Jellyfish Invade Cornwall - But Don't Panic!

By Richard Suchet, Sky News Reporter

Tourism bosses are trying to reassure holidaymakers that a huge surge in the number of jellyfish off the coast of Cornwall poses no danger.

Every summer the waters around the South West of England are a thriving area for marine life.

But this year the warm currents have brought with them swarms of jellyfish; in particular the harmless Barrel jellyfish, which can measure up to one metre in diameter.

The Barrel is usually found further up the western coastline; Wales, Northern England, and Scotland.

There are concerns that people could be put off from visiting Cornish beaches.

Tens of thousands of tourists are due to visit Cornish beaches this summer

Malcolm Bell from Visit Cornwall told Sky News: "It's no different really to rock pooling - you keep your eyes open for the crabs and everything else.

"It's part of the habitat, it's part of the fun thing about having a British beach holiday."

According to data collected by the public and submitted to the Marine Conservation Society, there were 1,133 sightings of jellyfish last year - a "sighting" can mean anything from a single creature to an entire bay full of jellyfish.

By mid-July of this year there were already more than 500 sightings and that number will increase significantly as the summer months go on.

Scientists at the University of Exeter who are examining the data say the number of reported jellyfish is dramatically higher than when the study began nine years ago.

The Moon jellyfish is the most common species

There is no trend in the number of sightings reported by the public and therefore no suggestion that climate change might be a factor in this year's bloom.

Most common is the Moon jellyfish, which makes up 29% of the entire population. They are generally small, translucent, and have a very mild sting.

There have been sightings of the infamous Portuguese Man O'War, which carries a nasty sting although they are far more rare.

Conservationist Patrick Maher from Dive Newquay said: "The important thing to remember with jellyfish is that they can continue to sting even after they have been washed up on the beach and are dead.

"Don't poke them, don't pick them up - avoid them and allow the authorities to remove them, seek medical advice if you get stung by one, but we are very lucky in Cornwall to have these types of species in our waters."

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Mother Admits Beating Mikaeel Kular To Death

Mikaeel Kular's mother has pleaded guilty to killing her three-year-old son, who she subjected to repeated assaults.

Rosdeep Adekoya had been accused of murder but admitted a reduced charge of culpable homicide at the High Court in Edinburgh.

She confessed to wrapping Mikaeel's body in a duvet cover, putting it in a suitcase and driving to Dunvegan Avenue in Kirkcaldy, where she hid the case under a bush in woodland behind a house.

The death of three-year-old Mikaeel Kular touched the community

Mikaeel's disappearance from his Edinburgh home in January sparked a huge search involving police officers, firefighters, mountain rescue teams and the coastguard, as well as members of the public.

His body was eventually found 25 miles away in woodland in Kirkcaldy, Fife.

Adekoya's internet searches included "Get rid of bruises"

Adekoya had called 999 to report her son missing to police, telling officers he got out of bed and climbed on a stool to unlock the front door of his home.

But in court she admitted to beating her son to death, repeatedly punching him and causing his body to hit against a hard object or inflicting blunt injuries on his head and body between January 12 and 15.

She also pleaded guilty to attempting to defeat the ends of justice by pretending to police he had gone missing.

Advocate depute Alex Prentice told the court: "The basis for the plea tendered being accepted is that the Crown accepts that the accused had no intention to kill Mikaeel and that the assault perpetrated upon him, although severe, fell short of the wicked recklessness required for murder."

Explaining the charge of culpable homicide, Sky's James Matthews, at the High Court in Edinburgh, said: "Basically she beat up her son causing his death but she didn't mean to kill him, and that's been accepted by the prosecution authorities."

The toddler's body was found in woodland behind a property in Kirkcaldy

He said after killing Mikaeel, Adekoya had done the school-run taking her four other children to school before continuing on to dump his body behind a property where her sister was staying.

"Her concocted story unravelled under questioning by police, and it was when they spotted inconsistencies in her story that she broke down and told them where Mikaeel's body was," Matthews added.

The car used by Adekoya to dump Mikaeel's body after the school-run

Adekoya's internet history showed searches including "I find it hard to love my son", "I love all of my children except one", "Why am I so aggressive with my son" and "Get rid of bruises".

The court heard Mikaeel died on the night of Tuesday, January 14, from injuries inflicted the previous Sunday.

Hundreds of members of the public joined the search for the youngster

His mother "lost her temper" when he was repeatedly sick following a trip to a Nando's restaurant at the city's Fountain Park.

Mikaeel had more than 40 separate injuries to his body, including bruises to his back, chin and cheek, trauma to the brain, haemorrhage in the spinal cord and injuries to his arms.

Mr Prentice said: "If medical assistance had been called for, death might not have resulted."

Sentence was deferred until August 25 at the High Court in Edinburgh.

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Govt 'Out Of Touch' On Term-Time Holiday Ban

By Afua Hirsch, Social Affairs and Education Editor

New rules banning holidays during school term time are penalising families who have no choice but to take their children out of school, some parents have told Sky News.

Maxine Ingrouille-Kidd, whose son Curtis is severely disabled, said she was threatened with a fine when she asked for permission to take her son on a cruise during term time because it was the only time accessible cabins were available.

"A cruise is a good sensory experience for Curtis ... and it is important for us to have family time together," she said.

"We did try to go at half term and they didn't have an accessible cabin.

"We're really limited by what Curtis needs.

"We didn't think (the school) would refuse us because he has a life-limiting condition and we thought they would appreciate that it was important for Curtis to be with us.

"Despite having up to 40 seizures a day, he's actually quite healthy and has had very few absences."

Curtis, who is quadriplegic, epileptic, blind and has cerebral palsy, was refused permission by his school in Somerset under new rules which came into force last September.

Under the rules, headteachers can only grant permission for term time leave in "exceptional circumstances" - a discretion some parents claim is not being used properly.

Stewart Sutherland, who says he has been unable to take a family holiday for five years because of his job, was prosecuted and fined £996 after he pleaded guilty to taking his three children to Greece on a holiday booked prior to the new rules being introduced.

"The Government is out of touch with society when it introduced these rules," said Mr Sutherland.

"The country does not come to a standstill when the kids are on holiday - there's always someone who is still working."

"Family time is sometimes just as important as schooling," he added.

The Government said the new rules are fair and have reduced the number of pupils regularly missing school by 130,000.

"We have been clear that all headteachers are free to grant pupils leave in exceptional circumstances," a spokesman for the Department for Education said.

"It is up to headteachers to decide whether to grant time off and how much time to grant.

"We are also giving schools the flexibility to set their own term times so they can change dates to ones that work for their pupils and families.

"Parents can urge schools to make use of this new freedom."

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Housing Shortage Sees More Tenants Evicted

By Mark White, Home Affairs Correspondent

Increasing numbers of private tenants are being evicted or exploited by landlords cashing in on the increase in house prices and the shortage of rented accommodation, according to latest figures.

Citizens Advice (CAB) saw a 38% rise in the number of people turning to the charity for help with eviction notices served on them, despite being up to date with their rent.

CAB recorded 5,000 cases across the country in 2013/2014 where tenants complained about being forced from their homes, even though they were not in arrears. That figure is up from 3,750 the previous year.

Problems in London and the South East are particularly acute, the charity said, where many house prices are the highest in the country.

Private tenant Ryan Herran told Sky News he was being forced from his Muswell Hill home of five years, because he complained about damp and mould in the property and demanded his landlord fix the problem.

After months of wrangling with the owner, he was eventually served with a section 21 eviction order.

"I was actually in shock for a couple of days because I've always been a good tenant and always paid my rent and never engaged in anti-social behaviour," he said.

"I did ring up the property management company and they told me they don't have to give a reason under the section 21 eviction notice. They said they felt they were doing me a favour by at least giving me two months notice."

Mr Herran believes his eviction is motivated by spite and certainty on the part of the landlord that he would easily be able to find another tenant.

The number of tenants seeking help over eviction has nearly doubled

Roger Harding from the homelessness charity Shelter said: "Sadly landlords can evict for no reason, even if you've been keeping up with the rent. 

"We've found many worrying examples where landlords have evicted people simply because they don't want to have to deal with repair issues and that's something we want to see outlawed."

During January to March 2014 house prices rose by 18% in London and 10% in the South East, compared to the same period the previous year.

CAB's figures reveal those rises were mirrored by an increase in private tenants reporting they had been served with eviction notices, despite being up to date with their rent.

The charity said the number of tenants in London and the South East seeking help over eviction notices between January and March 2014 was 900, compared with 400 over the first quarter of the year before.

Landlord Richard Blanco rents out properties across six London boroughs and is also a member of National Landlords Association. He said private landlords are often unfairly maligned.

"There's a small minority of rogue landlords who might try and increase rents but really the most sensible business model for landlords is to maintain the property well and to have a good relationship with tenants and to try to ensure tenants stay as long as possible," he said.

Mr Blanco said, contrary to widespread belief, more than three quarters of private tenants have not faced an increase in rents over the past 12 months.

The Government is in the process of introducing new legislation which it hopes will strengthen the rights of private tenants and help protect them from exploitation, or unjustified eviction.

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Child-Rape Trial Halted After Judge 'Fell Asleep'

The trial of a man accused of raping a child was halted because a judge fell asleep, it has been claimed.

An investigation has been launched into the allegations that Recorder Philip Cattan nodded off as a young alleged victim gave evidence via video-link.

The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office confirmed it is looking at what happened at the trial of John Quigley at Manchester Crown Court.

After the allegation was made, the judge stopped the trial and it will now be relisted.

A spokesman for the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office said: "The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office is aware of the allegation that Recorder Philip Cattan fell asleep during a trial at Manchester Crown Court.

"The matter is being considered in accordance with the Judicial Conduct (Judicial and other office holders) Rules 2013."

In a statement, the Crown Prosecution Service said: "The jury has been discharged in the trial of R v John Quigley at Manchester Crown Court following an issue that arose at court during the cross examination of the first complainant in the case.

"The trial will be relisted as soon as possible. The complainants and other witnesses have been kept informed."

Sky News North of England Correspondent Nick Martin said the incident was pointed out by barristers in court working on the trial, which had cost around £10,000 by the time it was halted.

Quigley, 49, of Avon Road, Burnage, Manchester, denies a number of sex offences including raping a child under 13.

Philip Cattan is a practising barrister in the Manchester area as well as a recorder, which is a part-time judge. He belongs to the St Johns Buildings Chambers in the city.

When Judge Gabriel Hutton was found to have nodded off during a rape trial at Gloucester Crown Court in 2002, causing it to be abandoned, he was disciplined.

Mr Cattan will not be commenting, the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office said.

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UK Economy Emerges From Six-Year Downturn

Official figures show the UK economy has emerged from six years of lost growth to return to its pre-crisis peak.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said Britain's economy was now bigger than it was before the financial crisis as gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 0.8% in the second quarter of the year.

The performance matched that of the previous quarter, although today's figure is only a first estimate and subject to revision.

It meant that on an annual basis, growth was 3.1% higher than was measured in the same period last year, leaving total output 0.2% higher than in the first quarter of 2008 - its previous peak.

Consumer spending is still driving growth

The measure of GDP per head - taking account of a growing population and weaker productivity - remains below the peak.

In its April to June calculations, the ONS charted 1% quarter-on-quarter growth in the service sector - which accounts for 75% of total UK GDP - while industrial production rose 0.4%.

However both construction and agriculture made negative contributions of 0.5% and 0.2% respectively. Both were hit by the effects of a very wet winter and spring.

The construction sector was damaged by a weak May

The ONS said only the service industry was now bigger than it was before the crisis, with industrial output and construction still 10% smaller.

Chancellor George Osborne said: "Thanks to the hard work of the British people, today we reach a major milestone in our long-term economic plan."

He tweeted: "We owe it to hardworking taxpayers not to repeat the mistakes of the past.

"Economy bigger than previous peak in 2008 but long way to go - the Great Recession was one of deepest of any major economy & cost UK 6 years."

The pace of the recovery will feed into expectations about the timing of an interest rate rise by the Bank of England though its governor Mark Carney recently suggested it would be tied to improved data on wage growth.

Ed Balls accuses ministers of creating a cost of living crisis

While employment has soared in recent months, salary growth has fallen to 0.3% year-on-year and continues to lag inflation - last measured at 1.9%.

The scenario that has left the Bank fearing the impact of any rate rise on consumers, whose spending remains the biggest driver of economic growth.

Labour's shadow chancellor, Ed Balls, said of the latest GDP figures: "At long last our economy is back to the size it was before the global banking crisis - three years after the US reached the same point.

"But with GDP per head not set to recover for three more years and most people still seeing their living standards squeezed, this is no time for complacent claims that the economy is fixed.

"Wages after inflation are down over £1,600 a year since 2010, housebuilding under this government is at its lowest level since the 1920s and business investment is lagging behind our competitors.

"Labour's economic plan will make Britain better off and fairer for the future."

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Tulisa Found Guilty Of Assaulting Blogger

Tulisa Contostavlos has been found guilty of assaulting a celebrity blogger at V Festival in Essex.

The N-Dubz star hit Savvas Morgan during a row in the VIP area at the site in Chelmsford last August.

She was found guilty by a judge at Stratford Magistrates' Court in east London and ordered to pay a total of £3,020.

Contostavlos shook her head and smiled in disbelief as the guilty verdict was read out.

Savvas Morgan rowed with Contostavlos at V Festival

She appeared to mutter "this is bulls**t" as she walked out of the courtroom.

The 26-year-old has vowed to launch an appeal against her conviction and said she was "outraged at the decision".

"There are a number of high-profile witnesses who were there and know what happened. I urge them to come forward and tell the truth at the appeal," she said outside the court.

"I am determined to clear my name as I have already done once this week. I repeat - I did not assault Vas J Morgan. I am innocent."

Contostavlos apparently held a grudge against her victim

District Judge Angus Hamilton said he was "quite sure" based on the evidence that "Ms Contostavlos did strike Mr Morgan in the face during an argument and that that blow caused minor bruising and swelling".

He said Contostavlos acted in a "confrontational" manner when she turned towards her victim, who she reportedly held a grudge against after he included a link to her sex tape on his blog.

"Her decision to seek to deal with Mr Morgan herself strikes me as aggressive and confrontational," the judge said.

He went on to say that he had a "number of points of concern" about her evidence during the trial.

He found that she "changed her account" of what she did with her hands during the confrontation. At one point she claimed she raised them in a defensive gesture but later said they remained by her sides, he said.

Her assistant, Gareth Varey, was cleared of using threatening behaviour during the incident.

Jeremy Dein QC, barrister for Contostavlos, said in mitigation that his client was provoked by the actions of her victim in relation to the sex tape.

He told the court: "Mr Morgan played a significant part in humiliating and debasing Ms Contostavlos' reputation, clearly for financial gain."

Contostavlos must pay a £2,700 contribution towards the cost of the prosecution, a £200 fine, £100 compensation to Mr Morgan and a £20 victim surcharge.

Earlier this week, a drugs trial against Contostavlos collapsed at Southwark Crown Court after the judge said there were "strong grounds" to believe that undercover reporter Mazher Mahmood - known as the Fake Sheikh - had lied in the witness box.

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Illegal Immigrants Caught Trying To Leave UK

A group of illegal immigrants have been caught trying to leave the UK and smuggle themselves into France by hiding in a lorry on a cross-channel ferry.

The Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Afghani and Sri Lankan nationals were caught by French border police when the P&O Spirit of France docked in Calais on Tuesday.

Two families - including two children - and another 22 men had stowed away in a Polish lorry.

French border police caught the stowaways when the ferry docked in Calais

All 28 immigrants were returned to Dover at 6.40pm that evening on P&O's Pride of Canterbury.

P&O spokesman Chris Laming told the Dover Express: "There have been occasions in the past when individual migrants have sought to go back to their homelands.

"But we have never seen anything on this scale before. It's very unusual.

"There is normally one way traffic from France to Britain in the tide of illegal immigrants.

"It is most unusual to see them going the other way."

A Home Office spokesman said: "Border Force officers in Dover are currently processing 28 people who were found by the Police Aux Frontieres in Calais concealed in a lorry which had crossed the Channel from Dover.

"Under an agreement between the UK and French governments the 28 were returned to Dover in the same way as clandestine migrants found at our controls in Calais are passed to the French authorities.

"If those questioned are found to have no right to remain in the UK we will take action to remove them."

Meanwhile, a suspected stowaway was killed in Norfolk when he emerged from underneath a coach where he had been hiding, only to be struck by the vehicle.

The man, thought to be in his 20s or 30s and of African or Arabic origin, is thought to have climbed beneath the coach as it left Calais in France.

He remained there, unknown to the driver, as the coach travelled almost 200 miles to Bexwell, near Downham Market.

The man was hit as the coach reversed into its home depot, and died at the scene from his injuries.

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Mother Admits Beating Mikaeel Kular To Death

Mikaeel Kular's mother has pleaded guilty to killing her three-year-old son, who she subjected to repeated assaults.

Rosdeep Adekoya had been accused of murder but admitted a reduced charge of culpable homicide at the High Court in Edinburgh.

She confessed to wrapping Mikaeel's body in a duvet cover, putting it in a suitcase and driving to Dunvegan Avenue in Kirkcaldy, where she hid the case under a bush in woodland behind a house.

The death of three-year-old Mikaeel Kular touched the community

Mikaeel's disappearance from his Edinburgh home in January sparked a huge search involving police officers, firefighters, mountain rescue teams and the coastguard, as well as members of the public.

His body was eventually found 25 miles away in woodland in Kirkcaldy, Fife.

Adekoya's internet searches included "Get rid of bruises"

Adekoya had called 999 to report her son missing to police, telling officers he got out of bed and climbed on a stool to unlock the front door of his home.

But in court she admitted to beating her son to death, repeatedly punching him and causing his body to hit against a hard object or inflicting blunt injuries on his head and body between January 12 and 15.

She also pleaded guilty to attempting to defeat the ends of justice by pretending to police he had gone missing.

Advocate depute Alex Prentice told the court: "The basis for the plea tendered being accepted is that the Crown accepts that the accused had no intention to kill Mikaeel and that the assault perpetrated upon him, although severe, fell short of the wicked recklessness required for murder."

Explaining the charge of culpable homicide, Sky's James Matthews, at the High Court in Edinburgh, said: "Basically she beat up her son causing his death but she didn't mean to kill him, and that's been accepted by the prosecution authorities."

The toddler's body was found in woodland behind a property in Kirkcaldy

He said after killing Mikaeel, Adekoya had done the school-run taking her four other children to school before continuing on to dump his body behind a property where her sister was staying.

"Her concocted story unravelled under questioning by police, and it was when they spotted inconsistencies in her story that she broke down and told them where Mikaeel's body was," Matthews added.

The car used by Adekoya to dump Mikaeel's body after the school-run

Adekoya's internet history showed searches including "I find it hard to love my son", "I love all of my children except one", "Why am I so aggressive with my son" and "Get rid of bruises".

The court heard Mikaeel died on the night of Tuesday, January 14, from injuries inflicted the previous Sunday.

Hundreds of members of the public joined the search for the youngster

His mother "lost her temper" when he was repeatedly sick following a trip to a Nando's restaurant at the city's Fountain Park.

Mikaeel had more than 40 separate injuries to his body, including bruises to his back, chin and cheek, trauma to the brain, haemorrhage in the spinal cord and injuries to his arms.

Mr Prentice said: "If medical assistance had been called for, death might not have resulted."

Sentence was deferred until August 25 at the High Court in Edinburgh.

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Miliband: 'I Am Not Your Bacon Sandwich PM'

Ed Miliband has told people if they wanted a Prime Minister who could look good while eating a bacon sandwich then they should "vote for the other guy".

In a frank speech to party members, the Labour leader effectively conceded he was "weird" - and at times appeared to encourage people to vote for David Cameron.

He highlighted the moment he was pictured awkwardly grappling with a bacon sandwich during the local and European election campaign.

Miliband says he is not one for hugging huskies

He admitted using "long words" that didn't make "soundbites" and urged the electorate not to vote for him if they wanted a PM who hugged huskies - a reference to Mr Cameron.

Launching Labour's summer campaign Mr Miliband, who also confessed he looked like Wallace, from the Wallace and Gromit comedy films, promised to deliver a "different" kind of politics.

It will either be seen as a risky or brave strategy and comes after a slew of negative polls and gaffes during campaigning for the local and European elections.

Miliband: But I do look like Wallace

They included the unflattering bacon sandwich pictures and forgetting the name of the Labour candidate he was campaigning for.

Mr Miliband said: "David Cameron is a very sophisticated and successful exponent of an image-based politics. He made his name as Leader of the Opposition for some fantastic photos, like hanging out with huskies in the Arctic Circle.

"Even my biggest supporters would say I haven't matched him on that. It is not what I care most about. And it's not where my talents lie - as you may have noticed.

Miliband says politics is not about photo opportunities

"I am not from central casting. You can find people who are more square-jawed, more chiselled, look less like Wallace.

"You could probably even find people who look better eating a bacon sandwich. If you want the politician from central casting, it's just not me, it's the other guy. If you want a politician who thinks that a good photo is the most important thing, then don't vote for me."

Mr Cameron responded by saying it was the wrong day to be arguing about photo opportunities when the figures showed the economic depression was over.

With TOWIE's Joey Essex: Milband criticised the politics of celebrity

Earlier this year Mr Miliband signed up Barack Obama's former strategist David Axelrod to advise him how to fight his General Election campaign.

Mr Axelrod has suggested Mr Miliband should aim to emulate Mr Obama's campaign and find a way of connecting with "everyday people" by offering a different way.

Mr Miliband said: "When people say 'you're all the same, you're in it for yourself, you don't care about my life', they are talking about us: the politicians. Millions of people think that for us, it actually is all about us, that we are in it for ourselves, for our own success, not the country's.

Mr Obama's former aide David Axelrod is advising Ed Miliband

"They believe we value posturing more than principle, good photos or soundbites more than a decent policy, image more than ideas. Unless we stand up now and say that we want to offer people something different, more and more will simply turn away."

On Thursday, Mr Miliband's wife, Justine Thornton, hit the campaign trail in Scotland in a move considered by critics to be an attempt to make him look more "normal".

In the wake of the European elections a poll of nearly 2,000 people found that 41% considered Mr Miliband to be "weird".

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