billy Payne.

The "Supermoon" rises over the temple of Poseidon in Greece

"Although most places will have a good chance of a clear view."

At its closest, the Moon will be 222,000 miles from Earth, compared with 250,000 miles at its farthest point.

The Moon's distance from Earth varies because it follows an elliptical orbit rather than a circular one.

The most significant effect of the 'supemoon' will be high tides, with scientists dismissing any notion that the phenomenon could cause bizarre behaviour or natural disasters.

:: Send us your pictures of the 'supermoon' and we may include them in a special gallery.

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Osborne: Economy 'Leaving Intensive Care'

Chancellor George Osborne will claim the British economy is "moving from rescue to recovery" as he unveils his fresh round of spending cuts for Whitehall.

Mr Osborne will deliver his spending review on Wednesday, setting out £11.5bn of cuts in Government departments in the year after the next General Election.

He has confirmed a deal on defence spending will mean further job cuts at the Ministry of Defence - but no reduction in military manpower.

Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, Mr Osborne said: "I have settled the defence department, which people thought was going to be one of the biggest and most difficult challenges, so I have agreed with Philip Hammond a defence budget.

"It's going to involve some tough choices. The civilian head count is going to have to reduce in our defence department, we are going to have to renegotiate, with some of our big suppliers, the contracts.

"But I can tell you there will not be a reduction in our military capability, we are not going to reduce the number of our sailors, soldiers and airmen.

"In fact we are going to be able to spend some more money on things like cyber, which is the new frontier in defence."

The Chancellor also confirmed plans to use fines from the banks to support British troops and veterans.

He said: "We can do this in part because we are using the money we have taken off bankers involved in the Libor scandal.

Mr Osborne says he has done a deal on defence spending with Philip Hammond

"So the people who demonstrated the very worst of British values in the Libor scandal, in the City, are now supporting those who have demonstrated the very best of British values - our soldiers who gave so much to defend the country."

Mr Osborne said the Prime Minister's pledge before the last election to protect winter fuel payments for all pensioners applied to this parliament - but did not confirm that it would extend beyond the 2015 poll.

He said: "All those pensioner benefits, not the basic state pension, all those other pensioner benefits of course we have got to look at how we can afford them."

Alongside the cuts the Chancellor will announce plans for an infrastructure plan to "power Britain back into the economic premier league", using savings to invest in roads, railways, education and science.

Final details of the spending review are still being worked out and Mr Osborne confirmed that some ministries, including Vince Cable's Business Department, are yet to agree their settlements.

Mr Osborne is expected to tell MPs on Wednesday: "Britain is moving from rescue to recovery. But while the British economy is leaving intensive care; now we need to secure that recovery.

Ed Balls calls on Mr Osborne to pump money into the economy

"Full recovery won't be easy but I won't let up in my determination to put right what went so badly wrong."

Mr Osborne has come under pressure to invest in capital projects in order to help the fragile recovery and he will give details of  "a long term infrastructure plan".

He will say: "We're saving money on welfare and waste to invest in the roads and railways, schooling and science our economy needs to succeed in the future.

"I know that times are still not easy for families. But we have a clear economic plan. We've stuck to it. It is working. And I'm determined to go on delivering it. Now, together, we're moving Britain from rescue to recovery let's build an economy that works for everyone."

Shadow chancellor Ed Balls urged Mr Osborne to pump money into the economy now in order to reduce the need for cuts in two years' time.

Writing in the Sunday Mirror, he said: "Instead of planning more cuts two years ahead, they should use this week's spending review to boost growth and living standards this year and next year.

"More growth now would bring in more tax revenues and mean our public services would not face such deep cuts in 2015."

He said the Government should boost lending to businesses with a new British Investment Bank and reintroduce the 10p income tax band.

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NHS Cover-Up: Burnham Denies Pressuring CQC

Former health secretary Andy Burnham has denied pressuring the NHS watchdog to tone down criticism of hospitals during his time in the job.

Mr Burnham has faced questions about whether he influenced hospitals' watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC) at the time it gave Morecambe Bay NHS Trust a clean bill of health, despite deaths of mothers and babies.

Labour's shadow health secretary insisted he did not cover up any problems at England's hospitals in the run-up to the 2010 General Election and was in fact "actively working to identify them".

An open letter from David Morris, the Conservative MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, asked Mr Burnham: "How much 'pressure' did you put on the CQC to 'tone down' its criticism of hospitals?

"You were the Labour Secretary of State for Health, when the first whitewash inspection of the Morecambe Bay NHS trust occurred in the spring of 2010. This was a crucial pre-election season for you."

Mr Burnham told Sky News' Dermot Murnaghan that the suggestion he pressured the CQC was "fundamentally disproved" by the decisions he took while in office.

He cited his decision in 2009 to set up the Francis Inquiry to investigate failings at Stafford Hospital and said he was "taking steps" to address concerns about the health watchdog.

He said: "I can't recollect every detail of every discussion that I had in that period with the CQC.

Joshua Titcombe's father wrote to Mr Lansley three years ago

"I am confident that it wasn't brought to me that there was a major problem at Morecambe and action needed to be taken - that didn't happen.

"What I'm saying is I don't know whether concerns were raised as part of a more general meeting and I would have to review all the paperwork to provide that extra assurance."

In his reply to Mr Morris, he denied any hospital problems were swept under the carpet.

David Morris has also asked Mr Burnham to make public any emails, texts and letters in which the CQC was discussed and detail conversations he had with former CQC bosses Cynthia Bower and Baroness Young before the hospital was given a clean bill of health.

Meanwhile, Professor Sir Brian Jarman - head of the major healthcare information provider - has told Sky News that he alerted Morecambe NHS Trust to its high mortality rates in December 2009, but nothing was done.

His comments come as it emerged that another former health secretary, the Conservatives' Andrew Lansley, was warned about baby deaths at Furness General Hospital three years ago.

Mr Lansley received a letter from James Titcombe, whose son Joshua died aged just nine days at the hospital, raising concerns over inaction by the CQC.

"Despite all of these regulatory bodies, Joshua's death was preceded by the preventable deaths of other babies, yet no action was taken in time to make a different (sic) to our son," wrote Mr Titcombe.

Ex-CQC chief executive Cynthia Bower denies there was any cover up

He continues, "...there seems to be a gap in that the CQC can not investigate individual events and the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman do not assess complaints to their office against principles of patient safety".

Mr Titcombe told Sky News he believes the CQC may have been under pressure from senior health officials not to uncover another big hospital scandal.

The reply to his letter from the Department of Health said it was unable to comment on individual cases.

Mr Lansley also faces allegations that he told whistleblower Kay Sheldon he was considering her dismissal from the CQC board after she warned a public inquiry in 2011 that the CQC was in disarray and public safety was at risk.

A Department of Health spokesman said: "The then Secretary of State, Andrew Lansley, was asked to consider removing Kay Sheldon from the CQC Board by the previous Chair of the CQC, Dame Jo Williams. He chose not to remove her.

"He ordered a review to establish the facts around how Kay Sheldon's raising of concerns about the CQC were handled, taking into account all perspectives.

"After considering its recommendations and the representations of Kay Sheldon he decided that she should remain a member of the Board."

Another whistleblower, former CQC head of media Roger Davidson, has told the Sunday Telegraph that he was forced from his job just before the 2010 General Election, after telling how one quarter of NHS Trusts had failed to meet basic hygiene standards.

In addition, a senior NHS official is facing calls to resign over links to Morecambe Bay.

Mike Farrar, who heads the body representing NHS trusts, was in charge of North West Strategic Health Authority (NWSHA) at the time of the failings.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman confirmed it was investigating complaints against the NWSHA.

Former bosses of hospitals' watchdog CQC have been accused of covering up a report which criticised their original inspection of the Morecambe Bay NHS Trust. They deny the claims.

The CQC gave the trust a clean bill of health in 2010 despite the deaths of up to 16 babies.

James Titcombe and other families who lost babies at the hospital are now calling for a police investigation and an independent inquiry to establish who knew about the alleged cover-up.

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Suspicious Item Found At Walsall Mosque

By David Crabtree, Midlands Correspondent

Homes around a mosque in the West Midlands were evacuated after the discovery of a suspicious item.

Bomb disposal experts were called to the scene after the discovery outside the Aisha Mosque and Islamic Centre in Walsall.

The area remains condoned off, but 150 people who were moved from the vicinity are now being allowed back in their homes.

Police are not giving any details of the item which was found at 10.15 on Sunday night. However, they say it does not pose a threat.

Forensic experts were at the scene

Superintendent Keith Fraser from West Midlands Police said: "We have launched a full investigation into the suspicious item that has been found. What is going to be key to this is the public's help, helping us to understand why that suspicious item was in the area.

"The force is taking this extremely seriously."

The mosque, in Rutter Street, is known for its open policy, welcoming in people from other religions and a spokesman said it has never had any problems.

Plenty of help was on hand for those affected by the evacuation.

Local councillor Zahid Ali said: "We have put in comprehensive support for them, including food and whatever other support they require.

"It is absolutely wonderful to see that the communities have come together, supporting the residents and most of those residents are back in their homes.

Zia Ul Haq, from the Aisha Mosque thanked the police and local authority for their help.

"We found this suspicious item which we didn't consider to be very serious or very threatening. but as a precaution we thought that we would call the police and bring this to their attention. They have taken this very seriously and they have supported us wholeheartedly' he said.

:: Anyone with information which may help should call police on 101 http://www.west-midlands.police.uk/contact-us/reporting-crime/

Police have appealed for information

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