A CHARITY has condemned a decision by health officials to reject a drug to treat a rare genetic disorder which can mean that affected children do not live to their their second birthday.

In new draft guidance, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has not recommended Spinraza, a treatment for people with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), for widespread use across the NHS.

Muscular Dystrophy UK said the decision would cause heartbreak for families.

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MORE suspected criminals will have their fingerprints taken on the street in under a minute after Britain’s biggest police force developed its own scanning software.

A number of forces have used similar technology since 2012, but the Metropolitan Police has now developed a system using cheaper kit that also saves £200,000 a year in support costs.

The reduced bill means another 600 devices will be rolled out to officers in the next six months. In recent years around 100 have been in use across the capital.

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A FIREFIGHTER has been killed battling the largest recorded blaze in California history – the sixth fatality in a matter of weeks.

State fire officials did not immediately provide details of the death, which occurred north of San Francisco where the fire has been burning since July 27.

Two other wildfires in Northern California have claimed five other firefighters and six other lives.

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DETECTIVES investigating the suspected murder of a Russian businessman in London have released CCTV footage of a black van they wish to trace.

Scotland Yard said the Volkswagen van was spotted near the home of Nikolay Glushkov the day before he was found dead earlier this year.

The 68-year-old, who was a close friend of Vladimir Putin critic Boris Berezovsky, was discovered at his house on Clarence Avenue, New Malden, on March 12.

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An inquest opening heard his cause of death was compression to the neck.