Dead or Alive singer Pete Burns dies of cardiac arrest aged 57

Dead or Alive singer and Celebrity Big Brother star Pete Burns has died of heart failure aged just 57.

British pop icon Burns founded Dead or Alive in 1980. The band’s biggest chart hit was the 1985 single ‘You Spin Me Round (Like A Record.)‘

Since then he proved to be a huge hit after appearing on several reality TV shows including Celebrity Big Brother, Celebrity Wife Swap and The Body Shocking Show.

He had been due to appear on the popular British daytime TV show Loose Women today but his place was taken by Alesha Dixon.

Tragic

His death comes just days before his band’s compilation album Sophisticated Boom Box MMXVI was due to be released on October 28.

The news was announced by his manager Steve Coy on Twitter in a statement which said: “It is with the greatest sadness that we have to break the tragic news that our beloved Pete Burns of (Dead Or Alive) died suddenly yesterday of a massive cardiac arrest.”

Hi guys, it’s Kyle here. Was asked to send out this tweet on behalf of Steve, Lynn & Michael. #rippeteburns #sadtimes #icon SO SAD!!! http://pic.twitter.com/rOkAVHsZQg

— Pete Burns (@PeteBurnsICON) October 24, 2016

Fellow 80’s pop star Boy George paid tribute to his friend on Twitter. He wrote: “Tearful about the passing of @PeteBurnsICON he was one of our great true eccentrics and such a big part of my life! Wow. Hard to believe!”

Wayne Hussey, a former guitarist with Dead Or Alive, wrote on Facebook: “Pete was and will remain quite possibly the most naturally talented person I have ever worked with.

Wicked

“Always larger than life, which sometimes tended to obscure that fact, with the quickest and most wicked tongue, he was always huge fun to be around. I loved Pete and learnt so much from him. RIP, dear friend.”

Samuel Preston, the Ordinary Boys frontman who appeared on Celebrity Big Brother alongside the singer in 2006, tweeted: ‘Heartbroken to hear about Pete Burns. He was a true punk rocker and one of the kindest hearts I’ve ever known. Gutted.’

Former Celebrity Big Brother host Davina McCall said: “So, so sad to hear about Pete Burns… we partied hard in the 90s … RIP Pete x.”

Monster

Singer Sinitta said: ‘Rest in Peace @PeteBurnsICON we had some laughs and some tears over the years. You were a sensitive soul and will be missed x.’

Earlier this year Burns – who likened himself to Frankenstein’s monster – revealed that he had undergone more than 300 surgical procedures in a bid for physical perfection.

He underwent dozens of corrective treatments, including four nose jobs, two sets of cheekbone implants and lip plumping.

When lip augmentation surgery went badly wrong he was awarded £450,000 compensation and then underwent 200 surgeries in two years to fix the problem.

He said: “I’ve got staples, nuts, bolts, stitches, the whole lot. I’m Frankenstein. People might think I’m the ugliest son of a b**** alive but I want to maintain this appearance.”

 

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Tensions are Rising as Calais ‘Jungle’ Refugees’ Face Demolition

Tensions are high inside as 1200 police and officials started evicting migrants in Calais “Jungle” camp.

The makeshift camp houses 7,000 migrants in squalid conditions.

The First batch of refugees have been peacefully processed and would be transferred to refugee centers across France.

Refugees refuse to go because of their hopes to get to Britain and this resulted to some clashes with police over the weekend. Complete demolition of the camp is expected to take place on Tuesday.

Officials gave the refugees 2 options; seek asylum in France or return to their country of origin.

An estimated 1,300 unaccompanied children from the camp has been permitted to enter Britain.

Migrants are being placed in groups to separate the ones with families and those who are traveling alone.

After they process the refugees, they will be placed on 450 centers in various parts of France and will be given the opportunity to claim asylum. On the other hand, those who refuse could face deportation.

There are approximately 7,500 beds available in refugee centers across France. Officials have predicted that 2,500 people will leave the Calais camp on Monday.

The camps’ converted shipping containers will be transformed into children’s houses. However, the rest of the Jungle will be dismantled.

The French interior ministry, “does not want to use force but if there are migrants who refuse to leave, or NGOs who cause trouble, the police might be forced to intervene.”

British activists from the No Borders group have traveled to the Jungle to try to disrupt the demolition process.

An Afghan refugee at the camp told AFP news agency, “They’ll have to force us to leave. We want to go to Britain.”

However, a Sudan migrant said, “I feel very happy. I’ve had enough of the Jungle.”
Refugees from Africa and the Middle-East have recently attempted to board Lorries bound for Britain. Consequently, clashes with drivers and police have occurred.

Migrants’ Haven

Migrants have been wanting to enter Britain in the hopes of finding work and asylum. Moreover, quite a number of them want to enter incognito and remain as illegal workers.

Most of these people speak English and do not know any other European language. Furthermore, some have relatives living in the UK.

Commentators believe illegal migrants see Britain as a “soft touch” for benefits and a better place to find “black economy” jobs.

The UK funded a £1.9m wall 1k long built along the main road to the port, to avoid refugees illegally riding Lorries. The wall construction started last month, which is due to finish by the end of this year.

Calais Jungle

Just a few meters away from Port of Calais and 13-miles away from the Channel Tunnel, the refugees wait and hope to cross the English Channel for a better life.

Concerns arose in the EU as migrant’s numbers rise. Last year more than one million have entered Europe.

In March, EU and Turkey struck a deal to stop refugees crossing from Greece, while Balkan nations closed their borders to them. As a result, the number of migrants entering Europe using the so-called Mediterranean route have decreased.

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Race for the ‘Three-person Baby’ Faces a Dangerous Path

Scientists and ethicists expressed their concern over a risky experiment in making newborns out of three-person DNA’s composition. They claim the medical procedure is deceiving expectant parents from the dangerous future outcome.

Developing the Three-Person Baby

The United Kingdom spearheaded the procedure of an advanced form of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) at the Newcastle University. The ‘three-person baby’ medical procedure aims to prevent mortality caused by defective mitochondria. The researchers completed the final stages of safety checks for clinical testing in June.

Correspondingly, UK is the first country to initiate laws which allow the conception of babies from three different people. Although its primary purpose is to prevent illness, Ukraine uses the medical procedure as the unproven fertility treatment. However, the first successful medical procedure for the three-person baby was born in Mexico. Both countries observed lenient policy over fertility treatment than the UK.

However, the first successful medical procedure for the three-person baby was born in Mexico. Both countries observed lenient policy over fertility treatment than the UK.

Mitochondria defect illness caused fatalities in children; the three-person IVF procedure eliminates the chance of having the disease. Mitochondria generates chemical energy which converts usable energy for the body, it can only pass on thru in the mother’s egg.
The three-person IVF extracts DNA from biological parents and inserts it in the donor’s egg. The subsequent offspring has 0.1% DNA from the donor.

Race to the bottom

The fertility treatment used in Mexico sparked intense criticisms worldwide. Dr. Marcy Darnovsky from the US Centre for Genetics and Society said, “We appear to be in a race to the bottom. They are ignoring ongoing policy debates and conducting dangerous and socially fraught experiments on mothers and children. And they appear to be actively seeking a media splash on the way down.”

She added on the use of the procedure for infertility treatment, “Use of these biologically extreme procedures for infertility is based purely on speculation.”

Insufficient, old mitochondria or chemical imbalance influences embryo development. Scientists argue that the three-person medical procedure can overcome these infertility factors that caused “poor” environment inside the egg.

Uncontrollable

According to Dr. Dusko Ilic, a medical practitioner from King’s College London said: “there was no way to stop IVF clinics offering the procedure”.

The UK was the first country to create laws and regulations for the three-person IVF. Nevertheless, other countries offer “little to no regulation” policy.

Dr. Ilic also added, “IVF clinics are jumping on the bandwagon and rushing ahead, whereas the Newcastle team did all the hard due diligence work.”

The doctor is very much concerned for the safety of the patients. He said, “The major worry is how technically skillful these clinics are, what quality control measures are in place and what information they provide to desperate patients seeking help”.

No confidentiality clause in overseas facilities

He cited the ‘Mexico birth’ wherein the details of the parents and a picture of the newborn baby were made public without any consent. Such disclosure is considered a criminal offense under the UK laws for the three-person baby policy.

“One example of the way UK regulation protects patients is through the confidentiality which attaches to their identity, the details of their treatment, and their children”, said James Lawford Davies, an associate at the Hempsons law firm.

When the UK developed the procedure on the three-person baby, they aimed to prevent inherited mitochondrial illness. The procedure does not entail treatment for infertility.

A professor from the Francis Crick Institute, Prof. Robin Lovell-Badge said, “There was little evidence at the time the law was being changed that the methods were likely to help infertility”.

The application of this medical procedure should only be for mitochondrial disease treatment. Using it as an un-tested form of conception could be dangerous.

The UK’s medical reputation is perceived to be respectable in considering “deeply into the issues of science and safety”. It would be possible to use the three-person baby procedure for infertility in the future if tested to be safe.

Prof Lovell-Badge said, “We can’t control this in countries where there are few or no regulations and poor oversight. Unfortunately, the clinics in such countries became used to unregulated operation. It is the patients who are at risk of being duped into paying for methods that have little or no benefit or that are even harmful.”

The Progress Educational Trust Director, Sarah Norcross stated that fertility clinics had a reputation for “rushing” new techniques for their infertility patients.

Huge temptation to get overseas treatment

She believed that “For British women who wish to avoid passing Mitochondrial disease to their children, the temptation to travel overseas to access these treatments must be enormous.”

Director Norcross warned infertility patients to be cautious because such unproven treatment can be fatal for the newborn. This subject matter, along with patient confidentiality issues surrounding the three-person baby intensifies the medical community concerns.

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Destination London: Population grows by staggering 100,000 each year

London is rapidly on the way to becoming a megacity with its population rising by 100,000 people each year.

It is estimated that by 2026 the population of London will have topped 10 million – the threshold for a city to become a megacity.

Currently the top three megacities in the world are Tokyo (38.8 million), Shanghai (35.5 million) and Jakarta (31.5 million.)

The UK’s Office of National Statistics (ONS) says that around 100,000 people from overseas moved to the capital each year between 2011 and 2015, helping increase the population by nearly 5%.

Expensive

However sky-high property and rental prices has led to more than 30,000 children and teenagers leaving the city as their parents move out to less expensive parts of the UK.

They were joined by 33,600 people aged between 30 and 44 who moved out of London each year.

The report described the movement of children as a ‘phenomenon’ adding: “A likely factor is that the parents of these children are leaving the city to find more affordable accommodation for their growing family.

“The cost of property in London is likely to be important as people in this age group may be looking to buy for the first time, and may have children.”

Last year six out of ten (58%) babies born in London were children of mothers who were themselves born abroad.

Status

According to the ONS, Greater London’s population increased by 5.7 per cent, or nearly 500,000 residents, from 8.2 million in mid-2011 to just under 8.7 million in mid-2015.

The report said: “London’s attraction to immigrants no doubt reflects its status as a major employment centre and international hub.

“With its high ethnic minority population it may prove especially attractive to people wishing to join family or others from that cultural background.

Capital

“In addition, for people heading to the UK, London is somewhere they are more likely to have some pre-existing awareness of than other parts of the country – perhaps because of previous visits, but also simply because it has a higher profile as the UK capital.”

London was the only city in Britain to see a drop in numbers of people aged 19-21 after 2011, a result of many students choosing to go to universities elsewhere.

There were also over 90,000 more people of 45 and older who left each year than arrived, many choosing to retire in distant towns or the countryside.

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Self-Driving Vehicle To Be Put To The Test In UK Streets

As part of tests aimed at laying the groundwork for self-driving vehicles to hit the roads by the end of the decade, a driverless car carrying passengers will take to Britain’s public roads for the first time on Tuesday.

Setting sights on building an industry to provide the worldwide market, projected to be worth up to 900 billion pounds ($1.1 trillion) by 2025, the government is urging technology companies, start-ups and carmakers to develop and test their autonomous driving technologies in Britain.

The country began a discussion on amendments to insurance rules and motoring regulations to permit the use of driverless cars by 2020. The government also said it would allow the testing of such vehicles on thoroughfares from next year.

On Tuesday, a pod, or small two-seater car, will be tested in the southern English town of Milton Keynes. The organizers hope to derive crucial information on how the vehicle interacts with pedestrians and other road-users from the trial.

Oxbotica, a spin-off company from Oxford University, developed the pod and its software was created the university’s Oxford Robotics Institute. The pod will use data from radars and cameras to move around pedestrian areas.

Carmakers Ford and Jaguar Land Rover are trying to forestall the challenge from technology companies such as Google. They are now taking part in the driverless car projects in Britain. Google is also developing their own driverless vehicle.

Still unsafe

However, recent accidents involving autonomous driving systems have provoked safety concerns. As a result, all parties still need to surmount legal and technological obstacles.
This includes resolving who would be accountable in the event of an accident.

Organizers in Milton Keynes administered several drills before of the trial. They conducted safety planning with the local council and mapped the town in advance of Tuesday’s trial.

The northern city was chosen for the technology projects along with three other sites relatively due to its cycle path network and wide pavements.

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