UK government backs three-person IVF
By Anonymous on Jun 27, 2013 07:33 pm 27 June 2013 Last updated at 19:33 ET By James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News 
Opponents fear that other forms of genetic modifications could follow
The UK looks set to become the first country to allow the creation of babies using DNA from three people, after the government backed the IVF technique.
It will produce draft regulations later this year and the procedure could be offered within two years.
Experts say three-person IVF could eliminate debilitating and potentially fatal mitochondrial diseases that are passed on from mother to child.
Opponents say it is unethical and could set the UK on a "slippery slope".
They also argue that affected couples could adopt or use egg donors instead.
Mitochondria are the tiny, biological "power stations" that give the body energy. They are passed from a mother, through the egg, to her child.
Continue reading the main story The woman who lost all her children
Every time Sharon Bernardi became pregnant, she hoped for a healthy child.
But all seven of her children died from a rare genetic disease that affects the central nervous system - three of them just hours after birth.
When her fourth child, Edward, was born, doctors discovered the disease was caused by a defect in Sharon's mitochondria.
Edward was given drugs and blood transfusions to prevent the lactic acidosis (a kind of blood poisoning) that had killed his siblings.
Five weeks later Sharon and her husband, Neil, were allowed to take Edward to their home in Sunderland for Christmas - but his health slowly began to deteriorate.
Edward survived into adulthood, dying in 2011 at the age of 21.
Now Sharon is supporting medical research that would allow defective mitochondria to be replaced by DNA from another woman.
Defective mitochondria affect one in every 6,500 babies. It can leave them starved of energy, resulting in muscle weakness, blindness, heart failure and death in the most extreme cases.
Research suggests that using mitochondria from a donor egg can prevent the diseases.
It is envisaged that up to 10 couples a year would benefit from the treatment.
However, it would result in babies having DNA from two parents and a tiny amount from a third donor as the mitochondria themselves have their own DNA.
'Clearly sensitive' Earlier this year, a public consultation by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) concluded there was "general support" for the idea and that there was no evidence that the advanced form of IVF was unsafe.
The chief medical officer for England, Prof Dame Sally Davies, said: "Scientists have developed ground-breaking new procedures which could stop these disease being passed on, bringing hope to many families seeking to prevent their future children inheriting them.
"It's only right that we look to introduce this life-saving treatment as soon as we can."
She said there were "clearly some sensitive issues here" but said she was "personally very comfortable" with altering mitochondria.
Scientists have devised two techniques that allow them to take the genetic information from the mother and place it into the egg of a donor with healthy mitochondria.
Continue reading the main story 
1) Two eggs are fertilised with sperm, creating an embryo from the intended parents and another from the donors 2) The pronuclei, which contain genetic information, are removed from both embryos but only the parents' is kept 3) A healthy embryo is created by adding the parents' pronuclei to the donor embryo, which is finally implanted into the womb
1) Eggs from a mother with damaged mitochondria and a donor with healthy mitochondria are collected 2) The majority of the genetic material is removed from both eggs 3) The mother's genetic material is inserted into the donor egg, which can be fertilised by sperm.
Continue reading the main story The result is a baby with genetic information from three people.
They would have more than 20,000 genes from their parents and 37 mitochondrial genes from a donor.
It is a change that would have ramifications through the generations as scientists would be altering human genetic inheritance.
Objections to the procedure have been raised ever since it was first mooted.
Dr David King, the director of Human Genetics Alert, said: "These techniques are unnecessary and unsafe and were in fact rejected by the majority of consultation responses.
'Designer baby' "It is a disaster that the decision to cross the line that will eventually lead to a eugenic designer baby market should be taken on the basis of an utterly biased and inadequate consultation."
One of the main concerns raised in the HFEA's public consultation was of a "slippery slope" which could lead to other forms of genetic modification.
Draft regulations will be produced this year with a final version expected to be debated and voted on in Parliament during 2014.
Newcastle University is pioneering one of the techniques that could be used for three-person IVF.
Prof Doug Turnbull, the director of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Mitochondrial Research at the university, said he was "delighted".
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He said: "This is excellent news for families with mitochondrial disease.
"This will give women who carry these diseased genes more reproductive choice and the opportunity to have children free of mitochondrial disease. I am very grateful to all those who have supported this work."
The fine details of the regulations are still uncertain, yet it is expected to be for only the most severe cases.
It is also likely that children would have no right to know who the egg donor was and that any children resulting from the procedure would be monitored closely for the rest of their lives.
Sir John Tooke, the president of the Academy of Medical Sciences, said: "Introducing regulations now will ensure that there is no avoidable delay in these treatments reaching affected families once there is sufficient evidence of safety and efficacy.
"It is also a positive step towards ensuring the UK remains at the forefront of cutting-edge research in this area."
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Energy blackout proposal dismissed
By Anonymous on Jun 27, 2013 11:24 pm 27 June 2013 Last updated at 23:24 ET 
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Michael Fallon: "I can assure you, the lights are not going to go out"
The government has dismissed a proposal that big shops and factories could be paid to cut their energy use to prevent shortages leading to blackouts.
Electricity network owner National Grid has suggested large consumers could be asked to lower use between 16:00 and 20:00 on weekdays in the winter.
It was responding to a warning from energy regulator Ofgem that the risk of power cuts has increased in the UK.
Energy Minister Michael Fallon insisted the lights would stay on.
He told BBC Two's Newsnight programme: "I can assure you the lights are not going to go out.
"The latest [Ofgem] assessment has shown that the position is slightly worse than the previous assessment last year.
"The regulator Ofgem has got to make sure, with all the tools at its disposal - bringing some mothball plant back in action and back on line - that the lights stay on and they will."
In an assessment released on Thursday, Ofgem said spare electricity production capacity in the UK could fall to 2% by 2015, increasing the risk of blackouts.
The watchdog said more investment in power generation was needed to protect consumers.
'Tightening margins' It said: "Ofgem's analysis indicates a faster than anticipated tightening of electricity margins toward the middle of this decade."
The global financial crisis, tough emissions targets, the UK's increasing dependency on gas imports and the closure of ageing power stations were all contributing to the heightened risk of shortages, Ofgem said.
It said measures could include negotiating with major power users for them to reduce demand during peak times in return for payment.
Ofgem also suggested keeping some mothballed power plants in reserve in case of emergencies.
National Grid said it welcomed the Ofgem consultation on the proposed preventive measures and had been working with the Department of Energy and Climate Change.
"This does not mean that disruption is imminent or likely, but Ofgem, DECC and ourselves believe it appropriate to consider what measures could be taken in case margins deteriorate further," National Grid said.
It acknowledged that dealing with tightening margins in the energy industry "sits outside of National Grid's usual system operator role", but added that "given our position in the industry and our experience, we're happy to propose and consult on solutions."
Read in browser » UK house prices 'gather momentum'
By Anonymous on Jun 28, 2013 02:01 am 28 June 2013 Last updated at 02:01 ET 
London saw the biggest rise in house prices, while Northern Ireland saw the biggest fall
UK house prices rose again in June, increasing by 0.3%, according to the Nationwide building society.
The Nationwide said the rise was helped by the government's Funding for Lending Scheme, designed to bring down the cost of credit, and improving job prospects.
The annual rate of price growth rose to 1.9%, the fastest pace since September 2010. The increases means that the average house now costs £168,941.
But Nationwide said there were few signs the housing supply was improving.
Robert Gardner, Nationwide's chief economist, said: "Demand for homes has been supported by further modest gains in employment, as well as an improvement in the availability and a reduction in the cost of credit, partly as a result of policy measures, such as the Funding for Lending Scheme.
"Signs of a modest improvement in wider economic conditions may also be playing a role in boosting buyer sentiment."
The Funding for Lending Scheme allows banks to borrow money at a discount from the Bank of England, providing they can show they have passed it on to customers in the form of loans.
House prices in the second quarter of 2013, compared with the previous three months, were 0.4% higher, and up 1.4% compared with the same period a year ago.
London was the top performer, with prices up 5.2% in the second quarter year-on-year. Prices are now 5% above their 2007 peak of £318,214, said Nationwide.
However, annual price growth in Wales and Scotland continued to decline. Northern Ireland was the worst performer, with prices down 2.1% in the quarter from a year earlier.
Meanwhile, Nationwide said that the supply of housing remained sluggish, with data showing a further decline in building activity.
In the first quarter of 2013 housing completions in England were down 8% on the same three months in 2012, and are 40% below 2007 levels, Nationwide said.
Read in browser » Muslim leaders to condemn grooming
By Anonymous on Jun 28, 2013 02:32 am 27 June 2013 Last updated at 20:33 ET 
The sermon against the sexual grooming of children is expected to be heard in about 500 mosques
The sexual grooming of children is expected to be condemned by Muslim leaders across the UK later in a sermon to be read to thousands of worshippers.
Imams at about 500 mosques are expected to read the sermon to congregations during Friday prayers, said organisers Together Against Grooming (TAG).
The sermon will highlight how the Koran emphasises that Muslims must protect children and the vulnerable, said TAG.
The sermon was supported by leading Muslim organisations, a spokesman said.
'Disgraceful actions' The Muslim Council of Britain, the Mosque and Imams National Advisory Board and the Islamic Society of Britain had all pledged to devote sermons to the issue of sexual grooming, said TAG, a not-for-profit organisation set up to tackle sexual grooming in the UK.
The sermon, written by Alyas Karmani, an imam and youth worker in Keighley, West Yorkshire, opens with a quotation from the Koran forbidding "sexual indecency, wickedness and oppression of others".
These "disgraceful actions" must be wholeheartedly condemned, it adds.
It finishes with a call for action and reminds Muslims to speak out if they see any "evil action".
Mr Karmani said: "There's a profound disrespect culture when it comes to treating women. One of the reasons we feel this is the case is poor role models.
"Access to pornography, which also objectifies women, is creating a culture where men are now ambiguous when it comes to the issue of violence against women."
Mr Karmani said the sermon was being circulated in an effort to counter what he claimed was a taboo in mosques against talking about sex.
Court cases The sermon is the first phase of a "hard-hitting" campaign following a number of high-profile child grooming cases involving Asian men in Bradford, Oxford, Rochdale and Telford, said TAG spokesman Ansar Ali.
"We have been horrified by the details that have emerged from recent court cases and, as Muslims, we feel a natural responsibility to condemn and tackle this crime," said Mr Ali.
While sexual grooming and child abuse affected all sections of society and was perpetrated by people of all ethnic groups, the Koran exhorted Muslims to "act against evil and injustice and create just societies", he added.
"We are united in our stand against sexual grooming and, as Muslims, we are leading the effort to rid society of this crime."
On Thursday, seven men who abused girls as part of a sadistic sex grooming ring based in Oxford were jailed for life at the Old Bailey.
Two of the men were of east African origin and five of Pakistani origin.
Read in browser » First batch of surgeon data revealed
By Anonymous on Jun 28, 2013 02:55 am 27 June 2013 Last updated at 21:46 ET By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News 
Only heart surgeons have published individual performance data so far
The first wave of new performance data for individual surgeons in England is being published in what is being hailed as a historic moment for the NHS.
Vascular surgeons have become the first of a new group of nine specialities to publish the information, including death rates.
It will appear on the NHS Choices website later. The other groups will follow in the coming weeks.
But the move has been overshadowed by some surgeons refusing to take part.
They were able to do this because of data protection laws, although earlier this month Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt warned that those refusing to take part would be publicly named.
Just six out of nearly 500 vascular surgeons, who specialise in procedures on the arteries and veins, including stents, have opted out.
Nonetheless, the move to publish this data is being viewed as a significant milestone.
To date, individual performance data has only been published for heart surgeons.
But for years there has been debate about whether other areas of medicine should follow.
The publication of surgery-specific data was first called for in 2001 by Prof Sir Ian Kennedy, who chaired the inquiry into the excessive number of deaths of babies undergoing heart surgery in Bristol.
'Difficult and complex' But some doctors have been resistant to widening publication of data for eight surgical specialties and cardiology, as there is a fear that it may give a misleading impression.
Those doctors who take on the most difficult and complex cases may appear to be performing badly, when in fact they could be the leading specialists in their field.
The specialities taking part account for about 4,000 surgeons, more than half the workforce.
Alongside mortality rates, the data includes information on other aspects such as length of stay in hospital after a procedure.
Prof Norman Williams, president of the Royal College of Surgeons, said: "This is an historic moment for surgery, and I'm enormously proud of what surgeons up and down the country have achieved.
"It has been a difficult and complex undertaking carried out in a short timescale but we see this as the beginning of a new era for openness in medicine.
"It is early days, but it will change for the better the nature of the bond between patient and surgeon, which is based on both openness and trust."
The college said that overall it looked as if more than 99% of doctors had agreed to the release of the data this summer with fewer than 30 expected to resist.
Read in browser » Teenager stabbed in Turkish resort
By Anonymous on Jun 28, 2013 02:48 am 28 June 2013 Last updated at 02:48 ET A British teenager is critically ill in hospital after being repeatedly stabbed in Turkey.
The victim, thought to be a 17-year-old boy from Middlesbrough, was discovered in a garden in the Tepe district of the resort of Marmaris.
Two men have been arrested by Turkish police and are in custody.
A spokesman for the Foreign Office said it was aware a British teenager had been taken to hospital and staff were offering consular support.
He said: "We are aware of the case and can confirm that we are aware of the hospitalisation of a British national in Marmaris on 25 June. We are providing consular assistance."
It is understood the teenager suffered at least 10 stab wounds. He is being treated in the intensive care unit of Marmaris State Hospital.
It is thought the teenager, his brother and mother, were staying at the Ali Baba Hotel and had arrived in the area only a few days earlier.
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