new study suggests no point in taking paracetamol for relieving the symptoms

health reporter,London(wp/es): New research published in the medical journal Respirology claims that the popular drug neither reduces fever or aches and pains When you feel yourself coming down with the sniffles, the first thing you’ll likely do is reach for the medicine cabinet and take a couple of paracetamol tablets to relieve the symptoms. But contrary to NHS advice, a new study suggests that the popular drug neither reduces fever nor other symptoms like aches and pains. The Medical Research Institute of New Zealand recently carried out a study in which 40 flu sufferers were given paracetamol for five days and 40 were given placebo pills. The study, published in the medical journal Respirology, found that paracetamol had no effect on the sufferer's condition. The study concluded: "Despite recommendations to administer paracetamol for symptom relief in influenza and influenza-like illnesses, this study has found that regular administration of paracetamol has no effect on viral or clinical outcomes in this setting." The researchers say their concerns were prompted by studies in animals exposed to flu, which showed that those given paracetamol and other fever-controlling drugs were more likely to die from the virus. Dr Irene Braithwaite, of the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand, said: "We initially theorised that taking paracetamol might be harmful, as the influenza virus cannot replicate as well at higher temperatures and by reducing a person’s temperature the virus may have thrived. "Fortunately this was found not to be the case." However, the authors admitted their work may have been affected by the fact that all patients were given the anti-flu drug Tamiflu, as part of safety protocols in the study, which may have clouded the results, the Daily Mail reported. The NHS Choices website says in its section on treating flu: “If you feel unwell and have a fever, you can take paracetamol or anti-inflammatory medicines such as ibuprofen to lower your temperature and relieve aches.“ Of the study, the NHS commented: "The trial specifically looked at whether paracetamol had any effect on the amount of flu virus in the body (viral load). But it should be stressed this is something paracetamol is not designed to do. Paracetamol is designed to relieve symptoms, not cure any underlying infection. "The trial provides a route for further research, but with so many other studies reporting the opposite, it is too early to be changing recommendations."

prince charles very important messege for armed forces

royal correspondent,London(wp/es): The Prince of Wales has paid tribute to the great "personal sacrifice" of Britain's servicemen and women in a Christmas message to the armed forces. Charles spoke of his admiration for those who endure "great danger" to protect the country, and the families who support them. And he praised the "professionalism, understanding and cultural sensitivity" of those in the military. Delivering the address to Forces TV and BFBS (British Forces Broadcasting Services) Radio, he said service personnel will face many challenging tasks over the festive period, some of which will "put our service people in great danger as they carry out their challenging duties". He said: "I am delighted to have this opportunity to send you all a Christmas message, for while many of the current news headlines around the world appear rather grim, they have reminded us all of the vital importance of the armed forces. "Sometimes it would appear that there is no real threat facing Britain and that therefore defence can perhaps seem somewhat irrelevant. "However, the extent of current global deployments of the UK's armed forces only goes to highlight the continued, essential role of the armed forces in today's society." Almost 23,000 military personnel will be stationed or deployed abroad over Christmas, including more than 3,000 on operations. Of those, 870 are involved in the campaign to counter Islamic State and 200 are carrying out training in Iraq. This month, HMS Defender and its 180-strong crew joined the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in the Indian Ocean to support operations against IS. The Type 45 air defence destroyer is on a nine-month deployment to the Middle East and is set to continue with the French Carrier Task Group well into 2016. There are almost 14,000 troops across Europe, including just over 3,000 in Cyprus, 1,170 across North Africa and the Middle East and about 1,000 in the Falklands. With pictures of Princes William and Harry in their military dress behind him, Charles also thanked the families of those stationed across the globe, saying their "loyalty and constant support are such a crucial part of the remarkable selflessness of the whole military He ended his message: "I can only wish you all the happiest possible Christmas and send you a sincere and heartfelt thank you for your continued service and personal sacrifice. "I can assure you, ladies and gentlemen, that this is hugely valued and appreciated."

Marks & Spencer executive has decided maternity leave from four months to a full year.

business correspondent,London(wp/es:) A top Marks & Spencer executive has decided to extend her maternity leave from four months to a full year. Laura Wade-Gery, who runs the multi-channel division, will now return on September 1 instead of early January. Until her return finance chief Helen Weir will maintain responsibility for e-commerce distribution, and Sacha Berendji,director of retail, and David Walmsley, director of M&S.com, will continue to report to Chief Executive Marc Bolland. M&S said in August that Wade-Gery, 50, would spend four months on maternity leave. The announcement made national headlines, raising questions about equality in the workplace. Wade-Gery has been widely tipped to fill chief executive Marc Bolland's shoes when he eventually departs the retailer, though her star waned somewhat last year when M&S's new online platform got off to a shaky start. Shares in M&S have fallen 12% over the last month on Christmas trading concerns. A second poor Christmas in a row is expected to put Bolland's position into question after five years in the job. The firm is due to publish a third-quarter trading update on January 7.

Britons back arming officers to tackle terror

staff reporter,London(wp/es): Britons want thousands of armed police deployed on the streets to protect against a terror attack. A poll has found that 58 per cent believe officers should be routinely armed, a move which would radically change the face of British policing. The BMG Research results, which exclude “don’t knows”, showed that 42 per cent were against ditching the long-held tradition of beat officers not carrying guns. More worryingly, two thirds of the public voicing a view believe the police and security forces are not sufficiently ready to respond to a Paris-style attack in London or another part of the UK. This stark finding was almost double the 34 per cent who think they are. “Across all ages, and the entire country, the vast majority of residents feel that officers are not suitably prepared for an attack similar to that seen in Paris,” said Michael Turner, research director at BMG Research. “Consequently, the results also show strong support for officers to be routinely armed in a way that is perhaps most commonly seen by Britons in continental Europe.” Those aged 25 to 44, a group more likely to have young families, are significantly more supportive of arming officers, the poll suggested. Women seemed to harbour more doubts than men over whether the police, military and intelligence services are ready to counter a marauding terrorist attack here. Following the Paris massacre in which at least 130 died, Met Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe increased the number of armed officers on patrol in London by a third. He also signalled that this number could rise while stressing his “confidence” that the force could respond well to a multiple-site terror strike even though “it would be a great challenge”. He believes London is a safe city and has warned against a “knee jerk towards a new type of policing where everyone is armed”. Widespread arming of the police may be seen as a defeat in the battle to protect British values in the face of the threat from Islamic State and other terror groups. But if more officers were armed, then those deployed first to incidents like the recent knife attack at Leytonstone Tube stati But if more officers were armed, then those deployed first to incidents like the recent knife attack at Leytonstone Tube station could be carrying weapons. Sir Bernard, though, defended the “fantastic” response by officers who used Tasers to resolve the situation in about 12 minutes. The Met’s strategy is to respond to alerts with well-trained officers for specific threats, who will arrive in numbers if necessary and be mobile to deal with a moving threat. Just under a fifth of respondents to the question about arming the police replied “don’t know”, so if they are included in the results the breakdown is 47 per cent in favour of doing so and 34 per cent against. On being ready to deal with a Paris-style attack, 23 per cent said “don’t know”, with 51 per cent believing the police and security forces are not and 26 per cent that they are. The terror threat level in the UK is currently at severe, meaning an attack is highly likely. Britain is seen as less vulnerable than Paris, Brussels and other European cities because of the expertise of the police and security services and as it does not have a land border firearms are more difficult to obtain.

A Young man. stabbed in east London

crime reporter,London(wp/es): A man has been taken to hospital after a stabbing in east London this afternoon. Police were called to reports of a stabbing in Dalston Lane, Hackney, at 2.30pm on Thursday. A Metropolitan Police Service spokesman said the male victim, who is in his 20s, was taken to hospital by ambulance. The nature of his injuries are currently unknown. One witness told the Standard one ambulance and three police cars were at the scene shortly after the incident.

PM cannot let Eurosceptic ministers campaign for an Out vote,.

political correspondent,London(wp/es): David Cameron was today warned he will be “a laughing stock” if he allows Eurosceptic Cabinet ministers to campaign for an Out vote in the European Union referendum. Former deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine said there would be “civil war” in the Conservative party if Mr Cameron failed to impose collective responsibility on ministers. He spoke out as MPs ganged up on the Prime Minister to allow Eurosceptic ministers such as Iain Duncan Smith to speak out against EU membership when the referendum battle is staged. “I think that would be to make the Prime Minister a laughing stock across the world,” Lord Heseltine said. “To have a civil war within the Conservative party at that time in the belief that ... the participants in the civil war are going to sit round the table and happily smile together I think is rather naive.” He said ministers who disagreed should resign from the Cabinet. And he warned that Mr Cameron’s own position would be made “very difficult” if he allowed the “bitterness that would flow” from an open debate. Mr Cameron has postponed a decision on collective responsibility until closer to the campaign, but that has encouraged Right-wingers to argue in public. Former environment secretary Owen Paterson, a close ally of Mr Duncan Smith, said it would be “incredible” to expect big-hitters to toe the line. He derided Mr Cameron’s negotiation demands as “incredibly thin”, telling the Today programme: “It will be wholly incredible for some figures in the Cabinet to campaign for that.” Graham Brady, the influential chairman of the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee, said: “I don’t think anybody could possibly believe it if they were all corralled into holding a line they clearly didn’t all believe in.” The pressure on Mr Cameron grew after his key demand for a four-year curb on benefits paid to EU workers was torn apart at a summit in Brussels. Mr Cameron then signalled the In-Out referendum will be staged in 2016 anyway, prompting critics to suspect him of trying to steamroller a vote to stay. No 10 today said the Government will publish “factual” information about Britain’s EU membership before the vote, as required by the EU Referendum Act. But it denied a report that officials are already preparing a pamphlet to be sent to British households spelling out benefits of membership

a women died after car crash in kent coffe shop

staff correspondent,London(wp/es): A woman has died and four people have been left seriously injured after a car smashed through the window of a Costa Coffee shop in Kent. Emergency services were scrambled to the coffee shop in The Green, Westerham, after a car came off the road and ploughed through the window on Thursday morning. A South East Coast Ambulance Service (Secamb) spokesman said more than a dozen ambulances attended the scene at 10.32am, along with critical care paramedics and the hazardous area response team. The spokesman added: "Our clinicians treated six patients in total, including one patient - a woman - who was sadly pronounced as deceased at the scene. "Five further patients were treated at the scene and then taken to hospital." A man and a woman have been taken to St George's Hospital, Tooting, with serious injuries and another two patients - also a man and a woman with serious injuries - have been taken to Princess Royal Hospital in Farnborough. A fifth patient, a female, has been taken to Pembury Hospital with minor injuries. A Secamb spokesman added: "Our thoughts are with all those involved in and affected by this very sad incident. "Our colleagues at Kent Police have set up a witness centre at The Grasshopper pub in The Green, Westerham and anyone with information is asked to visit the centre and speak to officers."