Asiana Sues Over 'Racist' Names In TV Report

Asiana Airlines is planning to sue a TV station that used bogus and racially offensive names for the four pilots of the plane that crash landed in San Francisco, killing three passengers.

The airline claims Friday's report on KTVU-TV damaged its reputation.

A presenter, Tori Campbell, read the fake names live on air and then quickly apologised after a commercial break.

The report was accompanied by a graphic alongside a photo of the burned-out plane.

Video of the report has spread widely across the internet since it was first broadcast.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has also apologised, saying a summer intern erroneously confirmed the names of the flight crew on the doomed July 6 flight.

The stricken jet on the runway at San Francisco International Airport

Asiana has decided to sue KTVU-TV to "strongly respond to its racially discriminatory report" that disparaged Asians, spokeswoman Lee Hyomin said.

She said the airline will likely file its lawsuit in a US court.

She added that Asiana has not yet determined whether to launch a similar suit against the NTSB.

Neither the station nor the NTSB have confirmed where the names originated.

The four pilots, who underwent questioning by a US and South Korean joint investigation team while in the US, returned to South Korea on Saturday.

Officials there plan to conduct separate interviews with them. 

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Glee's Cory Monteith 'Fantastic' Before Death

Friends and colleagues have expressed shock at the death of Glee star Cory Monteith, who they said seemed fine in recent weeks.

The 31-year-old actor was found dead at Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel in Vancouver just after noon on Saturday.

Adam Shankman, a director on Glee, told CNN: "I had several interactions with him yesterday where he said that he was doing amazing.

"He even said 'I am feeling fantastic'.

Monteith checked into rehab in April

"I'm like everybody else, really devastated and confused by what happened."

The Canadian actor had been dead for several hours when his body was discovered after he failed to check out of his hotel.

There were no signs of foul play and the cause of his death was not clear, British Columbia Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe said.

A post-mortem examination is expected to take place later today.

Monteith's representatives issued a statement saying: "We are in shock and mourning this tragic loss."

X-Factor judge Sharon Osbourne told Sky News of her devastation at the news. She said: "It broke my heart, what can you say? A beautiful, talented young man. Unfortunately, the demons in his head got to him, it's very, very sad."

The actor had openly talked about struggling with addiction since he was a teenager, saying he had a serious problem and took just "anything and everything". He told Parade magazine in 2011 that he was "lucky to be alive".

In April, Monteith checked himself in to a treatment facility for "substance addiction" and asked for privacy as he took steps toward recovery, a representative said at the time. It was not his first time in rehab. He received treatment when he was 19.

The actor's cousin Richard Monteith at a memorial outside the hotel

Asked whether Monteith had died of a drug overdose, Vancouver Police Department Acting Chief Doug LePard said he would "not discuss anything that we might have found in the room at this time".

Other people were in Monteith's hotel room on Friday night but evidence, including fob key entries, showed he returned to his room by himself early on Saturday and was alone when he died, police said.

Mr LePard said the people who were out with Monteith before he died are being interviewed.

Monteith began his career in a number of small TV and film roles, but the hit musical show Glee was his breakthrough.

His character's on-again-off-again romance with Rachel Berry, played by Lea Michele, was a big part of the show.

Monteith and Michele followed in the footsteps of their Glee characters by dating in real life.

They appeared publicly together as recently as last month at a charity ball.

Monteith and Lea Michele in June

Michele has asked for privacy after receiving the news of her boyfriend's death.

"We ask that everyone kindly respect Lea's privacy during this devastating time," said her representative, Molly Kawachi.

When Monteith entered rehab in April, Michele told People magazine she loved and supported him and was proud he was seeking help.

His cousin Richard Monteith cried at a makeshift memorial outside the hotel where the actor died, while stars, co-workers and fans have been expressing their sadness on Twitter.

Monteith's Glee co-star and close friend Matthew Morrison dedicated his performance of 54 Below at a New York Broadway nightclub to the actor on Sunday evening, describing him as a "brother".

According to the New York Times, an emotional Morrison told the audience: "You guys came to see a show. I came to perform a show, so that's what we'll do. And we'll do it in Cory's honour."

He changed his opening song to 'What I did for Love' from the musical A Chorus Line, which featured in the second season of Glee.

Monteith was an avid supporter of Project Limelight, a Vancouver charity that offers a theatre and arts programmes to at-risk youth.

He dined with Project Limelight co-founder Maureen Webb at a Vancouver restaurant just days before his death.

In an interview last year, Monteith credited Ms Webb for suggesting that he enrol in acting classes when he was struggling at 19.

Monteith on stage with Lady Gaga and Glee co-star Jane Lynch in 2010

He kept in touch with Ms Webb and made a video to support Project Limelight when the charity was launched last year.

"I think kids really need a place to go and feel like they belong," Monteith said in the video posted on Project Limelight's website.

"When I was a kid, I struggled a lot with who I was and where my life was going and what I was interested in. And I was fortunate to have the arts inspire me."

A Glee convention taking place near London's Heathrow airport at the weekend turned into a memorial for Monteith after attendees heard of his death.

Organisers of the three-day event changed the final day's schedule so fans could mourn the star together.

Chloe-Louise Bond, a 22-year-old fan from Wakefield, said: "We all woke up to hear the story, and no one really wanted to believe it was true.

"Walking into the main room, you could just feel the tragedy in the air, absolute strangers became a family right in that moment. Everyone was crying and hugging and just trying to get over the shock."

The fans chanted "Cory! Cory! Cory!" and sang in unison tunes such as Don't Stop Believin', the Journey cover crooned by Monteith in the first episode of Glee.

Curt Mega, Telly Leung and other actors who have appeared in the programme led a group discussion with fans about their memories of Monteith. 

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Saatchi-Nigella Divorce: No Claims For Cash

No money will change hands between Nigella Lawson and Charles Saatchi in their divorce, they have said.

The split is expected to be completed within weeks and comes after they were pictured in a London restaurant with Saatchi holding his wife by her throat.

The 70-year-old art collector, who is said to be worth well over £100m, agreed to accept a police caution for assault after the picture came to light.

The couple, who married in 2003, have confirmed that Fiona Shackleton - who represented Sir Paul McCartney in his divorce from Heather Mills - is working on behalf of millionaire TV chef Lawson, 53, to bring the matter to a "swift and amicable" conclusion.

A statement issued on behalf of the pair said: "A divorce will proceed on the undefended basis, the decree nisi is to be pronounced on 31 July, and neither party will be making any financial claims against the other.

"Contrary to some reports, Charles Saatchi has not consulted lawyers and has represented himself throughout.

"Both parties would appreciate privacy for themselves and their children at this difficult time."

Saatchi announced just over a week ago that they were to divorce, saying it had been a "heartbreaking" decision.

He told the Mail On Sunday he had "clearly been a disappointment" to his wife, and said they have "become estranged and drifted apart" over the past year.

Saatchi had been critical of his wife's decision to avoid making any public comment about their argument at the restaurant, saying: "I am disappointed that she was advised to make no public comment to explain that I abhor violence of any kind against women, and have never abused her physically in any way."

After the pictures were initially published he dismissed the incident as nothing more than "a playful tiff". He accepted the caution to stop the incident "hanging over" them, he said.

Lawson was previously married to journalist John Diamond, who died of throat cancer in 2001, with whom she has two children, Cosima and Bruno.

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Apple Investigates After iPhone 5 User Dies

Apple is investigating claims that a woman was electrocuted while making a call on her iPhone 5 as it was recharging.

Flight attendant Ma Ailun, from the Xinjiang region of China, collapsed to the floor and died as she was using the phone, according to her sister.

She urged other users to be careful, tweeting: "I want to warn everyone else not to make phone calls when your mobile phone is recharging."

Apple said: "We are deeply saddened to learn of this tragic incident and offer our condolences to the Ma family.

"We will fully investigate and cooperate with authorities in this matter."

Police said the 23-year-old victim was picking up the phone to answer a call when she died.

They confirmed Ms Ma, who was due to be married next month, was electrocuted but have yet to confirm if her phone was the cause of the accident, the state news agency Xinhua said.

She bought the iPhone in December at an official Apple store and was using the original charger to recharge the phone when the  tragedy happened, her sister said.

Mobile phones have a low output of only three to five volts, which is not enough to harm the human body, according to experts.

People will feel an electric shock at about 36 volts.

"However, if the charger or the circuit has a problem, such as a broken wire, it can lead to a shock of 220 volts," a senior physics teacher at a Nanjing high school was quoted as saying.

In 2010, a man in northeast China was killed by an electric shock when making a phone call with a handset that was being recharged with an unauthorised charger, according to the China Consumers Association.

China is Apple's second largest market and its iPhones and other products, many of them made in the country, are highly popular.

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Daniel Pelka's Mum Says Partner 'Strangled' Her

By Lisa Dowd, Sky News Correspondent

A mother has told a court that she was strangled by her partner when she tried to stop him hitting her son, who was allegedly beaten to death.

Daniel Pelka, four, was allegedly starved for months before he died in Coventry in March last year.

His mother Magdelena Luczak and stepfather Mariusz Krezolek both deny murdering and causing or allowing Daniel's death.

Giving evidence in her defence at Birmingham Crown Court, Luczak told the jury that Krezolek had hit Daniel on the back of his head and that Daniel had fallen.

When she tried to intervene she said Krezolek strangled her.

"I was losing consciousness and wetting myself", she said.

Magdelena Luczak and Mariusz Krezolek

Luczak said Krezolek had grabbed Daniel by his shirt, took him to the bathroom and "cleaned Daniel in a very unpleasant way", then "dragged" the child to his room and "hit him again" and "knocked him down to the mattress".

Luczak said she found herself downstairs on the sofa and could not remember what else had happened.

When she checked on Daniel she said she thought he was asleep and not unconscious and that is why she had not called an ambulance immediately.

Luczak said she did nothing to help her son because she was frightened for herself.

When Krezolek eventually called the emergency services around 30 hours after the incident, Luczak admitted lying about events to protect herself and Krezolek.

Earlier, she told the court that Krezolek, who at first got on well with Daniel, became angry with him when he stole sandwiches from other children's lunch boxes at school.

She said Krezolek would smack Daniel's bottom as a punishment, and make him kneel, do squats, and locked him in his room.

But, she said, the punishments escalated.

"Mariusz would check his belly and he would say that there's a slight bump on his belly.

"He would ask Daniel if he was taking any sandwiches (from his school). Daniel was so scared that he would always confess and say yes he had.

"Mariusz didn't allow me to give him food and he said he was well fed at school," she said.

Luczak said she told teachers who were concerned about Daniel that everything was ok at home because she did not want social services involved.

She admitted promising Daniel a chocolate bar if he did not tell staff what was going on.

Luczak said that a text she had sent to Krezolek saying that Daniel "won't see grub at all", was so that Krezolek didn't punish her child.

Last week Krezolek denied hitting Daniel on his head, and told the court that he only punished Daniel on the instructions of his mother. He said that he had told Luczak to feed the child.

The trial continues.

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Sasha Marsden 'Lured To Her Death' On Facebook

By Becky Johnson, North of England Correspondent

A court has heard how a teenager was lured to her death at a hotel in Blackpool by a man who had befriended her on Facebook.

The burning body of 16-year-old Sasha Marsden was discovered in an alleyway on January 31. David Minto, 22, denies her murder.

Opening the trial, Peter Wright QC told the jury that Minto lured the girl to the Grafton House Hotel, where he worked as caretaker and barman, on the pretext of getting her a job as a cleaner.

Mr Wright told the court Minto knew the hotel would be empty and that he attacked and sexually assaulted Sasha and stabbed her repeatedly with a kitchen knife.

The alley where 16-year-old Sasha Marsden was found dead in Blackpool

Then as she lay dead or dying it was claimed he further sexually assaulted her before wrapping her partially-clothed body in a bin liner and setting it alight in a nearby alleyway.

The jury was told that before her death Sasha had been living with her parents and boyfriend. She was studying childcare at a local college.

Several members of her family were in court for the start of the trial.

The case continues at Preston Crown Court.

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OAP Killed 'Helping Paedophile' Being Robbed

Police have launched a manhunt over the murder of a pensioner who was stabbed to death after going to the aid of his neighbour - a convicted paedophile - during a robbery.

Graham Buck, 66, was responding to the cries of his neighbour, believed to be 86-year-old convicted paedophile Francis Cory-Wright, who was apparently being attacked at his home.

Police urgently want to speak to Ian John McLoughlin, also known as Ian John Baker, in connection with the killing in Little Gaddesden, near Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire on Saturday afternoon.

Police are trying to trace McLoughlin

They have released CCTV images, thought to be of the 55-year-old, to highlight the clothes he was wearing on the day of the murder.

They have warned the public not to approach Mr McLoughlin and have described him as "extremely dangerous".

The suspect is described as being a white male, around 6ft tall with greying hair.

He was believed to be wearing sunglasses, blue jeans and a dark, blue, light blue and white checked short sleeved shirt with a button down collar. He is of average build.

Francis Cory-Wright was thought to have been attacked in his home

Mr Buck, 66, was found dead at the scene by police while Cory-Wright was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Detective Chief Superintendent Jeff Hill said Mr Buck, described as a retired financial industry worker, paid the "ultimate price" for intervening during the robbery at the home of an elderly neighbour.

"Mr Buck's actions were totally selfless and illustrate a deep sense of community spirit which deserves recognition and respect," he said.

"His family are receiving support from specialist officers and we extend our deepest sympathies to them at this truly dreadful time."

Mr Buck leaves behind a wife, two sons and a daughter, two grandchildren and a former wife.

A statement from Hertfordshire Police said his family described him as a devoted husband, father and grandfather who "appreciated his life, getting great satisfaction from his family being happy and healthy".

"He was a man who would help anyone in need, with a strong sense of doing the right thing," it said.

A statement from Mr Buck's family said: "We have no words to express how much Graham will be missed. We were all in such a happy place as a family. We were all so settled, with growing numbers of grandchildren whom he adored being around.

"We haven't seen him happier than being around his grandchildren whom he adored being around. We haven't seen him happier than being around his grandchildren, he was so proud. We cannot get over that we have lost him.

"He's going to be missed by so many people."

DCI Martin Branning from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit said: "We would like to reiterate that we continue to search for an extremely dangerous man and our focus is on finding Ian McLoughlin as soon as possible.

"The nature of this murder investigation is one of significant violence and until he is caught the public are asked not to approach him as he is a very dangerous man."

Officers have been conducting additional patrols in the "quiet residential" area to provide reassurance to residents.

In November 2011, Cory-Wright was jailed for 30 months for indecently assaulting a young boy in the 1970s.

:: Anyone with information should contact police on 101, quoting Operation Acaria, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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Shark Attack: Teenage Girl Killed Off Reunion

A 15-year-old girl has died after a shark tore her in two while she was swimming off a beach on the French island of Reunion.

The victim is understood to have been just three to five metres from the shore at the bay of Saint-Paul, northwest of the island, when she was attacked at around 2.30pm local time.

"Part of her body was carried away by the shark," said Gina Hoarau, director of public safety in Saint-Paul.

"The conditions of the attack are surprising. You wouldn't think that a shark would get this close to the shore," she added.

The teenager, who lives in mainland France with her mother, was on holiday visiting her father who works at a yacht club in the area.

She was snorkelling in an unsupervised area where bathing is forbidden due to high shark numbers, officials said.

A friend who was with her at the time of the attack managed swim back to shore and emergency services including lifeguards, firefighters and a police helicopter were called to the scene.

It is the second deadly shark attack this year off the French island, situated east of Madagascar, and brings the total of shark-related deaths there since 2011 to five.

But it is the first time in at least three decades that a swimmer, rather than a surfer, was the victim.

Local authorities this month renewed safety warnings after an increase in shark numbers.

A mayor and French politician, Thierry Robert, last year described a marine reserve near the bay of Saint-Paul set up six years ago to safeguard coral reefs as "a shark's larder".

There has been little shark fishing off the island since 2009 because of a toxin currently found in their flesh that causes food poisoning.

Locals claim tiger and bull shark populations have multiplied as a result.

In May, a 36-year-old French man on his honeymoon was killed off the popular beach of Brisants de Saint-Gilles on the west of the island while surfing.

A spate of shark attacks last year off Reunion Island prompted France to hire a team of professional fishermen to kill around 20 of them but Paris has refused to mount a more widespread cull.

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Soldiers Died 'On First Day Of SAS Assessment'

Two TA soldiers who died while attempting to get into the special forces were on the first day of a week-long assessment when they collapsed with suspected heat exhaustion, according to Sky sources.

Police are investigating the deaths of the two servicemen on the hottest day of the year while a third serviceman is in a serious condition in hospital. The Ministry of Defence has named one of the servicemen as Lance Corporal Craig Roberts.

The three were part of a group training in the Brecon Beacons, some of Wales' most rugged terrain, on Saturday when temperatures topped 29.5C (85.1F).

It is understood that the men were on the first day of a week-long assessment as part of the Territorial Army section of the SAS.

The selection process was running alongside regular SAS trials and has now been abandoned due to the deaths.

For the regular version of the special forces elite, the trials would involve a 40-mile speed march with about 55lb on their backs, including a replica rifle, normally completed over a 20-hour period.

It is likely that the process would be slightly reduced for the reservist version or split up, but nevertheless gruelling.

The soldiers would have been carrying around 36kg/six stone

Sky News Defence Correspondent Alistair Bunkall said the "very rigorous selection process" would have meant "long yomping walks carrying an awful lot of weight".

With military sources indicating soaring temperatures may have been to blame for their deaths, Bunkall added that the investigation into their deaths was like to focus on the climate and whether enough preparations were put in place.

Colonel Richard Kemp, former commander of British troops in Afghanistan, pointed out the difference between the selection processes for the regular Army and the special forces, where the onus is on individual achievement and self-motivation.

He told Sky News: "The Army relies a lot on the buddy-buddy system, in other words of either a commander or fellow soldier looking out for their mates to see if they are exhibiting any symptoms of heat illness.

"Of course if they are doing SAS selection ... then a lot of that is done as individuals."

Chris Hunter, a former special forces bomb disposal officer who was training for a marathon on the Brecon Beacons over the weekend, told Sky News that every member of the armed forces is taught how to survive in extreme heat as soon as they join up - using techniques such as carrying lots of water, rehydrating with salts and adding and removing layers of clothing as necessary.

Police are investigating the deaths

But he added: "Of course when they are trying to meet very tight timelines, carrying lots of equipment, literally speed marching up the mountains, running down them and navigating at the same time it can be quite difficult to do so."

Mr Hunter said a medical assessment by a doctor is always carried out before "any extreme training" and "the individual soldiers would certainly have been physically fit".

The Ministry of Defence and police are both investigating what happened. The soldiers' families have been informed.

The MoD has refused to confirm that the three were members of the TA aspiring to join the reservists' branch of the SAS.

And a spokesman said there are no plans to change "routine exercises" in light of the incident.

The Brecon Beacons is one of several locations British military use as part of their training. The deaths occurred near the Storey Arms activity centre.

The area's rugged and sprawling terrain helps prepare soldiers physically and mentally for warfare as well as put their logistic skills to the test, making it an ideal area for elite forces personnel like the SAS.

However the Beacons' jagged topography can prove dangerous even to the most hardened and physically fit.

A map of the region

Earlier this year, an army captain was found dead on a snow-covered Corn Du mountain.

It was thought that Rob Carnegie had been taking part in a gruelling 17-40 mile march in freezing conditions in the Brecon Beacons as part of a selection process for the special forces regiment, when he collapsed and died.

However, this time investigators are examining whether hot temperatures played a major factor.

A source said: "It is a case of the people succumbing to being affected by the training that they were doing."

The Army's website said the Brecon Beacons were used because they are so demanding and prepare soldiers for the "extraordinary things" they have to do on deployment.

The website says: "Training for high-intensity, light-role war fighting is the way soldiers and officers are prepared for any operational situation they may face - conventional war, counter insurgency, security sector reform, peacekeeping or supporting civil authorities.

"This ensures that the training is as close to current operations and pre-deployment training as possible, whilst maintaining the ability to train for high intensity war fighting."

The soldiers who died were thought to be trying out for the SAS

News of the deaths has been met with shock in the nearby town of Brecon, which is home to The Infantry Battle School.

Brecon mayor and Powys county councillor Matthew Dorrance said: "It's incredibly sad for the friends and family of the people who have lost their lives and our thoughts are with the person who is injured.

"In one way we've been blessed with the weather but for people working in this heat, they're tough conditions."

Members of all four of South Wales' mountain rescue teams said they had been called out to assist when the two servicemen died.

Thirty members of Central Beacons, Brecon, Western Beacons and Abergavenny-based Longtown Mountain Rescue Teams joined the operation near Pen y Fan, which is the highest mountain in south Wales.

Mark Moran, from Central Beacons MRT, paid tribute to its members who took part in the rescue operation.

"They are all volunteers, who are highly trained and dedicated" he said.

"We were working alongside military personnel who remained extremely calm and professional during this tragic incident. Our thoughts are now with the families of those involved."

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English Channel Swimmer Died One Mile From Land

A British woman has died after collapsing while attempting to swim across the English Channel.

Having set off in the early hours of Sunday, married accountant Susan Taylor was just a mile off the coast of France, near Sangatte.

The 34-year-old was pulled from the water by her paramedic brother David, who then battled to save her life on the boat accompanying her attempt. The support team alerted French emergency services and requested a defibrillator.

She was airlifted by a French naval helicopter to a hospital in Boulogne-sur-Mer, where she was pronounced dead at 7.15pm on Sunday.

Tributes were left on Mrs Taylor's Create A Ripple Channel Swim page

Speaking at the family home, Mrs Taylor's father, 68-year-old Arthur Wright, said: "I'm devastated. I've lost the best person in the world. She was just wonderful.

"She had swum 30 miles and she got to the last part and that's when it happened. That's as much as I know."

He said the family had celebrated Mrs Taylor's birthday and her brother's birthday at a restaurant last Thursday and that he last saw his daughter on Friday night.

"I saw her to say I hope it goes well and gave her a kiss," he said.

Mr Wright said his daughter had given up her full-time job to carry out charitable work and was working part-time as an accountant.

She had also done wing-walking and a parachute jump, and was a qualified rally driver.

"She was certainly not a boring accountant," he said.

The tracker map showing Mrs Taylor's progress stopped near the French coast

Also on the boat was Mrs Taylor's husband Stephen, her coach who has been training her since she was eight years old, and a support swimmer.

She had been attempting to raise money for Rainbows Hospice and Diabetes UK through her Facebook page Create A Ripple Channel Swim.

A message apparently posted by her sister on the page said: "Thank you for your messages of support. If you would like to leave a sign of respect please feel free to donate to her fund raising page."

She set off from Samphire Hoe at around 1am on Sunday and weather conditions were reported to be relatively good when she encountered difficulties, with water temperatures of 15C.

Mrs Taylor before starting her swim (pic: Create A Ripple Channel Swim)

Posts on her Facebook page show supporters began to fear for Mrs Taylor at around 9pm.

Sarah Taylor wrote: "Any news Susan Taylor? Can't seem to get any track since 6.30? Xxxxxxxx."

A short time later, Clare Biddle posted: "Hope all is ok?? Tracker has stopped!! Susan you are a star xxx."

At around 11pm, a user called Maverick Marc Richardson wrote: "What's going on no news and tracker doesn't look good."

The messages reflected mounting concerns among her supporters, with Lauren Boat writing at 10am today: "Really hope your OK Susan, thinking of you xx."

More than 100 comments followed within an hour of the message from Mrs Taylor's sister.

One post, from Rebecca Adie-Drackley, said: "RIP Susan. Swimming was your life all through school from Barwell Infants we all grew up together. I am so sad I cannot think of any words at this time. God bless you, it was an honour to grow up with you xxx."

Mrs Taylor's crossing was being overseen by the Channel Swimming Association, one of the two official British organisations who authorise the attempts.

Dr Julie Bradshaw, secretary of the association, told Sky News: "Susan was a bubbly person, full of life and always doing things for other people."

Kevin Murphy, who is secretary of the other official body, the Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation (CS&PF), oversaw Mrs Taylor's six-hour assessment swim - which everyone attempting to swim the Channel must undertake.

He told Sky News: "She was a very nice woman, a very good swimmer and we're all very upset.

"I got to know her while overseeing her assessment swim. It is an extreme sport but has a safety record that is second to none among extreme sports. Both the official organisations work within the strictest of conditions in terms of safety.

"Susan has passed away doing something she loved and raising money for two fantastic causes. I would hope people recognise that and feel moved to donate money to those causes in her memory."

He said the zig-zag pattern on the tracker charting her progress was normal and reflected the tidal flows that affect swimmers' routes during the attempts.

Mrs Taylor is the eighth person to die while trying to swim the channel since the first recorded attempt in 1875.

Geoff Ellis, chief executive at Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People, said: "Susan was a wonderful woman who would do anything for anybody.

"She has been a much loved ambassador at Rainbows for over two years, helping out at events and tirelessly fundraising for us.

"She was more than an ambassador; she was part of the Rainbows family."

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