David Brent To Return In New Gervais Film

Ricky Gervais has confirmed he is to bring David Brent to the big screen with a film to follow the hit television series The Office.

The film, called Life On The Road, will catch up with the middle-manager and would-be rock star 15 years after the end of the show with him struggling to attract an audience to a self-financed UK tour.

The Office, set in a paper merchants in Slough, made Gervais a star and was shown in more than 100 countries and remade in countries including the United States, Chile and the Czech Republic.

It also boosted the careers of stars including Martin Freeman and Mackenzie Crook who played rival salesmen Tim and Gareth and have had successful film careers since.

Filming on Life On The Road will take place in the UK and begin in 2015.

Gervais, who has gone on to write and appear in shows including Extras and Derek, recently posted a series of videos on YouTube called Learn Guitar With David which led to him reviving the character for a series of live gigs.

His performance in Derek saw him nominated for the outstanding lead actor in a comedy series Emmy alongside names including The Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons and Episodes' Matt LeBlanc.

The Emmys take place on August 25.

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Plane Scare: Man Held Over Hoax Bomb Threat

Manchester Police have arrested a man on suspicion of making a hoax bomb threat after a plane was escorted into the city's airport by an RAF fighter jet.

The emergency came when the pilot of Qatar Airways flight QR23 from Doha to Manchester reported concerns about a possible device. It landed safely. 

Josh Hartley, who boarded the plane at Doha, said: "The flight was pretty calm all the way through, but some people are shaken up, quite a few. It was scary.

A man is escorted of the Qatar Airways flight by police in Manchester

"One guy has been escorted off the plane already but we're still on it. We've heard nothing yet."

The alarm is thought to have been raised when a passenger passed a note to a member of the cabin crew.

The message is understood to have been  passed on to the captain, who alerted air traffic control - prompting the quick reaction alert Typhoon to be scrambled.

In a statement Qatar Airways said the plane was an Airbus A330-300 with 269 passengers and 13 Qatar Airways crew on board.

Qatar Airways flight QR23 on the ground at Manchester Airport

The airline said: "The crew onboard had received a threat about a possible device on board and Qatar Airways immediately took all the necessary precautions to alert British authorities.

"The crew is now fully assisting police at the airport with their inquiries. 

"The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew is our top priority."

Greater Manchester Police tweeted that officers were working to get other passengers off "as swiftly and safely as possible".

Passenger Matthew Cox took this picture from the plane

"The plane has been moved to allow specialist officers who are dealing with the incident to board," said another tweet.

Chief Superintendent John O'Hare said in a statement as events unfolded: "An incoming plane has been escorted into the airport by the Royal Air Force as a result of information received by the pilot about a possible device on board.

"We don't know how genuine this threat is but it is absolutely vital we deal with the situation as a full emergency.

"As a result people will see the police and other agencies at the airport and on the airfield.

The RAF Typhoon escorts the Qatar Airways flight. Pic @Josh Hartley

"At this time I would urge them not to be alarmed.

"Our response will be as comprehensive as it is proportionate with the safety of those on board and in and around the airport our paramount concern."

Eye witness Paul Bell, who is heading for a holiday flight due to leave from the airport's Terminal 1, told Sky News his family saw the drama unfold as they were heading to the airport.

"We heard the fighter jet circling over Stockport and about 10 minutes later we saw the aircraft coming in.

The airport lies south of the city centre

"It was literally looping round the aeroplane."

Manchester Airport said nine incoming flights had to be diverted to other airports, with five of these landing at Leeds Bradford airport.

"There are a few minor delays to outgoing flights but we're pretty much back to normal," said an airport spokesman.

An RAF spokesman said: "We can confirm that Typhoon aircraft were launched from RAF Coningsby in their quick reaction alert role this afternoon to investigate a civilian aircraft whose pilot had requested assistance."

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Chancellor Backs £15bn Northern Transport Plan

George Osborne has backed a £15bn plan to create a "northern global powerhouse" which will rebalance the country's economy.

The vision to connect five cities will see improvements in transport across the north of England, including a 125mph transpennine rail link dubbed "HS3" or the "Crossrail of the North".

The Chancellor was presented with the One North plan, drawn up by the cities of Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield and Newcastle upon Tyne, in Manchester where he was speaking.

Mr Osborne said: "Of course £15bn is a lot of money - it's about the size of the Crossrail project in London.

"It's a project over a number of years, out to 2030. We have got a £100bn capital budget to the end of the decade.

"I think this kind of proposal is affordable."

He added: "I'm prepared to roll up my sleeves and get it done, so let's get on with it."

The plan could mean up to 150% additional capacity on roads and as much as 55% quicker journey times on a faster, more frequent interconnected rail network.

The One North plan looks ahead to the next 15 years.

Cutting travel times across the Pennines would be worth billions

Speaking about the proposals to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds City Council leader Keith Wakefield, said: "Getting the right investment in our transport systems would deliver unprecedented change to better connect people and jobs, which is crucial if we also want to rebalance the national economy.

"This report demonstrates once again that only through tackling our out-dated transport system will the North be able to fulfil its true economic potential, benefiting our own local communities and the country as a whole."

Speaking on the BBC's Today programme, Labour Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said the Government could not forget the North if it was serious about rebalancing the economy.

He said: "When we talk about economic powerhouses, Manchester and Liverpool, if you just take those two cities in the North together, of course we are one economic powerhouse, it is just we haven't got the connectivity."

Mr Osborne told the programme: "If the North of England's GDP grew at the rate of the average GDP of the UK, we would add over £50bn to our economy to 2030. That is a massive benefit to the people living in the north of England, over £1,600 per person but is also of huge benefit to our country."

The North will play a significant part come the 2015 General Election as both Labour and UKIP could deliver a significant blow in the region so Mr Osborne will be keen to be seen to be backing development.

Shadow Treasury minister Shabana Mahmood said: "We welcome this report and the city regions of the north of England working together to strategically plan to deliver the growth and jobs we need.

"But only Labour will properly back our city and county regions with ambitious plans to devolve more funding and economic power to them."

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Tropical Storm Threatens UK's Sizzling Summer

A tropical storm heading along the US east coast could move across the Atlantic, threatening a dramatic break in the UK's sizzling summer weather.

Hurricane Bertha, which has now been downgraded to a tropical storm, is expected to weaken as it heads towards Europe.

But its winds of around 75 miles per hour have already caused destruction in Puerto Rico and the Bahamas.

"We won't be seeing a 'hurricane in Europe', but there is a chance we could see a fairly active summer storm," said the Met Office in a blog.

Forecaster MetDesk's image of the tropical storm

It adds: "While all forecast models suggest the storm will head in the general direction of UK and continental Europe, there remains a lot of uncertainty about exactly what it will do."

Meteorologists are currently studying forecast models before committing themselves to a definite outcome.

Sky News weather presenter Isobel Lang said: "The Sky News Weather Team will be watching the track of this ex-hurricane very closely as it crosses the Atlantic.

A US National Hurricane Center projection of the storm's possible path

"The details are sure to change but the general picture through Sunday and into Monday is for a period of rain and strong winds with the risk of gales.

"With RideLondon and other events taking place, it's worth keeping up to date with our catch-up service."

The RideLondon event will see elite riders take to the streets on Saturday, and on Sunday around 24,000 amateur cyclists will ride through London and Surrey on a similar route to that of the London 2012 Olympic Road Cycling Races.

The weekend also sees an number of music festivals around the country including Fairport's Cropredy Convention in Oxfordshire, Strawberry Fields Festival in Leicestershire and Bath Folk Festival.

The Met Office is keeping a close eye on Bertha's path

Lang adds: "Once the storm clears the weather looks set to turn rather autumnal and showery."

It looks likely that the earliest Bertha would affect the UK would be on Sunday or into the start of next week.

The Met Office said it will be keeping an eye on how this situation develops over the next few days "to give everyone in the UK the best advice on what Bertha is likely to do".

It said: "Given the time of year and the potential heavy rain, strong winds and large waves Bertha could bring if it does head to the UK, we'd advise everyone to stay up to date with the latest forecasts and warnings from the Met Office over the next few days."

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Referendum TV Debate Could Be A Game-Changer

When Hollywood gets its hands on the Scottish referendum, maybe in a few hundred years, it'll be a smash hit.

A swashbuckling adventure in which a boisterous, William Wallacey guy wages war against the swotty nemesis who can inflict death by grey hair and treasury statistics. It'll be box office.

Tonight's TV debate? Not so much.

Alex Salmond versus Alistair Darling. Independence versus the Union. Like The Odd Couple without the gags.

And yet it will be compulsive viewing.

Sure, the audience knows it will trawl through a familiar script - currency, defence, EU, border controls, etc.

Yes, it might well feel like a repeat we've been watching for years - the one where both sides batter each other to a standstill on the key issues. 

The referendum is set to take place next month

But the attraction of STV's debate - and similar events to follow - is that it is the arena most likely to produce a 'game-changer'.

Bear in mind that Scots have lived this referendum campaign for years and many just want the noise to stop. The big arguments on the big issues don't resonate the way they once did, and still should.

What television provides is the opportunity to make a judgement on who to trust. The presentation under pressure in which voters will assess degrees of assurance and conviction. It will be critical in the effort to sway undecided voters. 

There will be no Nick Clegg-style national awakening - Darling and Salmond have been around too long to benefit from any new-discovery status. Both men face different challenges. 

Of the two, it's Darling who has most to lose. He has retained a consistent poll lead for the pro-Union Better Together campaign and, as such, he needs not to lose.

It is the challenge facing a football manager who's team's playing for a nil-nil draw - the position you might choose, yet fear. Too little ambition can lead to defeat and frequently does.

Alex Salmond might consider he has an advantage. If the arguments have become tired by repetition and neutralised by claim and counter-claim, then the point-scoring could lie with the independence message. 

Whatever the context, independent is something that people, generally, want to be. It is something the 'Yes' campaign benefits from in a way that its 'No' opposition does not. 

So listen for the buzzwords of independence from Scotland's First Minister as he reaches through the ribcage to squeeze the Scottish heart.

The word 'victory' might yet hinge on it.

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Royals Plant Poppies At WWI Installation

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have joined Prince Harry at an art installation symbolising those killed during World War One.

The Royals will each plant a ceramic poppy at the Tower of London exhibition, entitled Blood Swept Lands And Seas Of Red, at the attraction's dry moat.

It is the site where more than 1,600 men swore an oath to the crown in August 1914 after enlisting for the war.

The three climbed the Middle Tower to view the entire artwork, before they walked through the field of poppies and planted their tributes to the war dead alongside General Lord Dannatt, Constable of the Tower of London.

The first ceramic poppy was planted in July and the final one will be installed in the Historic Royal Palaces artwork on Armistice Day, on November 11.

A total of 888,246 poppies - one for each British and Colonial death during the war - will be installed by a team of volunteers.

Profits from the artwork will be divided between six service charities including Help for Heroes and the Royal British Legion.

Each poppy will go on sale online priced at £25 each after the installation ends.

It comes after commemorative events were held in Belgium, Scotland and Westminster Abbey in London to mark 100 years since the start of the Great War.

An estimated 37 million people were killed or injured in World War One, which lasted from 1914 until 1918.

Paul Cummins, who created the artwork, said he got the idea from a "living will" he found in Derbyshire in 2012 which he used to give the installation its name.

He said: "Each one represents someone who died in the First World War from Britain and the Dominions.

"I'm literally trying to represent people because a number is a number, but if you see it all like this it is a visual idea of how many people were there."

Tom Piper, a stage designer who helped to make the project, added: "We also wanted to make sure it didn't become regimented mass rows of poppies - there is an organic quality to it - so taking the line of the 'seas of red', a feeling of waves of movement so that some of the poppies are higher than others so you can see them gently moving in the breeze."

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Man Killed Girlfriend's Child With Deadly Kick

A man who kicked his girlfriend's young daughter so hard she was thrown six feet across the room has been jailed for life and told he must serve at least 17 years for her murder.

Dean Harris, 20, hurt Amina Agboola so badly that her liver was torn in two, jurors at Cambridge Crown Court heard.

Harris, who had been going out with the two-year-old's mother for five months, killed Amina because he was frustrated at her soiling herself, prosecutors said.

The little girl was found by paramedics lying "like a rag doll" at her home in Scott Drive, Yaxley, near Peterborough.

Harris, who was found guilty of murder earlier this year, was left alone with the toddler last November despite social worker warnings that he had a history of domestic violence and was dangerous.

Amina's mother, Sarah Racqueman, was earlier given a suspended sentence after being acquitted of causing or allowing her daughter's death but convicted on two other charges of neglect in connection with other children.

Detective Inspector Alan Page, of Cambridgeshire Police, said: "This was a horrendous case.

"There can be no justification for using violence against any child and Harris will have to deal with the consequences of his actions for the rest of his life.

"While no sentence can ease the pain felt by Amina's family, hopefully they will now be able to start moving on with their lives."

Amina's father, Reuben Agboola, said afterwards he was "pleased" with the sentence.

"However the grief feels like it has no end," he said.

"I think about Amina constantly. I still cry every day.

"I go through the motions of living but inside I am somewhere else thinking about my daughter all the time.

"No one understands the pain except those people who are experiencing it.

"My heart reaches out to every parent on earth who is suffering the loss of a child."

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Scotland's Future Up For Debate In TV Contest

By James Matthews, Scotland Correspondent

The two men leading the fight for Scotland's future will go head to head in a TV debate tonight.

First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond will face Alistair Darling MP, leader of the Better Together campaign, with just over six weeks to go until the September 18 referendum on independence.

Broadcast by STV, it is the first such encounter between the pair during the campaign and kicks off its closing stages. 

Alex Salmond had initially refused to face Mr Darling, instead insisting he would only take on David Cameron. The Prime Minister has consistently refused the offer. 

Tonight's two-hour debate will take place at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow and the men will cross-examine each other, as well as take audience questions.

Alex Salmond (L) will go head-to-head with Alistair Darling

Alistair Darling's Better Together campaign has consistently been ahead in the polls and he is expected to press the First Minister for answers on independence.

Blair McDougall, his campaign director, said: "Voters in Scotland have been listening to the independence debate for over two years now.

"Surely if Alex Salmond had convincing answers on the details of separation, we would have heard them by now.

"Scots tuning in deserve to finally get straight answers from Mr Salmond to the questions they have been asking. What would separation mean for our pound, pensions and public services?

"Unlike the leaders' debates in the 2010 General Election, this debate isn't a job interview between candidates.

"Instead, it is a discussion about what separation would mean for our children and grandchildren's futures."

The big vote on Scotland's future is little more than a month away

For Alex Salmond, the TV debate and similar events that are expected to follow present an opportunity to strive for the game-changing moment that his campaign needs to turn the polls around.

Blair Jenkins, chief executive of the Yes campaign, said: "Independence is the opportunity of a lifetime for the people of Scotland, and the Yes campaign are looking forward immensely to the debate.

"We know that Scotland is one of the richest countries in the world, wealthier than the UK, France and Japan, and only the powers offered by a Yes vote will enable us to make this wealth work better for everyone in Scotland.

"Viewers will get the chance to hear why decisions made on Scotland's future should be taken here in Scotland.

"Our experience is that most undecided voters choose Yes when they hear both sides of the debate, and therefore we believe the mass TV audience will benefit our positive campaign.

"We also believe that the No campaign have a problem with both the negativity of their message and the unpopularity of their messengers."

On the morning of the debate, the three main UK party leaders announced they had signed a pledge to increase the powers of the Scottish Parliament. 

David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg all put their name to a declaration made earlier this year by their parties' Scottish leaders to guarantee an increase in Scotland's powers under devolution.

It is a pre-debate move to bolster Alistair Darling before the big event and protect "their man" against accusations that increased devolution is an empty promise that won't be delivered.

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How Typhoons Scramble To Jets In Distress

The deployment of Typhoon fighter jets on short notice is known as QRA - Quick Response Alert.

It is something the RAF has been doing since the Second World War when Spitfires and Hurricanes would be scrambled to meet the German Luftwaffe over the skies of Britain.

QRA operates out of two stations: RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire which covers the southern sector and RAF Leuchars in Fife which covers the northern United Kingdom.

Typhoon pilots do a QRA shift normally once or twice a month. Each shift lasts 24 hours and is normally uneventful. Ground crew do week-long shifts.

The jets are based in Lincolnshire and Fife, covering north and south

The pilots wait to be scrambled in a small building called the Aircrew Ready Room. Either side, the single-seater Typhoons stand ready in what are called Q-sheds, a nickname that dates back to Cold War days when the teams were much busier than they are now.

If an air traffic controller notices a plane behaving erratically, then they might alert the QRA team. This could be because the plane is not "talking or squawking" - not sending out the right data or not responding to communications.

In other scenarios, as seems to be the case in the Manchester incident, a pilot might send out a distress signal.

Pilots wait to be scrambled in the Aircrew Ready Room

It is a monitored at RAF Scampton, also in Lincolnshire, the old home of the Dambusters.

Analysts at the CRC (Control and Responding Centre) monitor all civilian, commercial and military air traffic and receive information from the security services daily - Radar maps, flight plans, aircraft squarks.

They will build a 3D model of planes movements - this is called a Recognised Air Picture to identify any anomalies.

RAF Air Command in High Wycombe decides what to do next.

The QRA pilots could be put on high alert, known as a "call to cockpit".

The pilots will race to the plane and do everything short of turning the engines on so they are ready to take off within minutes.

The aircraft are armed.

They first came into operation for WW II

Everything possible will be being done to make contact with the suspect plane and resolve the situation, but if unsuccessful, the order comes via a black box called a telebrief. The words haven't changed since WW2: "Scramble, scramble, scramble."

The jets will taxi to the runway.

Air Traffic controllers at whichever station has been given the order - Coningsby or Leuchars - will make sure the skies above are clear and free of traffic.

The RAF is still scrambled to observe Russian military jets flying close to UK airspace. That has happened a number of times in the past 12 months.

The pilots record images of the plane or planes they are tracking, and feed them back to base.

It remains a relatively secret process as it is always in an emergency scenario.

No QRA aircraft has had to fire its weapons over British skies in peacetime but they could if ordered to. That order would probably come from the Prime Minister himself.

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British Airways Suspends Flights Over Ebola

British Airways has halted all flights to Liberia and Sierra Leone for one month due to the ebola outbreak.

In a statement, the airline added it would be keeping the routes under review.

"We have temporarily suspended our flights to and from Liberia and Sierra Leone until 31 August 2014 due to the deteriorating public health situation in both countries," it said.

"The safety of our customers, crew and ground teams is always our top priority and we will keep the route under constant review in the coming weeks.

"Customers with tickets on those routes are being offered a range of options including a full refund and the ability to rebook their flights to a later date."

The World Health Organisation said on Monday the number of deaths from the disease in West African countries including Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria had increased from 729 to 887.

In Wales, a person who recently returned from West Africa has voluntarily absented themselves from work and confined themselves to home after believing they may have come into contact with the virus.

Public Health Wales said they it was monitoring the individual's condition but added it was not thought they have the virus.

A statement released by the health authority said: "The individual does not have symptoms of ebola and there are no cases of ebola in Wales.

"We are alert to the possibility of ebola cases in the UK given the outbreak in west Africa and we remain vigilant to unexplained illness in people who have travelled from the area."

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is conducting tests on a man after he showed symptoms of the virus following a recent trip to Sierra Leone.

The 40-year-old man is in a critical condition at a hospital in the city of Jeddah and is being treated in a unit with advanced isolation and infection-control capabilities.

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