Ebola: Temperatures To Be Taken At Airports

Passengers arriving in the UK after connecting flights from ebola-hit countries are to have their temperatures taken as part of screening for the virus.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the measures would come into force at Heathrow's Terminal 1 on Tuesday, before being rolled out to other terminals and to Gatwick and the Eurostar hub, St Pancras.

Anyone arriving in the country after travelling from Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia will be subject to the screening.

Those who have had recent exposure to ebola sufferers, who are showing symptoms of the virus or who have a raised temperature will undergo a clinical assessment and be transferred to hospital if necessary.

"This will allow potential ebola virus carriers arriving in the UK to be identified, tracked and given rapid access to expert health advice, should they develop symptoms," Mr Hunt said.

Video: UK's Response To Ebola Threat

"Passengers will have their temperatures taken and complete a questionnaire asking about their current health, recent travel history and whether they might be at potential risk through contact with ebola patients.

"They'll also be required to provide contact details."

Those passengers not made to undergo a clinical assessment but still deemed to be at "high risk" will be contacted on a daily basis by Public Health England officials.

Mr Hunt said: "Should they develop symptoms, they'll have the reassurance of knowing this system will get them first-class medical care, as the NHS demonstrated with nurse William Pooley (who survived after contracting ebola in Sierra Leone)."

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1. Gallery: Ebola Exercise Tests UK Readiness

   A nationwide drill to test Britain's readiness for an ebola outbreak has left the Health Secretary "doubly reassured" the country would cope

2. The eight-hour simulation at hospitals across the country proves Britain has "robust plans" in place, says Jeremy Hunt. Continue for more images

The Health Secretary's statement comes as the Government revealed calls to the NHS non-emergency 111 phone line will be monitored for possible ebola sufferers.

Call handlers will question anyone ringing up with ebola-like symptoms about their recent travel history to see if they have been to West Africa.

UK chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies has said Britain should expect a "handful" of ebola cases in the coming months after a major exercise to test the country's readiness for such cases was carried out over the weekend.

More than 4,000 people have died in the latest outbreak, mostly in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

Video: Liberia Gripped By Ebola Virus Fear

The World Health Organisation has warned that the ebola epidemic is the "most severe acute health emergency in modern times".

Its director-general said the outbreak has proved the world was "ill-prepared" to deal with any sustained public health emergency.

The US started screening people travelling from those countries to its busiest international airports on Saturday to limit the spread of the disease.

Tests are currently being carried out on another suspected ebola sufferer in the US – just hours after a female nurse was confirmed to have contracted the disease from a patient.

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'We're Dead!' Final Moments Of Doomed Flight

By Peter Allen, in Paris

Two out of three Air France pilots were sleeping minutes before their plane plunged into the sea with the loss of all 228 people on board.

Details of the last moments of Flight 447, which claimed the lives of five Britons and three Irish doctors, have emerged in a disturbing new investigation into the 2009 disaster.

Published in the October edition of Vanity Fair magazine, it raises questions about safety aboard civilian passenger jets, and the 'culture' of the Air France pilots on board.

A picture of the plane's landing gear resting on the sea bed

Excerpts from recorded conversations between 37-year-old David Robert, Pierre-Cedric Bonin, 32, and Marc Dubois, the 58-year-old captain of the plane, reveal that two of them were asleep when the plane got into difficulty in a tropical storm.

Referring to Bonin, a 'Company Baby' on the Rio de Janeiro to Paris flight, the piece reads: "With most of the weather still lying ahead and an anxious junior pilot at the controls, Dubois decided it was time to get some sleep."

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1. Gallery: Air France Crash And Recovery Operation

   Medical teams recover bodies from the wreckage

2. The Air France tail fin in the Atlantic Ocean following the crash

3. An area map showing the location of the downed plane

4. The Brazilian Navy removes crash debris from the Atlantic Ocean

5. The recovered tail fin of the plane is loaded onto a lorry in Brazil

6. A memorial wreath thrown into Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro

7. Brazilian Navy boat 'Grajau Class' which participates in the search operation off the brazilian coast to locate debris

8. Crew members of a Brazilian Air Force Black Hawk H-60 helicopter prepare rescue equipment at Fernando de Noronha airport

9. Friends, relatives and authorities attend a mass to pay tribute for the victims at the Candelaria Cathedral

10. An aerial photo showing the 20km-long fuel track from the aircraft

11. Brazilian Navy released this picture of debris recovered 3 days after the aircraft crashed

12. Brazilian Air Force rescuer divers unload a body bag from a helicopter, 228 people lost their lives

13. Objects and pieces recovered from the sea by the Brazilian forces

14. Investigators of the BEA (the French bureau leading the crash investigation) inspect debris at the CEAT aeronautical laboratory in Toulouse

15. The plane flight data recorder is displayed to journalists

Chief investigator Alain Bouillard is quoted as saying: "If the captain had stayed in position through the Inter-tropical Convergence Zone, it would have delayed his sleep by no more than 15 minutes, and because of his experience, maybe the story would have ended differently.

"But I do not believe it was fatigue that caused him to leave. It was more like customary behavior, part of the piloting culture within Air France.

"And his leaving was not against the rules. Still, it is surprising. If you are responsible for the outcome, you do not go on vacation during the main event."

Up until now it was known that Dubois was sleeping off a night in Rio with his girlfriend, an off-duty hostess and opera singer, who was on the doomed Airbus 330.

"I didn't sleep enough last night. One hour - it's not enough," said Dubois, before he went to sleep.

Referring to "the flight-rest compartment, a small cabin containing two berths just behind the cockpit", the article describes how Robert was also "dozing there".

The article continues: "On the night of 31 May 2009, the pilots of Flight 447 certainly did not serve their passengers well."

The plane was suffering from a loss of lift - or a stall - and its airspeed sensors had malfunctioned.

Video: Air France Crash Report Released

But instead of lowering the plane's nose to deal with the stall, as they should have done according to normal procedures, they raised it.

Dubois finally entered the cockpit 1 minute and 38 seconds after the pitot tubes malfunctioned, but by that time panic was setting in.

Robert said: "F***, we're going to crash! It's not true! But what's happening?"

Soon after, either Robert or Bonin is heard to say: "F***, we're dead" before - four hours and 15 minutes into the flight - it crashes into the Atlantic.

It took two years to retrieve bodies from the bottom of the sea, along with essential records such as the flight's voice recorder.

Air France has denied that its pilots were incompetent, but has since improved training, concentrating on how to fly a plane manually when there is a stall.

Both Air France and Airbus are facing manslaughter charges, with a judicial investigation led by Paris judges underway.

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Ebola: Nurse Is First To Contract Disease In US

Tests are being carried out on another suspected ebola sufferer in the US - hours after a female nurse was confirmed to have contracted the disease from a patient.

The man was put into isolation in Boston, Massachusetts, after recently returning from Liberia - one of the countries worst affected by the outbreak.

It follows the death of 42-year-old Thomas Eric Duncan at a hospital in Dallas, Texas, the first from ebola on US soil.

A nurse who was treating Mr Duncan at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital was confirmed on Sunday to have been the first to contract the disease in the US.

The unnamed woman, who had been wearing full protective gear, reported having a "low-grade fever" on Friday and was then isolated, officials said.

Video: UK's Response To Ebola Threat

Dr Thomas Frieden, from the Centres for Disease Control, said the hospital worker caught the disease because of a breach of care protocol during Mr Duncan's treatment.

A further 18 workers could also have been exposed, he said, and are being monitored.

The male suspected ebola victim who recently returned from Liberia is being evaluated at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre in Boston.

He presented himself to a hospital in Braintree, Massachusetts, complaining of a headache and muscle aches, before being transferred.

It is expected to take between 24 and 48 hours to discover if he is suffering from ebola.

Video: Ebola Due To 'Breach In Protocol'

More than 4,000 people have died in the latest outbreak, mostly in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea in West Africa.

The US started screening people travelling from those countries to its busiest international airports on Saturday to limit the spread of the disease.

An exercise also took place in the UK over the weekend to ensure emergency authorities were prepared for the possible spread of ebola.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has now announced calls to the NHS' non-emergency 111 phone line are to be screened for possible cases of ebola.

Anyone ringing up with possible symptoms of the disease will be questioned to see if they have been to West Africa.

Video: World Bank: Ebola Response Too Slow

It has been reported there are fears hundreds of students returning to UK universities after a summer break in West Africa could be at risk of inadvertently bringing the disease to Britain.

Mr Hunt said the UK had "robust and well-tested systems for dealing with any imported case of ebola", but added: "However, we keep the need for further measures under review and will never be complacent - and so I asked for additional steps to be taken by NHS 111."

Britain is also planning enhanced screening at Heathrow and Gatwick airports and at Eurostar rail terminals.

Ahead of a statement to the House of Commons Mr Hunt told Sky News: "What we are trying to do is find out if people are at high risk of having contracted the virus so that we can stay in touch with them, call them twice a day, check their temperatures because the most critical thing with this virus is someone is not at risk to other people unless they are showing symptoms.

"So the moment they get those symptoms we need to send an ambulance with people with the protective equipment to make sure we can put them in isolation - that's much better for them as well, their chances of survival are much higher the quicker we can get to them." 

Video: US To Screen Travellers For Ebola

The UK's chief medical officer, Dame Sally Davies, said the country should expect a "handful" of ebola cases in the coming months.

The British expert in charge of the United Nations' response to ebola, Dr David Nabarro, said he hoped the spread of the killer virus would be "under control" within three months.

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Mike Bassett Fans Can Appear In Sequel

Fans of the film Mike Bassett: England Manager are being given the opportunity to appear in the sequel to the cult comedy.

The team behind Mike Bassett: Interim Manager, which will see Ricky Tomlinson reprise his role as the inept Three Lions boss, have turned to the crowdfunding website Kickstarter.

They want to raise £250,000 to help ensure the film is finished, and there are a number of rewards on offer for those who pledge cash.

Those who donate £5 will get an audio thank you message from Tomlinson and a series of audio clips from the first film.

Other rewards include: being featured as an extra, seeing your name on the back of a player's shirt in the film, a day on set and tickets to the film's premiere.

But the biggest incentive on offer for donating is a speaking part in the film, which is open to the first five people to pledge £5,000.

Director Steve Barron said: "I had such a great time making the first movie, and watching Bassett become such a football icon over the years has been wonderful.

"With the Germans dominating football again, we brainstormed a really fun idea and it felt right to bring him back. We can't wait to get started.

"It's the passion of the fans that convinced us a Bassett return is welcome and that's why we're looking to create a film that is partially fan-funded via Kickstarter."

Tomlinson said it was an "easy decision" to play the fictional England boss again.

"Who wouldn't want to be England manager without all the stress of actually having the job?

"Whenever I speak to football fans there's such affection for Bassett that it's hard to ignore the demand.

"The Kickstarter element is a brilliant way of getting people involved in the film. It's a football film for football fans so it's great to recreate the same collectiveness you see on the terraces in a movie."

The team hopes to raise the money before 20 November, with filming set to begin in March.

If all goes to plan, the film could be released in early 2016.

The original film saw Bassett improbably lead England to the semi-finals of the World Cup, but the sequel reveals that since then he has fallen on hard times after a series of ill-fated career moves.

But when England's German manager takes up another job just weeks before the World Cup, Bassett answers his country's call once again, stepping up from assistant to become interim manager.

To donate to the campaign, click here.

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Leaders React To Plan For Election Debates

By Jason Farrell, Political Correspondent

Questions are being raised over who should appear in the live leaders' debates after broadcasters released proposals to include Nigel Farage but not the Green party leader.

Sky News, the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 have suggested a 4-3-2 strategy where the Prime Minister would debate Ed Miliband in one debate, the two would be joined by Nick Clegg for another and add Mr Farage for the final debate.

David Cameron questioned the inclusion of UKIP saying: "If you have one person, then the Greens have an MP as well, so you have to think these things through.

April 2010: the Sky News leaders' debate

"It's an interesting proposal. None of us had seen it beforehand. I'm sure we'll study it and I'm sure there will be other proposals along before long.

"I've always been in favour of TV debates. I'm in favour of TV debates, but you've got to make sure you come up with a proposal that everyone can agree to, and I can't see how you can have one party in that has an MP in Parliament, and not another party."

Video: Cameron Wants More Debates Details

Green Party MP Caroline Lucas said the party was considering taking legal action after being left out of the line-up. Both the Green Party and UKIP have one MP in Westminster but only Mr Farage has been included in the plans for the debates.

Ms Lucas tweeted: "Taking legal advice over Green exclusion from TV debates. Apparently 'messy' to have too many candidates. Democracy IS messy - sort it out!"

But Mr Miliband said: "I hope David Cameron is not going to put up false obstacles to these TV debates happening.

Video: Farage Welcomes Debate ... For Now

"He should be saying they will happen, they must happen during the campaign. For my part, I'm going to make sure they do."

Mr Farage said: "This is better than it could have been. At last, there is a recognition of UKIP but if the political situation changed, we will expect to be included in the second debate."

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander said: "I don't accept Liberal Democrats should be excluded from any debate. We are a party of Government."

Video: Miliband: Debates Must Take Place

The Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood and SNP Westminster leader Angus Robertson MP both said they should also be included in televised debates.

YouGov pollster Peter Kellner said the plan was a "very, very smart proposal". He said Mr Cameron's internal advice from his strategic adviser Lynton Crosby would be to avoid televised debates that give "Nigel Farage an opening".

He told Sky News: "David Cameron has the most to lose and Nigel Farage has the most to gain."

Video: Lib Dems Reject Debates Format

Sky Bet puts Mr Farage as favourite to win in a four-way debate, with Mr Cameron trailing him. Separately in a head-to-head between Mr Cameron and Mr Miliband, the Conservative leader is favourite to win.

The format for 2015 would see three different styles of debate. Sky News and Channel 4 would broadcast the head-to-head contest between Mr Cameron and Mr Miliband, which would be chaired by former Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman with Sky News' Kay Burley introducing the programme and presenting post-debate analysis.

The BBC would broadcast a similar debate to the 2010 format where the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat leaders are pitted against each other. This would be presented by David Dimbleby.

Video: Leaders Must Discuss Debate Plan

ITV would have a four-way contest between the Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat and UKIP leaders. This would be chaired by ITV presenter Julie Etchingham.

The news organisations describe the debates as "vital in engaging voters with the political process" and have written to Mr Cameron, Mr Miliband, Mr Clegg and Mr Farage inviting them to take part. 

The leaders have agreed in principle to the debates, but the Prime Minister has resisted pinning down the detail and other party leaders have accused him of dragging his feet.

Video: Cameron Most To Lose From Debates

The Head of Sky News John Ryley said: "There are only 24 weeks to go before the start of the General Election Campaign.

"Sky, Channel 4, the BBC and ITV have put together a clear compelling proposal; three debates during the election campaign. It's now critical that the political parties engage and start negotiating for the debates seriously."

The proposal for the 2015 debates suggest the three debates take place at fortnightly intervals beginning in early April. The suggested dates are April 2, April 16 and April 30.

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1. Gallery: Leaders' Debates: A 4-3-2 Line-Up

   Sky News and Channel 4: David Cameron v Ed Miliband

2. BBC: David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg

3. ITV: David Cameron, Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage

Live debates have now become a normal part of the political landscape. Mr Clegg and Mr Farage clashed over Europe, and the bitter battles between Alex Salmond and Alistair Darling energised the Scottish independence fight. 

While 2010 was the television election, drawing 22 million viewers, 2015 will engage more widely with voters online and using social media.

As well as live studio audiences, comprising members of the general public, questions will also be provided to the leaders using social media including Twitter and Facebook to ensure the widest possible audience engagement. Each broadcaster will make their debate available live to all other media outlets.

Video: Debating The Leaders' TV Debates

In a joint statement, the news organisations said: "All four broadcasters believe televised party leader debates are vital in engaging voters with the political process. The broadcasters intend to transmit the leaders debates live for all their extensive audiences, on air, online and on social media, which together have a mass reach amongst the British population."

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Ebola Crisis: Alex Crawford's Special Report

In a week when the World Health Organisation declared deaths from ebola have reached over 4,000, Sky's Special Correspondent Alex Crawford gained exclusive access to a body recovery team in Liberia.

You can watch a special version of the highlights of the report, or watch the full documentary and read her full story.

Our Health Correspondent Thomas Moore looks in detail at this latest global health crisis in this Sky News special report.

Video: Liberia Gripped By Ebola Virus Fear

Video: Africa Ebola Crisis: Special Report

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Shark Proof Google Cable To Link US And Brazil

Google has given the go ahead for a 6,560 mile (10,557km) undersea cable to link the US and Brazil.

The fibre-optic cable will have the capacity to move an incredible 64 terabits of data every second, equivalent to 85,000 feature films and a measure of bandwidth unthinkable before the 21st Century.

Brazil has the fifth highest number of internet users in the world and has become one of the fastest growing regions for internet penetration.

It is hoped the new pipe will help bridge the vast socio-economic digital divide in the country

Google: 'As more people access the internet, more capacity is needed'

The Brazilian government has been fighting this divide with digital-inclusion programmes for regions that have suffered from a lack of access to the internet and to devices.

And access to the internet by students is particularly poor at 60%.

In 2005 it invested $400m (£248m) in social-inclusion programmes, equipment and infrastructure to give poorer populations better access to technology.

It is hoped Google's cable will provide Brazil with the bandwidth to manage the increase in users.

The fragile glass fibres will be housed in a protective casing protected in a polyurethane jacket and a protective Kevlar-type vest to stop hungry sharks biting it in two.

Undersea cables carry high-voltage power to the signal repeaters and it is thought the emission of electricity and magnetic waves attract sharks who mistake the currents for distressed prey.

"As more people get access to the Internet, more capacity to the infrastructure that keeps the Internet running is needed, so that everyone can have a fast, safe and useful online experience," said Google's Latin America chief Cristian Ramos.

The consortium running the project includes Uruguay government-owned telco Antel, African operator Angola Cables and Brazil's Algar Telecom and the cable is expected to carry its first data packet in 2016.

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Pistorius A 'Broken Man' After Killing Model

Oscar Pistorius is a "broken man" after killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp and "flashbacks of the shooting will be mental images he always carries with him", a court has heard.

The double-amputee athlete was in court for sentencing - and could make a personal plea to Judge Thokozile Masipa in an effort to avoid jail.

He was cleared of murdering the 29-year-old model, but found guilty of culpable homicide - the equivalent of manslaughter in the UK.

Pistorius, 27, was also found guilty of discharging a firearm in public, an offence relating to him firing a gun in a restaurant.

The sentencing process is likely to take a week, both the defence and prosecution teams told the court in Pretoria.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel, who is looking for a lengthy jail term for Pistorius, said he would call two witnesses.

Video: Oscar 'Should Face House Arrest'

Pistorius' lawyer Barry Roux said he would call three witnesses, plus one from the correctional services department.

The first of these, psychologist Dr Lore Hartzenberg, told the court how Pistorius was referred to her for grief therapy.

He had been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after shooting Ms Steenkamp, and the sessions sometimes had to be abandoned "due to retching", she said.

Under cross-examination, Mr Nel asked her about the Steenkamp family, saying: "Haven't they suffered?"

She agreed: "I have no doubt they are a broken family."

Mr Nel said he would bring evidence that Ms Steenkamp's father Barry suffered a stroke because of his daughter's death.

Video: Pistorius: The Full Story

Dr Hartzenberg said "Mr Pistorius' remorse was unabated during the therapy sessions" and concern for Ms Steenkamp's parents was an "unremitting theme".

"What we are left with is a broken man who has lost everything, his relationship with Reeva Steenkamp, his moral and professional reputation, his career and therefore his earnings," she said.

She said "flashbacks of the shooting will be mental images he always carries with him" and it is "unlikely that he will ever recover from the shooting incident that happened on the 14 February 2013."

Pistorius shot Ms Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year, but Judge Masipa concluded he had not intended to kill her.

He was negligent when he raced down the corridor towards his bathroom armed with a gun - then fired four bullets through the locked toilet door, she said.

If he is sent to jail, the maximum sentence Judge Masipa is expected to hand out would be 15 years.

Video: Pistorius Bailed Following Verdict

Joel Maringa, a social worker for the Office of Correctional Services, recommended Pistorius be held under house arrest for three years.

He said the runner could stay at his uncle's house in Pretoria, while doing 16 hours a month of cleaning at a local hospital or museum.

However, Mr Nel said house arrest was "shockingly inappropriate" and questioned whether Mr Maringa had thought about the impact on Ms Steenkamp's family.

Sky's Alex Crawford, in court, said Ms Steenkamp's friends "expressed disappointment" during the lunch break at the prospect of the Paralympic sprinter doing community service rather than spending time behind bars.

Sentencing will resume on Tuesday morning.

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Islamic State Boasts Of 'Revival Of Slavery'

The Islamic State has boasted of giving Yazidi women and children captured in northern Iraq to its fighters as spoils of war in the latest issue of its propoganda magazine Dabiq.

In it the terror group admits for the first time that it sells captured Yazidis as slaves.

Leaders of the minority group, many of whom have fled their homes in northern Iraq due to the four-month-old insurgency, warned in August the community faced genocide.

The treatment of the Yazidis, who number in the tens of thousands, has sparked outrage across the globe.

Many Yazidis have fled their homes to escape Islamic State fighters

Many were trapped on a mountain near the town of Sinjar in August. Others were massacred and the fate of hundreds of missing women and children had been a mystery.

But in an article in Dabiq called "The revival of slavery before the hour', IS argues it has restored an aspect of Sharia (Islamic law) to its original meaning by enslaving people it claims hold deviant religious beliefs.

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1. Gallery: Thousands Of Displaced Yazidis

   Displaced people from the minority Yazidi sect, fleeing violence from forces loyal to the Islamic State in Sinjar town, walk towards the Syrian border, on the outskirts of Sinjar mountain

2. Islamic State militants have killed at least 500 members of Iraq's Yazidi ethnic minority during their offensive in the north, Iraq's human rights minister says

3. The Islamic State, which has declared a caliphate in parts of Iraq and Syria, has prompted tens of thousands of Yazidis and Christians to flee for their lives during their push to within a 30-minute drive of the Kurdish regional capital Irbil

4. A displaced child rests as she makes her way, on the outskirts of Sinjar mountain

5. Members of the Kurdish Red Cresent help a displaced woman from the Yazidi sect. Continue through for more pictures

The Yazidi faith is a unique blend of beliefs that draws from several religions and includes the worship of a devil figure they refer to as the Peacock Angel.

The article said: "After capture, the Yazidi women and children were then divided according to the Sharia amongst the fighters of the Islamic State who participated in the Sinjar operations.

"This large-scale enslavement of mushrik (polytheist) families is probably the first since the abandonment of this Sharia law."

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1. Gallery: Fierce Fighting In Border Town

   Smoke rises over the Syrian border town of Kobani, as seen from the southeastern Turkish village of Mursitpinar, Sanliurfa province

2. Kurdish forces defending Kobani urged a US-led coalition to escalate airstrikes on Islamic State fighters who tightened their grip on the town. Continue through for more images...

Dabiq said that, while "people of the book", such as Christians or Jews, could pay a tax or convert, the Yazidis could not do this.

Several Yazidi women and girls who have escaped captivity have claimed that they were sold to Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria.

Human Rights Watch recently produced a report including the testimony of a woman who said she saw IS fighters buying girls.

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Abbas Khan: Mother 'Shot At' In Bid To Free Son

By Joe Tidy, Sky News Reporter

The mother of a British doctor who died while in a jail in Syria has told an inquest how she was shot at, had bombs land near her and was threatened with arrest while she travelled in the war-torn country trying to get her son freed.

Fatima Khan was visibly distressed as her evidence was read out to jurors.

She said she travelled to Damascus alone without help from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office when she found out her son, Dr Abbas Khan, was being detained on terror charges.

She went from embassy to embassy and prison to prison with a picture of her son who was working as a humanitarian surgeon when he was arrested in November 2012.

At the start of the inquest, which is set to last around three weeks, at the Royal Courts of Justice in central London, chief coroner Judge Peter Thornton told jurors that the medic's mother had been "extraordinarily persistent".

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1. Gallery: Timeline: Dr Abbas Khan

   Abbas Khan was from Streatham, south London, and worked as an orthopaedic surgeon

2. The surgeon arrived in Turkey on November 12, 2012. He initially worked alongside the UK-based charity Human Aid. Dr Khan's brother said he 'passionately believed in helping those in their hour of need'

3. The 32-year-old, who had two children, specialised in hand and nerve trauma

4. He worked for Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, from which he took a six-month sabbatical in 2012

5. Dr Khan then travelled to Turkey to help injured refugees crossing the Syrian border

6. At his funeral, his brother Shahnawaz Khan remembered his brother as 'a star'

7. The doctor's mother was heard saying 'please give me my son back'

"I felt scared, but my son was here so I had to be brave," Fatima Khan said.

She would kiss the shoes of the officials she met and beg them to help her.

Dr Khan, a father of two from London, died while being held in custody by Syrian government officials last December.

He was captured in the city of Aleppo after travelling from Turkey to help victims of hospital bombings.

His family claim he was murdered while being held. The Syrian government has always maintained Dr Khan killed himself and that he was found hanging in a prison cell.

His mother also told the court about the first time she saw him in prison.

She described the conditions as squalid and said he "looked like a skeleton" and had "burn marks on his body and a fingernail missing".

She said he was beaten by inmates for being Indian and by guards for being British.

Through her family's campaigning she was able to get him transferred to a better prison where he regained his health.

He did regain his health, but died on 16 December 2013 - days before he was to be released.

The coroner told jurors they would have to come to a conclusion on the circumstances of Dr Khan's death, bearing in mind the key issues: did Dr Khan take his own life, was he forced to take his own life by his captors, or was he killed by them deliberately and unlawfully.

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