Legal Highs: Ban At Reading Leeds Festival

By Frazer Maude, North of England Correspondent

The parents of a man who died after taking a "legal high" drug have welcomed a decision by the organisers of a music festival to ban the products from their sites.

Christopher Scott, 23, from Swindon, died at the Great Western Hospital in July after taking the chemical marketed as AMT (alpha-Methyltryptamine).

His father Michael says the family are "so pleased" that promoters of the Leeds and Reading Festivals have banned the sale or use of legal highs at the events this weekend.

"Everybody knows illegal drugs - there's a big risk behind them - but as soon as you start saying 'oh it's a legal high' you get the misconception that it's okay," said Michael.

"They think it's not dangerous, it's legal, so it must be fine. And then they get the impression they can take as many as they want."

A photo of Christopher Scott at home of his family

Christopher was a father of three and only after his death did his family find out that his partner was pregnant with his fourth child.

The Government finds it hard to legislate against the drugs, as whenever one is banned the manufacturers only have to make slight changes to the chemical formula in order for the new compound to be legal again.

Former legal highs Mexxy and Black Mamba are now classified as Class B drugs, and are therefore illegal.

Sky News bought a number of the legal highs from a shop in the North of England, including AMT which Mr Scott took.

They are also freely available on the internet.

The websites, sales staff and the packaging of the chemicals all warn that these items are not for human consumption, but are for research purposes.

The drug has been banned at Leeds and Reading Festivals

Melvin Benn, organiser of the Leeds and Reading Festivals, said: "We were happy to fall in line with the Home Office request and not allow these legal highs to be sold on site.

"No one really knows what effects these things have, and of course people are still going to take them. But they won't be buying them from retailers at any of my festivals."

Mr Scott and his family used to make annual visits to the Reading Festival.

Although delighted that the festival has banned the drugs, Mr Scott's father believes more needs to be done.

"The Government needs to really seriously rethink what it's doing with this concept of legal highs. Just the word 'legal' is making everyone think it's ok to do it, that it's fine. It's not," he said.

"I'm never going get my son back. I only had one son and I'm never going to get him back."

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US Forces Closer To Syria As Crisis Escalates

Iran has warned against "military intervention" in Syria amid growing calls for action against Bashar al Assad's regime following an alleged chemical weapons attack.

Tehran also said there was "proof" the alleged gas attack was carried out by rebel forces.

Survivors of the alleged gas attack rest inside a Damascus mosque

American naval forces are moving closer to Syria and US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said President Barack Obama had asked the Pentagon to prepare military options for Syria.

He declined to give details on specific force movements, but the AP news agency said a fourth warship has been sent to the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

Three other destroyers are currently deployed in the Mediterranean - the USS Gravely, USS Barry and USS Ramage.

Dead animals lie in the street in the suburb of Zamalka

All four warships are equipped with several dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles which would allow the Pentagon to act rapidly if a military strike was ordered against Syria.

The move comes as the UN disarmament chief, Angela Kane, arrived in Damascus to press the Syrian government to allow UN inspectors to investigate the site of the alleged chemical attack this week.

Mr Hagen said: "The president has asked the Defence Department for options. Like always, the Defence Department is prepared and has been prepared to provide all options for all contingencies to the president of the US."

Syrian refugees in the Quru Gusik camp in Iraq

He said he expected US intelligence to "swiftly" assess whether the Syrian government did use chemical weapons in two Damascus suburbs.

Mr Obama last year threatened to punish Assad's regime if it resorted to using chemical weapons during the conflict, saying the use of weapons of mass destruction constituted a "red line" being crossed.

Russia on Friday joined calls for a swift probe into the alleged chemical weapon attack.

Britain and France have pressed for a team of UN inspectors already in Syria to be granted immediate access to the sites of the gas attack that activists say killed more than 130 people.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Friday there was little chance the attack had been carried out by rebels.

He said: "The only possible explanation of what we have been able to see is that it was a chemical attack and clearly many, many hundreds of people have been killed, some of the estimates are well over 1,000.

"I know some people in the world would like to say this is some kind of conspiracy brought about by the opposition in Syria - I think the chances of that are vanishingly small."

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has sent his disarmament chief to Damascus to press Assad's regime to agree to an investigation.

Immediate access would allow inspectors to collect blood and soil samples to detect what chemicals - if any - were used.

The Assad regime has denied it has used chemical weapons, calling the allegations "absolutely baseless".

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Helicopter Crash: Four Dead In North Sea

Police have named the four oil workers who died after a helicopter ditched into the sea on its way to Shetland.

The victims are: Duncan Munro, 46, from Bishop Auckland; Sarah Darnley, 45, from Elgin; Gary McCrossan , 59, from Inverness; and George Allison, 57, from Winchester.

The Super Puma L2 went down at approximately 6.27pm on Friday, around two miles west of Sumburgh airport as it was returning to Shetland from the Borgsten Dolphin platform.

The helicopter was carrying 16 workers and two crew.

One of the rescued workers is moved on a stretcher

"The bodies of three people have been recovered and work is underway to recover the body of the fourth person," Police Scotland said in a statement.

The body of the fourth victim is understood to be in the wreckage of the aircraft.

All the families have been informed.

A search operation involving coastguard, police, RAF and local lifeboats was able to rescue 14 people from the sea, including the two crew. They were taken to Gilbert Bain Hospital in Lerwick.

"Five were discharged and nine detained overnight either for observation or suffering from exposure," the police statement said.

The helicopter is reported to be in several pieces but the wreckage has now been secured by the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution).

Helicopter operator CHC, which operates in 30 countries, said on its website that it was temporarily suspending all Super Puma L2 flights worldwide as a precaution.

Some of those rescued were able to walk unaided after the rescue

It has also suspended flights in Aberdeen "as a mark of respect".

Amanda Smith, the mother of one of the workers, Sam Smith, said that her son had telephoned her from hospital after suffering cuts in the crash.

She told Sky News: "He said it seemed to lose power and there was no time to brace, they just dropped into the sea.

"He was by the window so he was able to escape that way as it rolled over.

"He said he had come off better than a lot of people. It didn't seem real, I would say two hours later it's just beginning to sink in."

CHC said it was flying for oil company Total and that the aircraft had lost communication as it approached the airport on the southern tip of Shetland's main island.

A coastguard boat searches the North Sea

A spokesman said: "The aircraft was on approach to Sumburgh Airport at approximately 6.20pm when contact was lost with air traffic control."

Mark Abbey, regional director for CHC, expressed his "heartfelt sympathies to all those involved" but said the company would not be speculating about the cause of the crash.

Investigators from the Department for Transport's Air Accidents Investigation Branch will look into the incident.

The helicopter was upside down in the water when rescuers arrived, said Sky's James Matthews in Aberdeen.

"At least three of the four who died had trouble getting out of the wreckage. One body remains in there this morning," said Matthews.

The survivors were aided by waterproof immersion suits that helped keep them afloat and warm in the North Sea.

The tide - which was heading towards the land - also helped survivors.

Jim Nicholson, RNLI rescue co-ordinator, said: "There appears to have been a catastrophic loss of power which meant the helicopter suddenly dropped into the sea without any opportunity to make a controlled landing."

He said the weather was not "particularly good" at the time of the incident.

"There was a fresh wind, not overly strong, visibility is not particularly good and it was misty in the area - but I doubt if that would have had any impact on causing whatever happened to the helicopter," Mr Nicholson said.

Last year, two Super Puma helicopters ditched in the North Sea only six months apart.

Several helicopters have been involved in the search operation

All passengers and crew were rescued in both incidents, which were found to be caused by gearbox problems.

However, the latest incident is the fourth in four years involving Super Puma aircraft.

In April 2009, 16 people died when a helicopter returning from BP's Miller platform crashed 11 miles from Peterhead after a "catastrophic failure" in part of its main gearbox.

:: CHC has set up a helpline for concerned relatives on 01224 296 866.

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Northern Ireland: Man Charged With Two Murders

By David Blevins, Sky News Correspondent

A man arrested over the suspicious deaths of three women in the same town has been charged with murdering two of them.

Leslie Ross, of Dromore, County Down, where the women all died, is accused of murdering 47-year-old Michelle Bickerstaff in April last year and 50-year-old Margaret Weiss in August 2007.

A file on the third death, that of 52-year-old Lily McKee, who died in December 2002, has been referred to the Public Prosecution Service.

Ross, 66, has also been charged with indecently assaulting a woman between Jan 1979 and June 1990, committing an act of gross indecency with a child and indecently assaulting a female child between July 1979 and June 1990.

A detective sergeant told the court he believed he could connect the accused with the charges.

A lawyer for Ross said he had "categorically and vehemently" denied the charges during three days of questioning.

He was remanded in custody to appear in court again in September.

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India: Photojournalist Gang-Raped In Mumbai

By Neville Lazarus, Sky News Producer

A photojournalist has been gang-raped by five men while out on assignment with a male colleague in south Mumbai.

The woman, 22, is now in intensive care with reports suggesting she suffered multiple injuries, both internal and external.

Her condition is described as critical, but stable.

The man the victim was with - in an area known as Lower Parel - was tied up and assaulted.

The victims' statements have been recorded and sketches of suspects have been released by the police.

Two of the attackers reportedly called each other by name - Rupesh and Saijid.

Police said they have arrested five people over the gang-rape.

The scene of the gang-rape in Mumbai

The latest attack comes after the gang-rape and death of a 23-year-old physiotherapy student on a bus in Delhi last December.

That incident caused nationwide protests and demands for stringent laws against rape.

Under pressure, the government instituted fast-track courts for crimes against women and six men were subsequently charged with rape and murder.

The case is in its final stages at the Saket fast-track court in Delhi and a verdict is expected soon. 

Suspected ringleader Ram Singh killed himself at the Tihar jail earlier this year.

A juvenile is being tried at a separate court as he was under 18 years old when he allegedly committed the crime.

The other four await their fate when the court delivers its verdict.

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Syria Chemical Attack 'Proof' Smuggled To UN

Syrian activists are smuggling body tissue samples from victims of the alleged chemical massacre to UN inspectors staying in a nearby hotel.

The team of inspectors has been in Damascus since Monday carrying out investigations into previous claims of chemical weapons use during the country's civil war.

However, the Assad regime has yet to allow them to investigate the area where opponents claim his forces gassed more than 1,300 people to death on Tuesday, many of them children.

Activist Abu Nidal said: "The UN team spoke with us and since then we prepared samples of hair, skin and blood and smuggled them back into Damascus with trusted couriers."

President Bashar al Assad's forces have been pummelling the area of the attack, known as the Ghouta region, with air raids and artillery strikes, in a move which could hinder access and damage evidence.

Only a few activists believe their samples may have got through to the inspectors.

Abo Mohammed said: "The problem is the location of the UN committee in the hotel. They're under heavy guard and government minders."

A child is given oxygen after the alleged attack

The development comes after UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that any use of chemical weapons would constitute a "crime against humanity".

Speaking at an event in Seoul, Mr Ban said: "Any use of chemical weapons anywhere, by anybody, under any circumstances, would violate international law.

"Such a crime against humanity should result in serious consequences for the perpetrator."

Mr Ban has decided to send Angela Kane, the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, to Damascus following the alleged chemical attack.

Mr Assad's regime agreed last month, following a similar visit, to allow the UN experts to investigate three other sites where chemical attacks were alleged to have taken place.

Mr Ban urged the regime to co-operate with an immediate investigation into the alleged attack, which the opposition has said killed hundreds.

The dead bodies of animals lie in a street in Zamalka

US president Barack Obama said the allegations were a "big event of grave concern", telling CNN that widespread use of chemical weapons would be "very troublesome" and would "require America's attention".

Significantly, Syria's key ally Russia has joined international calls for the inspectors to be given access to the site of the alleged massacre.

Moscow suggested the attack could be a "premeditated provocation" by opposition forces but urged Mr Assad and the UN to agree to a visit to the site in the Damascus suburbs of Ein Tarma and Zamalka.

Footage distributed by activists, which shows unconscious children, people foaming at the mouth and doctors apparently giving them oxygen to help them breathe, has triggered anger around the world.

The government has denied it used chemical weapons, calling the allegations "absolutely baseless".

US Secretary of State John Kerry took part in a meeting with the national security team to discuss the Syria attack.

The alleged chemical attack took place in Damascus suburbs

British Foreign Secretary William Hague has also spoken to Mr Kerry about developments in Syria, the Foreign Office confirmed on Friday.

In June the Obama administration said it had conclusive evidence that Mr Assad's government had used chemical weapons against opposition forces.

That crossed what Mr Obama called a "red line" and prompted a decision to send arms to Syrian rebels.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the intelligence community had been tasked with gathering information on the chemical attack, but that it was "unable to conclusively determine chemical weapons use".

It comes as UN figures showed a million children had fled the country since the civil war began more than two years ago.

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Murdered Teen Ajmol Gets Eight GSCE A Grades

Murdered 16-year-old Ajmol Alom achieved eleven GCSEs, eight at grade A and three at grade B, the headmaster of his school has said.

The grades were sufficient to allow him to continue pursuing his ambition of studying medicine at university and becoming a doctor, he added.

Talking to Sky News, Chris Dunne, headmaster of Langdon Park School said: "Ajmol was a very able student and he made full use of his abilities, working hard both at school and during after school activities."

"He got 11 GCSEs, eight at grade A and three at grade B. Significantly, he got As in maths and the sciences, which was important as he was interested in going on to study medicine at university."

Ajmol died after being stabbed in the leg when he and his friends were confronted by a gang wearing hoods and bandanas in Spey Street, Poplar, east London at 9:50pm on August 12.

Ajmol was interested in studying medicine at university

"He was a kind, caring and sensitive young man. He was always looking for ways to help others," Mr Dunne said.

He added that Ajmol had recently travelled to Northern Ireland to take part in a project for young people to promote peaceful initiatives and had acted as a host for Irish teenagers who subsequently visited Tower Hamlets.

"Ajmol was not involved in a bad crowd, not remotely. The vast majority of young people in this area are wonderful people," Mr Dunne said. 

"Sadly, there is a tiny percentage of people who think violence is an acceptable way of dealing with things and that carrying weapons somehow enhances their status.

"Ajmol was standing virtually outside his home when he was attacked. He was on his way back from football practice. He wasn't doing anything wrong."

Police have charged Aminur Nazir Khan, 19, with Ajmol's murder.

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GCSE Results: Record Fall In Top Grades

The proportion of GCSEs awarded at least a C grade has suffered its biggest fall in the exam's 25-year history.

For the second year in a row, the number of pupils given an A*-C grade has dropped - down 1.3% on last year to 68.1%.

The number of A* grades awarded was also lower, falling 0.5% on last year from 7.3 to 6.8%, according to official figures.

The figures show that the overall A*-G pass rate also fell slightly this year, to 98.8% compared to 99% last year.

In contrast to last week's A-level results, girls are still outperforming boys at GCSE and achieved better results at A*-C across every subject.

The national picture emerged as hundreds of thousands of teenagers across England, Wales and Northern Ireland received their results.

Pupils with their results at St Mary Redcliffe and Temple school in Bristol

The fall in top grades comes amid major upheaval in the exam system.

The huge rise in entries by 15-year-old as well as tougher exams were blamed for the dip in performance.

The number of 15-year-olds taking the exam has rocketed by 91,000 in just a year.

In maths, thousands of pupils also sat the exam more than once. Almost 90,000 were entered for at least three and two sat it eight times.

More children took exams in languages and humanities subjects with the overall number of GCSEs taken up 4.2% on last year.

But there was a fall in the number scoring at least a C in key subjects, including English, maths and science.

In English, 63.6% achieved a C or higher, down from 64.1% in 2012, as 61,000 more entries were recorded in the subject - more than two-fifths were from pupils aged 15.

The Joint Council of Qualifications (JCQ) said there had been "significant early and repeated entries" in maths, with more than half a million before the summer exams.

Results for 16-year-olds were "virtually unchanged" but those for 15-year-olds showed a decline. Overall, 57.6% of entries scored A*-C - down from 58.4%.

Moves by Ofqual to toughen up qualifications prompted a 7.6% fall in the number of entries achieving a top grade in science.

This is the first summer results have been given for the revamped GCSEs, which were changed after a 2009 report by the regulator found they were too easy.

There was a "dramatic" rise in entry levels for modern languages, with French up 15.5%, German up 9.4% and Spanish up 25.8%.

This could be due to the introduction of the English Baccalaureate, which is awarded to pupils with at least a C in English, maths, science, history or geography and a foreign language.

JCQ director Michael Turner said: "This year's upturn in languages will be welcomed across the education sector and beyond. Not since 2008 have there been this many entries in languages.

"However, it remains to be seen if this is the start of a trend and if more students decide to continue to study a language at A-level."

Major overhaul: Michael Gove

Education Minister Elizabeth Truss insisted the results showed that the Government's new English Baccalaureate (EBacc) has "not just arrested the decline in the study of academic subjects at GCSE, it is reversing it".

She said: "It is very pleasing to see the increase in these important subjects - the ones that will keep pupils' options open in the future.

"I am particularly delighted to see a languages revival - with an increase in the number of entries to French, German and Spanish GCSEs after years of decline."

However, experts raised concerns about the number of 15-year-olds taking the exams and over repeat entries.

Andrew Hall of the exam board AQA asked: "Why oh why do we now got a significant increase in 15-year-olds taking GCSE?"

He also warned pupils making multiple entries was "really damaging education in this country".

Mark Dawe, from another exam board OCR, added: "Early entry does not benefit the students. The results are far lower for 15-year-olds.

"These qualifications are designed for 16-year-olds. Students should be left to learn for those two years and that is what we would encourage."

Shadow education secretary Stephen Twigg said: "Michael Gove needs to get a grip on the multiple entry exam practice that is distorting standards."

Brian Lightman, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: "People's confidence in the GCSE was severely knocked last year.

"That's why they've done things like trying out IGCSE, multiple entry, early entry - all of these things to try and bring more opportunities to get young people good grades.

"I'm not saying we should be doing that but I'm saying it's understandable."

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Syria: Call For 'Force' If Chemicals Proven

France is seeking a reaction with "force" if a massacre in Syria involving chemical weapons is confirmed, its foreign minister has said.

"If it is proven, France's position is that there must be a reaction, a reaction that could take the form of a reaction with force," Laurent Fabius told BFM-TV.

"There are possibilities for responding," he said without elaborating.

He added that if the UN Security Council could not make a decision, one would have to be taken "in other ways".

The Syrian government has been urged to allow UN inspectors to visit the site where it is claimed more than 1,300 people died in a chemical weapons attack.

The National Coalition claims toxic gas was used by President Bashar al Assad's forces during a bombardment of rebel-held areas outside Damascus.

It said the death toll was likely to rise after a neighbourhood with many casualties was discovered in Zamalka.

Government officials said the claims were "totally false" and the international news organisations reporting them were "implicated in the shedding of Syrian blood and support terrorism".

The attacks are alleged to have taken place in Ein Tarma and Zamalka

A spokesperson from the British Foreign Office said: "Our immediate priority is to verify the facts and ensure the UN  team is granted access to investigate these latest reports.

"We believe a political solution is the best way to end the bloodshed. However, the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary have said many times we cannot rule out any option, in accordance with international law, that might save innocent lives in Syria."

But Turkey's deputy prime minister has said only the government is in possession of the type of chemical weapons the opposition claim were used in the attack.

Its foreign minister said "a red line" had been crossed.

Iran, Syria's chief regional ally, has rejected claims that the regime was responsible, saying if such an attack was proven it would be down to the rebels, IRNA news agency said.

The incident comes just days after a 20-strong team of UN weapons inspectors arrived in the capital to investigate whether chemical weapons have been used in the conflict.

A survivor rests inside a mosque near Damascus

And following an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson, said: "We very much hope that we will be able to conduct the investigation.

"Dr Sellstrom and his team are in place in Damascus.  We hope that they will be given access to the area by the government  - it's a requirement of consent in situations like this.

"And that also the security situation will allow them to enter the area.

"The Secretary-General has already expressed his preparedness to conduct the investigation.

"We are in contact with the Syrian government - we hope that all other parties will co-operate so that we conduct the investigation and we hope that everybody realises the importance of ceasing hostilities."

British Foreign Secretary William Hague urged international supporters of the Syrian regime to "wake up to ... its murderous and barbaric nature" ahead of the UN meeting.

However Russia, which has supported the regime and vetoed past attempts to secure a tough UN resolution, suggested the attack could be a "premeditated provocation" by opposition forces.

Officials from Russia and China are reported to have blocked a stronger press statement supported by Britain, France, the US and others.

Earlier, Mr Hague said that if verified, the attack "would mark a shocking escalation in the use of chemical weapons in Syria".

He added: "Those who order the use of chemical weapons, and those who use them, should be in no doubt that we will work in every way we can to hold them to account."

Unverified footage of casualties, including children, in makeshift hospitals suffering convulsions and breathing difficulties was circulated on YouTube.

Syria is thought to have some of the world's largest stocks of chemical weapons, including mustard gas and the nerve agent sarin, but the government in Damascus refuses to confirm this is the case.

On Thursday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed government forces carried out air raids and shelling in an area near where the alleged chemical attack was launched.

"Warplanes carried out several raids this morning on Khan al Sheikh and Zamalka, wounding several people" and sparking fierce clashes, the monitoring group said.

Their claims have not been independently verified.

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Peru Drugs: British Women Formally Charged

Why Peru Became The Cocaine Hotspot

Updated: 10:35pm UK, Wednesday 14 August 2013

By Pete Norman, Sky News Online

Peru has overtaken Colombia as the world's leading cocaine producer, according to experts.

Home to the ancient Inca civilisation, Peru is rugged, remote and the ultimate source of the mighty Amazon river.

It is also home to a long-running guerrilla campaign by the leftist Shining Path group.

While urban and coastal inhabitants have benefited greatly from market-focused economic development since the early 1980s, when military rule ended, the rural poor have gained little.

Its hilly, isolated and fertile regions are home to the guerrillas, who rely on cocaine production, hostage-taking and corruption for funds.

According to the CIA, Peru was the world's largest coca leaf producer until 1996, when neighbouring Colombia took the lead.

It says that in 2009 Peru had 100,000 acres under coca leaf production compared to Colombia's 286,000 acres - with the potential to produce 225 metric tons of pure cocaine.

US-supported efforts to reduce or eradicate coca leaf in Colombia have now tipped the scales of production towards Peru.

Aerial spraying of herbicide in Colombia has affected coca crops covering 250,000 acres while manual eradication has been done on another 150,000 acres.

Last week the UN said Colombia reduced its area under coca cultivation by 25% in 2012 - the biggest annual reduction since the international body began monitoring it in 2001.

Around 30 Britons are now in Peruvian prisons on drug-related convictions, according to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

The UN Office of Drugs and Crime is expected to release its official 2012 Peru coca crop estimate in September.

Its World Drug Report 2011 said that although the area under coca leaf production was around 75% of the 1990 area, the current yield might be up to a third greater.

While Colombia still supplies virtually all of North America's cocaine, the CIA said much of the drug exported from Peru through land, air and sea routes is destined for Europe and other markets.

North America and Europe cocaine consumption has stabilised in recent years while growth has increased in Oceania and Asia Pacific regions.

It said: "Finished cocaine is shipped out from Pacific ports to the international drug market, (while) increasing amounts of base and finished cocaine, however, are being moved to Brazil, Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia for … trans-shipment to Europe and Africa."

Smaller quantities are carried through air routes by so-called drug mules, while larger loads travel by sea to west Africa prior to distribution throughout Europe.

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