All 27 major trauma centres in England have been told to prepare staff for a potential terrorist attack ahead of the Bank Holiday weekend.
The advice from NHS England includes asking surgeons to review treatment of blast and ballistic injuries, and ensure that all staff are familiar with major incident plans.
The message is a response to the raising of the national security threat from severe to critical, rather than any specific intelligence, but reflects the sense of heightened risk across law enforcement and emergency services.
LIVE: The latest updates on the Manchester attack
The victims of the Manchester terror attack
NHS England has asked the centres, which range from Newcastle to Plymouth, to make sure staff review their role in emergency planning.
Staff have been advised to carry ID at all times and ensure they are aware of entry points to hospitals in lock-down.
The message comes after what is considered the success of the emergency response to the Manchester attack on Monday.
As part of the major incident plan, practised as recently as last month, eight hospitals treated the injured and five ambulance services were involved.
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An NHS England spokesman said: "Since the [Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre] has announced the threat level has changed from severe to critical, this triggers long-standing, tried and tested NHS protocols reflected in this letter, which reminds NHS organisations of the precautionary measures they need to take ensure care is in place should it be needed."
Earlier, NHS England confirmed that after Monday's attack, 116 people received inpatient hospital care, with 75 people admitted across eight hospitals, including 23 patients in critical care units.
There are 14 children still receiving treatment at Manchester Children's Hospital, five of them in critical care.
Friday, May 26, 2017
Mystery as Australian police investigate abandoned SOS made from rocks
Police are trying to solve the mystery of who made an SOS out of rocks in a remote part of Western Australia.
The message was recently spotted by a pilot flying over the Kimberley area of Swift Bay.
Police searched the area - which could only be reached by air because of the rugged surrounding terrain - but failed to find any sign of recent human activity.
They did, however, find the remains of a campsite at the scene.
Investigators are now appealing for public help to establish if anyone may have gone missing in the area, which is around 300 miles (500km) north of the city of Broome.
One of the few signs of civilisation in the area is a camping resort only accessible by light aircraft and helicopter or float plane.
It boasts on its website: "From the moment you step onto the white beach 'doorstep' at Kimberley Coastal Camp, you feel like you are one of very few people for hundreds of kilometres. You are."
Senior Sgt Peter Reeves told the Australia's ABC network that the message could have been there for years.
He said: "There are indications that there may have been someone camped there at one point in time, but it is just not clear how long ago that was."
The message was recently spotted by a pilot flying over the Kimberley area of Swift Bay.
Police searched the area - which could only be reached by air because of the rugged surrounding terrain - but failed to find any sign of recent human activity.
They did, however, find the remains of a campsite at the scene.
Investigators are now appealing for public help to establish if anyone may have gone missing in the area, which is around 300 miles (500km) north of the city of Broome.
One of the few signs of civilisation in the area is a camping resort only accessible by light aircraft and helicopter or float plane.
It boasts on its website: "From the moment you step onto the white beach 'doorstep' at Kimberley Coastal Camp, you feel like you are one of very few people for hundreds of kilometres. You are."
Senior Sgt Peter Reeves told the Australia's ABC network that the message could have been there for years.
He said: "There are indications that there may have been someone camped there at one point in time, but it is just not clear how long ago that was."
The Mummy and Wonder Woman premieres cancelled after Manchester attack
Two major movie premieres in London have been cancelled "out of respect" for the victims of the Manchester attack.
Tom Cruise's monster movie The Mummy and Gal Gadot's highly anticipated Wonder Woman will not go ahead with their scheduled UK premiere.
Universal Studios said: "All of us at Universal have been devastated by the terror attack in Manchester and continue to stand with the community and country as it recovers.
"Out of respect to those affected by this tragedy we have decided not to move forward with the London premiere for The Mummy scheduled to take place next week."
The Mummy's premiere was due to take place on 1 June, one day after Warner Bros had planned to open Wonder Woman.
"Our thoughts are with those affected by the recent tragedy in the UK," Warner Bros said in a statement.
"In light of the current situation, we will not be proceeding with our plans for the Wonder Woman premiere and junket activities in London."
It comes as several concerts and events were cancelled or postponed across the country.
:: Ariana Grande's manager vows to 'fight on' after attack
Take That postponed their Liverpool show this week, but organisers of the Parklife Festival in Manchester, scheduled for mid-June and headlined by Frank Ocean and The 1975, confirmed it would "go ahead as planned".
"Our thoughts are with those affected as well as the emergency services working tirelessly to keep us safe in all that we do," they said.
The suicide bombing, which left 22 dead and many injured, took place moments after Ariana Grande's concert at the Manchester Arena on Monday.
Grande has since cancelled her European tour up until 5 June.
Tom Cruise's monster movie The Mummy and Gal Gadot's highly anticipated Wonder Woman will not go ahead with their scheduled UK premiere.
Universal Studios said: "All of us at Universal have been devastated by the terror attack in Manchester and continue to stand with the community and country as it recovers.
"Out of respect to those affected by this tragedy we have decided not to move forward with the London premiere for The Mummy scheduled to take place next week."
The Mummy's premiere was due to take place on 1 June, one day after Warner Bros had planned to open Wonder Woman.
"Our thoughts are with those affected by the recent tragedy in the UK," Warner Bros said in a statement.
"In light of the current situation, we will not be proceeding with our plans for the Wonder Woman premiere and junket activities in London."
It comes as several concerts and events were cancelled or postponed across the country.
:: Ariana Grande's manager vows to 'fight on' after attack
Take That postponed their Liverpool show this week, but organisers of the Parklife Festival in Manchester, scheduled for mid-June and headlined by Frank Ocean and The 1975, confirmed it would "go ahead as planned".
"Our thoughts are with those affected as well as the emergency services working tirelessly to keep us safe in all that we do," they said.
The suicide bombing, which left 22 dead and many injured, took place moments after Ariana Grande's concert at the Manchester Arena on Monday.
Grande has since cancelled her European tour up until 5 June.
Thursday, May 25, 2017
Armed police to patrol trains for first time amid terror threat
Armed police are patrolling trains for the first time ever after the UK's terror threat level was increased.
From Thursday afternoon, firearms officers with the British Transport Police (BTP) boarded trains with the intent of keeping passengers safe in the wake of the Manchester bombing.
The move is the latest response by Britain's emergency services since the UK's terror threat level was raised from "severe" to its highest level of "critical", meaning an attack is expected imminently.
Police have confirmed they are chasing a terror network following Monday's suicide bombing at a pop concert, which left 22 dead.
:: LIVE: The latest updates on the Manchester attack
The investigation is focussing on the maker of the nail bomb used in the horror attack, amid fears they could still be at large and plotting a further attack.
British-born attacker Salman Abedi detonated a bomb as a crowd left an Ariana Grande show at Manchester Arena, which is linked to the city's Victoria Station, on Monday night.
The station remained closed on Thursday as forensic officers continued their investigation.
Although armed police have regularly been patrolling the London Underground since December, this is the first time firearms officers will patrol train services across the country.
The patrols will board trains to "disrupt and deter criminal activity" but BTP added there was no specific intelligence of a threat to train services.
The use of armed officers will be focussed on - although not limited to - those routes to big cities.
A Virgin Trains service from London Euston to Birmingham New Street after 2pm on Thursday was among the first to be patrolled by firearms police.
BTP chief constable Paul Crowther said: "Our force has radically increased the presence of our officers nationwide.
"By having firearms officers on board trains we're ensuring that trains remain as safe as possible for passengers.
"Our patrols will be highly visible and passengers should feel comforted by their presence. Please do speak to them if you have any concerns at all."
BTP have been boosted by extra armed police since the Government enacted Operation Temperer on Tuesday, with these additional officers to guard stations in London.
:: Operation Temperer: What will Army's role be?
Under Operation Temperer, up to 5,000 soldiers can be deployed on the streets to support police in the wake of a major terror atrocity.
Train passengers have been urged to remain calm but vigilant and to report anything suspicious to police.
Mr Crowther said: "Nothing should be considered too trivial to report."
Armed police were introduced on the London Underground following a bomb alert at North Greenwich station last year.
From Thursday afternoon, firearms officers with the British Transport Police (BTP) boarded trains with the intent of keeping passengers safe in the wake of the Manchester bombing.
The move is the latest response by Britain's emergency services since the UK's terror threat level was raised from "severe" to its highest level of "critical", meaning an attack is expected imminently.
Police have confirmed they are chasing a terror network following Monday's suicide bombing at a pop concert, which left 22 dead.
:: LIVE: The latest updates on the Manchester attack
The investigation is focussing on the maker of the nail bomb used in the horror attack, amid fears they could still be at large and plotting a further attack.
British-born attacker Salman Abedi detonated a bomb as a crowd left an Ariana Grande show at Manchester Arena, which is linked to the city's Victoria Station, on Monday night.
The station remained closed on Thursday as forensic officers continued their investigation.
Although armed police have regularly been patrolling the London Underground since December, this is the first time firearms officers will patrol train services across the country.
The patrols will board trains to "disrupt and deter criminal activity" but BTP added there was no specific intelligence of a threat to train services.
The use of armed officers will be focussed on - although not limited to - those routes to big cities.
A Virgin Trains service from London Euston to Birmingham New Street after 2pm on Thursday was among the first to be patrolled by firearms police.
BTP chief constable Paul Crowther said: "Our force has radically increased the presence of our officers nationwide.
"By having firearms officers on board trains we're ensuring that trains remain as safe as possible for passengers.
"Our patrols will be highly visible and passengers should feel comforted by their presence. Please do speak to them if you have any concerns at all."
BTP have been boosted by extra armed police since the Government enacted Operation Temperer on Tuesday, with these additional officers to guard stations in London.
:: Operation Temperer: What will Army's role be?
Under Operation Temperer, up to 5,000 soldiers can be deployed on the streets to support police in the wake of a major terror atrocity.
Train passengers have been urged to remain calm but vigilant and to report anything suspicious to police.
Mr Crowther said: "Nothing should be considered too trivial to report."
Armed police were introduced on the London Underground following a bomb alert at North Greenwich station last year.
Briefsfromshittu: Newly discovered Samba software flaw prompts fears...
Briefsfromshittu: Newly discovered Samba software flaw prompts fears...: A newly discovered software flaw has prompted fears of another cyberattack in the style of the WannaCry ransomware that hit the NHS and othe...
Newly discovered Samba software flaw prompts fears of WannaCry cyberattack repeat
A newly discovered software flaw has prompted fears of another cyberattack in the style of the WannaCry ransomware that hit the NHS and other organisations across the world.
The vulnerability in popular networking software Samba could potentially affect hundreds of thousands of devices.
It leaves those devices exposed to attackers who could potentially remotely upload and execute code to take control of affected computers.
The US Department of Homeland Security announced the vulnerability and encouraged system administrators to apply a patch released by Samba.
In April, a group calling itself the Shadow Brokers leaked a software exploit named EternalBlue which was then used by WannaCry to infect NHS computers, for which a patch was available a month prior.
System administrators needed to apply the patch, however, and this did not happen in many NHS trusts.
Much like the vulnerability that WannaCry exploited in Microsoft operating systems, the flaw in the Samba code, which affects Linux and Unix-based operating systems, has existed for more than five years but was only recently detected.
WannaCry was what researchers call "wormable", meaning it was able to replicate itself to infect more vulnerable machines without being controlled by user actions.
These researchers also believe the Samba vulnerability may be wormable. They believe it would be more difficult for attackers to develop that capability - but not impossible.
Speaking to Sky News on the condition of anonymity, one researcher said: "There are a lot of important hosts with Samba exposed to the internet."
He informed us that the vulnerability has already been detected on television stations, at genetic research labs, and even on US military domains.
A spokesperson for the UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) told Sky News: "We are aware of this potential cyberthreat but there is no evidence of any significant impact."
NCSC's duty is to monitor for any impact if it arises during the coming days.
"We recommend that all users follow the guidance on the NCSC website - install the latest security software patches, back up data and use proper antivirus software services," the spokesperson said.
The vulnerability in popular networking software Samba could potentially affect hundreds of thousands of devices.
It leaves those devices exposed to attackers who could potentially remotely upload and execute code to take control of affected computers.
The US Department of Homeland Security announced the vulnerability and encouraged system administrators to apply a patch released by Samba.
In April, a group calling itself the Shadow Brokers leaked a software exploit named EternalBlue which was then used by WannaCry to infect NHS computers, for which a patch was available a month prior.
System administrators needed to apply the patch, however, and this did not happen in many NHS trusts.
Much like the vulnerability that WannaCry exploited in Microsoft operating systems, the flaw in the Samba code, which affects Linux and Unix-based operating systems, has existed for more than five years but was only recently detected.
WannaCry was what researchers call "wormable", meaning it was able to replicate itself to infect more vulnerable machines without being controlled by user actions.
These researchers also believe the Samba vulnerability may be wormable. They believe it would be more difficult for attackers to develop that capability - but not impossible.
Speaking to Sky News on the condition of anonymity, one researcher said: "There are a lot of important hosts with Samba exposed to the internet."
He informed us that the vulnerability has already been detected on television stations, at genetic research labs, and even on US military domains.
A spokesperson for the UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) told Sky News: "We are aware of this potential cyberthreat but there is no evidence of any significant impact."
NCSC's duty is to monitor for any impact if it arises during the coming days.
"We recommend that all users follow the guidance on the NCSC website - install the latest security software patches, back up data and use proper antivirus software services," the spokesperson said.
Iran announces new underground ballistic missiles factory
Iran says it has built a third underground ballistic missiles factory, risking inflaming tensions with the US.
The plant has been completed in the country in recent years, a military official revealed on Thursday.
It comes days after the White House called for newly re-elected President Hassan Rouhani to end Iran's ballistic missiles programme.
On his recent visit to Saudi Arabia, US President Donald Trump also accused Iran of fuelling conflict and terrorism across the Middle East.
Image:Iran's newly re-elected president Hassan Rouhani
Announcing the news, General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' air force, said: "Step by step, we are developing our defensive capability and I announce today that in recent years we have built a third underground factory for the manufacture of missiles."
Quoted by a semi-official news agency in Iran, General Hajizadeh added: "We are going to develop our ballistic power.
"It's normal that our enemies, that is to say the United States and Israel, are angry when we show off our underground missile bases because they want the Iranian people to be in a position of weakness."
Mr Trump has been a consistent critic of Iran and, earlier this year, imposed fresh sanctions on the country following a ballistic missile test.
At the time, the President accused Iran of "playing with fire".
Last week, the Trump administration placed further penalties on the country prompting a tit-for-tat response from Iran.
Image:Donald Trump criticised Iran on his recent trip to Saudi Arabia
Iran has developed a number of types of ballistic missiles, with some powerful enough to reach both Israel and American military bases in the Middle East.
It is feared the missiles could carry nuclear weapons in the future, although Iran has continued to comply with the terms of a 2015 deal aimed at limiting its nuclear capabilities.
The agreement, struck by former US president Barack Obama, lifts sanctions on Iran in return for the country scaling down its enrichment of uranium.
Mr Trump has voiced his opposition to the nuclear deal and will review its future.
Speaking in Israel on Monday, the US President claimed "Iran will never have nuclear weapons".
The plant has been completed in the country in recent years, a military official revealed on Thursday.
It comes days after the White House called for newly re-elected President Hassan Rouhani to end Iran's ballistic missiles programme.
On his recent visit to Saudi Arabia, US President Donald Trump also accused Iran of fuelling conflict and terrorism across the Middle East.
Image:Iran's newly re-elected president Hassan RouhaniAnnouncing the news, General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' air force, said: "Step by step, we are developing our defensive capability and I announce today that in recent years we have built a third underground factory for the manufacture of missiles."
Quoted by a semi-official news agency in Iran, General Hajizadeh added: "We are going to develop our ballistic power.
"It's normal that our enemies, that is to say the United States and Israel, are angry when we show off our underground missile bases because they want the Iranian people to be in a position of weakness."
Mr Trump has been a consistent critic of Iran and, earlier this year, imposed fresh sanctions on the country following a ballistic missile test.
At the time, the President accused Iran of "playing with fire".
Last week, the Trump administration placed further penalties on the country prompting a tit-for-tat response from Iran.
Image:Donald Trump criticised Iran on his recent trip to Saudi ArabiaIran has developed a number of types of ballistic missiles, with some powerful enough to reach both Israel and American military bases in the Middle East.
It is feared the missiles could carry nuclear weapons in the future, although Iran has continued to comply with the terms of a 2015 deal aimed at limiting its nuclear capabilities.
The agreement, struck by former US president Barack Obama, lifts sanctions on Iran in return for the country scaling down its enrichment of uranium.
Mr Trump has voiced his opposition to the nuclear deal and will review its future.
Speaking in Israel on Monday, the US President claimed "Iran will never have nuclear weapons".
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