![Wexford actor Baker dies aged 80]()
Actor George Baker, who played Chief Inspector Wexford in television series The Ruth Rendell Mysteries, has died at the age of 80.
The TV star, from West Lavington, Wiltshire, died of pneumonia following a recent stroke, his daughter Ellie Baker said.
Speaking of her father, she told the BBC: "He absolutely loved Wexford and he loved being Wexford... and he loved the whole thing. It was a joy to him."
Over a career spanning six decades, the versatile actor starred in countless TV shows including Minder, Bergerac, I, Claudius and more recently New Tricks and Spooks.
He also featured in around 30 films including The Dam Busters, The Spy Who Loved Me, The Ship That Died of Shame and The 39 Steps, and formed his own theatre company.
But it is his role as Wexford in ITV's adaptation of The Ruth Rendell Mysteries, which ran for 13 years, for which he became best known.
Baker, who was married three times and leaves five daughters, was also a talented writer, penning a cookery book as well as award-winning pieces for radio and television.
His third wife Louie Ramsay died earlier this year. She played his wife Dora in The Ruth Rendell Mysteries.
Baker was awarded an MBE in 2007 for his fundraising activities for his local youth club in West Lavington.
Police and lifeguards are searching a harbour after a car was seen falling into the water.
The car, which was thought to have people inside, was seen going through railings at Southwold seafront, Suffolk, at about 3pm.
Suffolk Police said they were alerted by a 999 call from a member of the public who saw the incident near the harbour master's office.
The passer-by reported that the car quickly filled with water and went under.
Ambulance crews are on standby.
An East of England Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: "Crews were called at 3.03pm to Ferry Road to reports that a car had gone into the water. It is not known how many people may have been inside.
"The hazardous area response team was deployed along with two land ambulances, the air ambulance and an officer to manage the scene.
"But by 5pm all resources had been stood down except for one land ambulance and an officer who remained on scene to deal with any casualties.
"The recovery operation is expected to continue for some time."
A 28-year-old woman told the Eastern Daily Press: "I have heard there were two people in the car. Everyone's saying no-one's come out of the water yet."
A radioactive leak has been found at the former Dounreay power station.
It is understood liquid effluent leaked inside a treatment facility, but was detected and quickly contained.
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said no material had been released into the environment and that the leak was "minor".
She said the next stage would be a clean-up operation and an investigation into how the leak had occurred.
Dounreay's nuclear reactor was shut down in 1994 and work to decommission the site in Caithness has been under way since then.
It was the only plant in Britain to use liquid metal instead of gas or water in the cooling circuits.
The Sepa spokeswoman added: "As far as we are aware there is no cause for concern."
Half of hospitals are failing to provide good nutrition to elderly patients while 40% do not offer dignified care, figures from unannounced inspections show.
Of 100 hospitals investigated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), 49 were found to have minor, moderate or major concerns about nutritional standards for elderly people.
In two hospitals, Alexandra Hospital (part of the Worcester Acute Hospitals NHS Trust) and Sandwell General Hospital (part of Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust), inspectors had major concerns about the way people were fed and given drinks.
Another 15 hospitals resulted in moderate concerns and a further 32 were listed with minor concerns.
Overall, there were minor concerns about the dignity and respect provided to patients in 28 hospitals while a further 12 were told of moderate concerns in this area.
Just 45 hospitals out of 100 were listed with no concerns whatsoever about dignity, respect or nutritional standards for elderly people.
The figures for England, compiled from reports published over the summer, will be officially released next week by the CQC.
At Sandwell General Hospital, inspectors found serious issues with nutrition, especially for people who needed help with eating.
Staff did not check whether patients had eaten and did not keep track of their fluid intake.
One nurse said: "Sometimes I am the only staff member to feed on the ward. How can I feed all these people?"
Chris Huhne says that mistakenly tweeting a message meant for a member of staff was a "fairly marginal mistake".
The Energy Secretary accidentally published a message that read "from someone else fine but I do not want my fingerprints on the story. C".
It was quickly deleted but screengrabs swiftly circulated on Twitter fuelling speculation about which article Mr Huhne may have been referring to.
The Guardian has run a story on its website that refers to the Liberal Democrat's Eastleigh constituency and local newspaper.
It suggests that the section of Home Secretary Theresa May's conference speech, which sparked a public spat with colleague Ken Clarke over claims that an illegal immigrant dodged deportation because he had a pet cat, appeared to have been lifted from an address made by Ukip leader Nigel Farage.
In July he told an audience at Eastleigh Railway Institute a court decided a man "should not be deported because - and I really am not making this up - he had a pet cat", the newspaper reported.
Mr Huhne told the BBC that tweeting a private message to a member of staff was a "fairly marginal" mistake.
He added: "To be honest I don't use a lot of Twitter. It was supposed to be a private message to a member of staff about a local story."
Defence Secretary Liam Fox has jetted into Libya as allegations over his working relationship with a former flatmate continued to surface back home.
Dr Fox met with Jalal al-Digheily, defence minister in the Libyan National Transitional Council at Tripoli airport, but the landmark visit is set to be overshadowed by continuing claims over his dealings with Adam Werritty.
More allegations were made about Mr Werritty, a close friend of Dr Fox, who has made 14 visits to the Ministry of Defence over 16 months despite not being employed by the Government.
Mr Werritty arranged a meeting in a Dubai hotel, away from officials, with Dr Fox and a company interested in selling technology to the MoD, The Independent claimed.
And Mr Werritty, best man at Dr Fox's wedding, ran right-wing charity Atlantic Bridge from inside the Secretary of State's parliamentary office, the Guardian alleged.
And a second Commons business card stating the friend worked for the MP has been uncovered, despite him not being on any official payroll, according to The Times.
Labour's Jim Murphy urged the Secretary of State to disclose the nature of the business dealings with Mr Werritty and branded it "ridiculous" that Dr Fox had instead launched an internal inquiry into himself.
Mr Murphy told Channel 4 News: "We want specific answers to direct questions about just why one individual, who is not on the payroll of the Ministry of Defence or the House of Commons, has such a close working relationship inside the Ministry of Defence.
"There is a pattern of behaviour here that is puzzling and I think we need to get to the bottom of it.
"There has been a series of accusations, each of which in turn was denied, and in turn the denial itself has had to be denied."
A UK winner has scooped the estimated £101 million EuroMillions jackpot, Camelot said.
It is the third largest jackpot to be won in the UK. It is not yet known if the prize has gone to a single ticket-holder or a syndicate.
A National Lottery spokeswoman said: "This is amazing news, we are absolutely delighted."
The biggest-ever EuroMillions prize was a £161 million jackpot won by Colin and Chris Weir, from Largs, Scotland, earlier this year.
The National Lottery spokeswoman added: "This is the third biggest winner this country has ever seen and follows hot on the heels of the Weirs who banked an incredible £161m in July.
"We've got the champagne on ice and look forward to welcoming the ticket-holder into the National Lottery millionaires' club."
An individual winner would become £1 million richer than rock'n'roll legend David Bowie, the 703rd richest person in the country, according to The Sunday Times Rich List 2011.
They would move ahead of celebrity couples such as Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne (£95 million), and Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin (£48 million).
The winning numbers were 18, 26, 34, 38 and 42. The Lucky Star numbers were 8 and 5.
Councils are stockpiling thousands of tonnes of extra road salt this year in case of another severe winter, it has been revealed.
Salt orders have increased to 1.4 million tonnes, the Local Government Association (LGA) said.
The association said local authorities in England and Wales aimed to have more salt in stock for the start of October than the total amount used throughout the cold spell last year.
On average, councils each aimed to have 1,500 tonnes more salt at the ready to treat roads and pavements than they did at the start of October 2010.
More than half of councils have upped their salt stock levels, with virtually all authorities at least maintaining the same amount as last year.
The LGA said the figures suggested that councils will be going into the winter with an estimated 1.4 million tonnes of salt, once they have received all of their deliveries.
Four per cent of authorities are still waiting to receive some of the salt they ordered.
LGA economy and transport chairman, Councillor Peter Box, said: "Whatever surprises the weather may have in store for us this winter, motorists can count on council highways teams being better prepared than ever before to keep disruption to a minimum.
"Local authorities have been hard at work making preparations for this winter ever since the end of the last one and keeping the roads open will be our number one priority.
"This year councils have more salt and better plans in place to make it go further while even more volunteers and community groups have been lined up to help with the great gritting effort."
The Archbishop of York has warned of the dangers of introducing a more commercial culture into the National Health Service saying "you cannot compare an NHS hospital to a supermarket".
Dr John Sentamu was commenting on the future of the health service following recent surgery to remove his appendix after he was taken ill in London.
Writing in the Yorkshire Post, he said: "We must never allow health provision in this country to become exclusive. Decent health care should not solely be the preserve of those that can afford to purchase it. I am certainly not persuaded by internal competitive markets when one is treating very ill patients."
The archbishop said: "We need to recognise that there are no easy answers when we look at the demands on the NHS. Whilst we may strive to deliver value for money, we cannot allow care to be market-led or commercialised to the point where patient safety is put at risk. You cannot compare an NHS hospital to a supermarket."
Dr Sentamu said society had "perpetuated the myth" that the private sector works better than the public sector and this does a disservice to devoted public sector workers.
And the Archbishop said he was also concerned that inequalities in health outcomes continue, despite strategies to spread finance for health care more fairly. But he said health care problems cannot be solved by simply "throwing money" at the system.
He called for a national debate on health care provision. "As our political leaders embark on reforming the NHS via the Health and Social Care Bill, I would like to see a national debate take place - one that would re-examine the relationship between the individual, society and the state - and not be afraid to question our own expectations of health care provision," the archbishop said.
"We all want to see a system that is compassionate and responsive. We all want to see investment spent appropriately to provide the best care possible to as many people as possible. The challenge is how do we achieve that. Let us aim high as we set out upon this journey - and let us aim together."
Dr Sentamu was taken ill when he was in London in May to listen to US President Barack Obama address the Joint Houses of Parliament and attend a Service of Thanksgiving for Lord Bingham. He was treated at St Thomas's Hospital.
A Department of Health spokesman said: "We welcome the Archbishop Sentamu's comments. Our Bill puts clear safeguards in place against any abuse from the private sector and ensures that all provision of services to NHS patients will be based on the quality of the service to patients, not the cost."
Thousands of people are expected to join a protest outside Parliament on Sunday as part of a demonstration against the Government's controversial health reforms.
Direct action group UK Uncut said trade unionists, pensioners, comedians including Josie Long and Mark Thomas, and health workers will be among those planning to block Westminster Bridge.
The protest, described as a "spectacular act of mass civil disobedience", is being held just days before the House of Lords debates the Health and Social Care Bill.
A UK Uncut spokesman said: "Yes it will be disruptive and it will stop the traffic, but this is an emergency and if we want to save our NHS we need to shout as loud as we can. No-one voted for this bill, but together we can stop it."
A Department of Health spokesman said: "The principles of our modernisation plans - patient power, clinical leadership, a focus on results - have been widely supported, as reported by the independent NHS Future Forum.
"We accepted all of their recommendations to strengthen the Bill but the most destabilising factor for the NHS would be greater uncertainty and delay of reform to the ultimate detriment of patients.
"We simply won't secure the future of the NHS without this Bill."
A bus has collided with a car in northern China, killing 35 people and injuring 18 others.
The official Xinhua News Agency said that the bus flipped over after crashing into a car in the port city of Tianjin.
Xinhua cited a Tianjin traffic official as saying the bus was speeding and that many passengers were thrown out of the vehicle when it hit the car and rolled over.
Serious traffic accidents are common in China due to unsafe vehicles and poorly trained drivers who often ignore traffic laws.
Actor George Baker, who played Chief Inspector Wexford in television series The Ruth Rendell Mysteries, has died at the age of 80.
The TV star, from West Lavington, Wiltshire, died of pneumonia following a recent stroke, his daughter Ellie Baker said.
Speaking of her father, she told the BBC: "He absolutely loved Wexford and he loved being Wexford... and he loved the whole thing. It was a joy to him."
Over a career spanning six decades, the versatile actor starred in countless TV shows including Minder, Bergerac, I, Claudius and more recently New Tricks and Spooks.
He also featured in around 30 films including The Dam Busters, The Spy Who Loved Me, The Ship That Died of Shame and The 39 Steps, and formed his own theatre company.
But it is his role as Wexford in ITV's adaptation of The Ruth Rendell Mysteries, which ran for 13 years, for which he became best known.
Baker, who was married three times and leaves five daughters, was also a talented writer, penning a cookery book as well as award-winning pieces for radio and television.
His third wife Louie Ramsay died earlier this year. She played his wife Dora in The Ruth Rendell Mysteries.
Baker was awarded an MBE in 2007 for his fundraising activities for his local youth club in West Lavington.
The funeral of a miner who died when he was trapped in a pit after a roof collapsed will take place today.
Gerry Gibson, 49, from Sherburn-in-Elmet, North Yorkshire, died last week when he and a colleague were trapped by a rock fall in Kellingley Colliery, near Knottingley.
A major rescue operation was launched 2,625ft (800 metres) underground following the roof collapse on September 27.
Rescuers pulled out Mr Gibson's colleague Phil Sheldon, who suffered minor injuries after being trapped by his leg. Mr Gibson was pronounced dead at the scene.
An inquest this week heard he died from asphyxiation.
His family said they were "devastated" by his death and paid tribute to all those involved in the rescue effort.
Mr Gibson was originally from Shotts, North Lanarkshire, and the Scottish National Union of Mineworkers said he would be "sorely missed".
Mr Gibson's death is the third at Kellingley in three years.
Ian Cameron, 46, died when equipment fell on him at the pit in October 2009 and miner Don Cook died in a rock fall in September 2008.
UK Coal, which runs Kellingley Colliery, appeared at Pontefract Magistrates' Court a week ago in relation to the death of Mr Cameron. The Doncaster-based company is accused of health and safety breaches along with an equipment firm.
Musicians, actors, film-makers, artists and MPs are joining anti-war activists for a protest marking the 10th anniversary of the Afghanistan war.
The Stop The War Coalition said it is expecting a huge turnout at the event in London's Trafalgar Square to show that most Britons want a "speedy withdrawal" of UK troops.
Speakers at the so-called anti-war mass assembly will include WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, journalist John Pilger, activist Jemima Khan, singer Billy Bragg, composer Howard Blake, musician Brian Eno, comedian Mark Steel, novelist Ahdaf Soueif, Unite union general secretary Len McCluskey, actors Simon McBurney and Mark Rylance, and a number of Labour MPs.
A Stop The War spokesman said: "After 10 years of war in Afghanistan, more than 100,000 Nato troops remain and tens of thousands have died. Government claims that the war is contributing to Britain's stability look increasingly hollow.
"Opinion polls suggest the majority of Britons want a speedy withdrawal of British troops, a view recently endorsed by the trade unions.
"Politicians have to get in step with public opinion and announce a date to bring troops home."
The demonstration will end with a march to Downing Street, led by ex-soldiers and military families.
Three major road accidents in China have killed 56 people on the last day of a week-long holiday, including 35 people who died after a bus collided with a car, state media reported.
The official Xinhua News Agency said that the bus flipped over after crashing into a car in the northern port city of Tianjin, injuring 18 others.
Xinhua cited a Tianjin traffic official as saying the bus was speeding and that many passengers were thrown out of the vehicle when it hit the car and rolled over.
In the eastern Anhui province, at least 10 people died and 19 were injured in a 24-vehicle pile-up as foggy weather reduced visibility, the Beijing News daily said.
And 11 people in a van died after a truck crashed into the vehicle in central Henan province, the newspaper said.
Serious traffic accidents are common in China due to often overloaded vehicles and poorly trained drivers who often ignore traffic laws.
Friday was the end of a week-long holiday to mark China's National Day.
A village war memorial has been destroyed by vandals who smashed the stone structure to pieces.
Gloucestershire Police said the Cotswold stone memorial was destroyed late on Friday night in Prestbury, on the outskirts of Cheltenham, shortly after a dog walker saw a woman and two men taking pictures of the memorial to the parish's war dead.
Sergeant Mark Stephens said: "At this stage it is unclear how the memorial was damaged. However, this will have a significant impact on not only the residents of Prestbury but also the wider Cheltenham community.
"It is particularly poignant as we are so close to Remembrance Sunday when a great many people attend the Prestbury service held at the memorial to honour those who have fallen in service of our country."
Police said they were alerted by the dog walker who went past and noticed people by the memorial at around 11.25pm.
On his return journey a short time later, he found the Cotswold stone memorial had been knocked over and was "smashed into pieces".
Police want anyone with information to call 101, quoting incident 590 of October 7, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 and at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.
The Government has spent millions of pounds on advisers involved in a lucrative train-building contract, which has led to the threat of 1,400 job losses, an MP has said.
Jonathan Ashworth, Labour MP for Leicester South, said £7.3 million had been paid out to consultants involved in the decision-making process to award German firm Siemens a £1.4 billion contract to build Thameslink trains.
The June decision has put in jeopardy the future of thousands of workers at Derby-based Bombardier, which is the UK's last existing train manufacturer.
Mr Ashworth unearthed the figures this week when he received an answer to a question to parliament he entered before the summer recess concerning finances involved in the deal.
The £7.3 million sum is in addition to £15 million that the Rail Maritime and Transport union (RMT) said had already been spent on advisers and consultants involved in the tendering process.
Mr Ashworth said: "I'm very concerned about the decision on Bombardier.
"I think the Government could have reviewed this decision and I've been pursuing the Government on this issue through parliamentary means.
"This decision on Bombardier is a very damaging decision for rail manufacturers, not just in the East Midlands but nationally."
A spokesman for the Department of Transport said: "When undertaking a major procurement it is important to seek specialist technical, financial and legal advice to carefully evaluate bids and to ensure that the final contractual agreements deliver best value for the taxpayer.
"This would have been the case whether Siemens or Bombardier became preferred bidder."
A lucky ticket-holder has come forward to claim the £101 million EuroMillions jackpot.
Camelot said the winner has staked their claim to the third largest jackpot ever won in the UK.
Subject to ticket validation, the winner's bank account will be £101,203,600.70 better off on Monday morning.
It is not yet known if the prize has gone to a single ticket-holder or a syndicate, but if it is an individual winner, they will be £1 million better off than than David Bowie, the 703rd richest person in the country, according to The Sunday Times Rich List 2011.
They would move ahead of celebrity couples such as Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne (£95 million), and Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin (£48 million).
A National Lottery spokesman said they are looking forward to welcoming the winner to the millionaires club.
The biggest-ever EuroMillions prize was a £161 million jackpot won by Colin and Chris Weir, from Largs, Scotland, earlier this year. In October 2010 an anonymous British winner scooped £113 million in the draw.
Friday's winning numbers are 18, 26, 34, 38 and 42. The Lucky Star numbers are 8 and 5.
Last-minute preparations are under way for the wedding of Sir Paul McCartney to heiress Nancy Shevell.
It will be a trip down memory lane for the 69-year-old former Beatle as he is expected to tie the knot on Sunday at The Old Marylebone Town Hall in London, where he also married his first wife Linda.
A reception will be held afterwards at Sir Paul's house in nearby St John's Wood.
The bride-to-be was spotted leaving the luxury London home, telling one photographer she was going to the gym. Shevell, who sits on the board of New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority, looked happy and relaxed in a pair of running shoes, leggings and a black cardigan over a powder-blue fleece.
Earlier, flowers and furniture were carried into a marquee outside his home. Florists took two van loads of flowers, including a variety of pastel coloured roses and white hydrangeas, into the property.
Although reports suggest the wedding, which will be Sir Paul's third marriage, will be a small affair, 192 chairs were seen to be carried into the garden of the home. A row of fridges stocked full of champagne stood next to the marquee in the star's garden.
Fans were already awaiting the nuptials on the steps of the register office. Life-long Beatles fan Chiara Amato, who now lives off Abbey Road in north-west London, near the famous studios the Fab Four used and named an album after, said she has sat outside every day since September 29.
Carrying a bundle of white balloons bearing congratulatory messages, Mrs Amato said: "This marriage is going to last. She seems to be really nice and deeply in love with him. I have been listening to The Beatles since I was six years old. I have been to see Sir Paul in concert 27 times."
Sir Paul became engaged to Shevell earlier this year after the couple began dating four years ago in the upmarket Hamptons area of Long Island.
The multi-millionaire musician lost his first wife in 1998 when she died of cancer. He went on to marry former model Heather Mills, a union that ended with an acrimonious courtroom battle when they divorced in 2008.
