A cheap and easy-to use nasal spray to prevent Covid-19 could be created using antibodies from a llama named Fifi. Scientists have known for a while that the adorable animals' immune system is far more effective at fighting the virus than a human’s. The llamas’ immune system has powerful chemical bonds that bind tightly to the spike protein - effectively neutralising it. But British scientists have now isolated these chemicals, known as 'nanobodies' due to their small size, from the immune system of a single llama named Fifi. It opens the door to treating the disease with an inexpensive and simple asthma style inhaler or nasal spray. Human antibodies have been a key therapy for serious cases during the pandemic, but administering them can only done under hospital conditions. Lead author Professor Ray Owens, of the Rosalind Franklin Institute in Didcot, Oxfordshire, explains: "Nanobodies have a number of advantages over human antibodies. "They are …
Parents tell one-eyed drug dealer who sold teen fatal morphine dose to ‘rot in prison’
A one-eyed man who supplied illegal morphine to a teenager who later died from an overdose was told to "rot in prison" by the victim's mum as he was jailed. Scott Moffat, 36, gave his colleague Ross Clark, 19, the liquid morphine after he began complaining of toothache at work. A court heard Moffat had the morphine in his bag to treat his own pain as a result of a workplace accident in 2015, which resulted in him losing his left eye. Police were called when Ross did not reply to messages sent to him by friends and family. Sentencing, Judge Rupert Mayo said: "The effect of his death on the family simply cannot be measured. The family is devastated by the loss of their 'miracle baby'." She said: "The loss of my son Ross has been devastating. Before Ross passed away I had a happy life." To stay up to date with all the latest news, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here . "Who would take that stuff to work to …
Manhunt launched for ‘high risk’ rapist with gun tattoo on his back
Police have launched a manhunt for a "high risk" rapist on the run who has a gun tattoo on his back. Sex offender Kevin Anthony Wyatt, also known as David Edge, 37, is wanted on recall to prison and the public have been warned not to approach him. He disappeared after leaving approved premises in Accrington, Lancashire, earlier this month. His failure to return to the address sparked a manhunt for the predator. Wyatt received a 10-year prison sentence for rape at Preston Crown Court in April 2016. Lancashire Police urged members of the public not to approach him as "he is considered a high-risk offender." He is described as white, 5ft 11in tall and of stocky build while he has a number of distinctive tattoos, including the gun inking. The rapist's other tattoos include a cross symbol with the word Grandma on his left arm and a tattoo of a bird on his chest. Wyatt has links to several areas in Cumbria, including Barrow-in-Furness, Whitehaven, Carlisle …
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Jet2 passenger plane in midair ‘minor fault indication’ as flight forced to divert
A Jet2 flight from Birmingham to the Canary Islands has been forced to divert after an emergency was declared onboard. It is unclear what the cause of the emergency was or if it is linked to the volcano currently erupting on the island of La Palma on Sunday but flight LS1259 was forced to divert to Faro, Portugal. More than 6,000 people have been evacuated from La Palma after the volcano erupted. A social media user studying the website Flight Radar wrote: "Jet2 flight LS1279 #Birmingham- #GranCanaria squawking over #Portugal it seems like a decompression problem at first glance." Online flight paths showed the jet heading towards Faro in the Algarve, Portugal, after being diverted. The plane left on time from Birmingham Airport at around 11.20am on Tuesday morning and had been due to touchdown in Gran Canaria at 3.30pm local time. A Jet2 spokesman said: "Flight LS1259 from Birmingham to Gran Canaria followed standard procedure and diverted to Faro …
Prince Harry could be ‘shut out’ by ‘ruthless’ royals after release of memoir
A royal historian has warned that Prince Harry's upcoming memoir could be a point of no return for relations between the estranged son and the family. Andrew Lownie, an author and publisher specialising in the history of the British monarchy, believes Harry’s deal with Penguin Books might prompt senior members to "shut out" the prince. His wish to share in-depth details of his experience of royal life may come at the cost of any future reconciliation. Mr Lownie compared Harry's exploits and his autobiographical aspirations to those of Prince Edward, who released A King's Story: The Memoirs of HRH the Duke of Windsor in 1951 after abdicating the throne for his marriage to American divorcee Wallis Simpson fifteen years earlier. He told Express.co.uk : “The lesson was that if you leave the Royal Family you are going to be completely shut out and frozen and it’s not a good move. “There are people who have stepped down from royal duties. We’ve some more …
Coronavirus vaccine may never be developed, warns expert – but it could burn out
A vaccine for the deadly coronavirus may never be developed, a leading immunologist has warned. But Professor Ian Frazer, who co-invented the groundbreaking HPV cervical cancer vaccine, also said it was possible that Covid-19 could diminish naturally, becoming less effective on its own. The Australian told news.com.au that trying to immunise against coronavirus was like trying to immunise against the common cold - difficult to impossible. He added: “It is tricky, vaccines for upper respiratory tract diseases, because the virus lands on the outside of you." Prof Frazer, of Queensland University, said 100 teams all over the world were testing for vaccines, but he stressed there was no model of how to attack Covid-19. Immunising against flu was more straightforward, he said. “Coronavirus doesn’t get into you, it stays on the surface cells in your lungs," he added. "All these flu viruses get into you, so the body can fight and makes T cells. “This …
Housing support worker abducted and raped by client she was visiting at home
A pervert abducted, assaulted and raped a woman who was at his home supporting him with his additional housing needs. Pervert Albert Caballero was sentenced to eight years in 2019 and will be on the sex offenders' register indefinitely after the incident at the end of 2018. On December 27 2018 Caballero abducted, assaulted, sexually assaulted and raped a woman during a visit to his Edinburgh home to provide support. Now the Action Group, which provides housing and community support to people with additional needs, has pled guilty to health and safety at work breaches committed in 2017 and 2018. Many workers had been aware of inappropriate behaviour by their client, Caballero, but reports were not recorded. Support workers have now been given smartphones to track their location and to help with communication. The Health and Safety Investigation Unit of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service subsequently referred the case to the Health & …
‘Popular and kind’ Twitch streamer, 30, found dead as tributes pour in
Tributes have poured in for a "popular, kind, and creative" Twitch streamer who was found dead shortly after going missing. Theresa Steele, 30, also known as Tess, was found on open land near Wolseley Bridge, near Stafford, on September 14 after being detectives beginning a search for her the day before. Officers from Staffordshire Police have supported her family since then and they are not treating the death as suspicious, reports Birmingham Live. Now the creative's family have given a heartfelt tribute to her. Tess was an artist and writer, as well as a keen gamer who created videos on streaming platform Twitch, as well as YouTube. Tess' sister-in-law Amy, 31, has said that her death was "very shocking and tragic". A "celebration of life" event has now been organised in memory of Tess, as well as a fundraising page to help cover the costs, which has so far raised £1,100. Amy, who is married to one of Tess's five brothers, and had known her for 13 …
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Mum told ‘terrible lie’ to fake terminal cancer and con closest friends out of £16k
A young mother who faked brain cancer and spent over £16,000 in donation money escaped jail and was ordered to pay back just £1 of her ill-gotten gains. Megan Scotcher, 28, from Ripley, Derbyshire, set up an online fundraising page claiming doctors had discovered a mass on her brain and that she had been diagnosed with cancer. Her own mother became suspicious when she would make her wait outside appointments, and when she tried to contact an oncologist, she found that "one didn't exist." Scotcher, who has no previous convictions of any kind, previously pleaded guilty to fraud over video link at a hearing at the same court on June 3. She told police she had got into debt with an ex-partner. Scotcher was handed a 10-month jail sentence, suspended for a year. The judge showed sympathy to her situation, agreeing that she was "trapped and things snowballed." Nottingham Crown Court heard how Scotcher had accepted money between June and December 2020 in …
Farmer handed animal ban as ‘worst neglect ever’ sees chickens resort to cannibalism
A poultry farmer has been banned from keeping animals after leaving chickens in such squalid conditions they resorted to eating the weaker birds in the "worst ever case of neglect." Scott Paul Buckland, 39, admitted causing unnecessary suffering to 91 hens, as well as two sheep and two rabbits but walked free from court after a judge said his personal issues impacted heavily on his ability to care for the animals. Animal rescuers who went to save the birds on the Cheshire site were so shocked at the conditions they described it as the "worst" case of neglect they had ever seen. The birds had no food or fresh bedding and dead chickens were left rotting while others were so starving they were eating the weaker ones. The court heard RSCPA inspectors swooped on the farm after receiving an anonymous tip-off in January. They found two sheep fenced in and chewing on bark and a water trough completely frozen over. Inside the sheds, inspectors discovered 91 …