Hole in the sky: Europe, Canada and Russia at risk as continent-sized 'second hole' in ozone layer opens over the Arctic

The ozone loss over the Arctic was so severe this year that for the first time a 'hole' in the ozone layer, similar to the one over the Antarctic, appeared.

At a level of around 13 miles above the ground, 80 per cent of the ozone was lost, potentially exposing people on Earth's surface to harmful ultraviolet-B rays from the sun, which can cause sunburn and skin cancer.

The loss happened not because of increased use of ozone-destroying chemicals - now banned, and rarely used - but because cold high-altitude weather made the existing chemicals 'more active'.

An ozone hole five times the size of California opened over the Arctic this spring, matching ozone loss over Antarctica for the first time on record, scientists said today. The white line marks the area within which chemical ozone destruction takes place

The paper, published in science journal, Nature, said: 'Chemical ozone destruction over the Arctic in early 2011 was — for the first time on record — comparable to that in the Antarctic ozone hole.'

Data showing ozone destruction was released in April, but this is the first full analysis of the effect in the Arctic. Scientists cannot predict whether the effect will persist - but under certain conditions, predict 'severe ozone loss'.

'Our results show that Arctic ozone holes are possible even with temperatures much milder than those in the Antarctic. We cannot at present predict when such severe Arctic ozone depletion may be matched or exceeded,' said the report.

A Nasa-led study has documented an unprecedented depletion of Earth's protective ozone layer above the Arctic last winter and spring caused by an unusually prolonged period of extremely low temperatures in the stratosphere

This year's loss was recorded in the initial analysis carried out by the World Meteorological Organization. It wrote: 'Depletion of the ozone... has reached an unprecedented level over the Arctic because of the continuing presence of ozone-depleting substances in the atmosphere and a very cold winter in the stratosphere.'

When man-made substances such as CFCs are broken down by ultraviolet rays, chlorine is released - reacting with ozone and depleting the protective layer around the earth. Chlorine monoxide (measured in the map above) is present in one stage of the reaction. 

The current loss is thanks to the polar vortex, a weather system that circulates over the Arctic. The weather in the stratosphere remained cold for an unusually long period, and cold air spread over a larger area than normal. 

Weather in the stratosphere is often very different to the weather we experience. 

Dr Michelle Santee of Nasa's Jet Propulsion laboratory said, 'It was continuously cold from December to April, and that has never happened before in the Arctic.' 

Levels of harmful UV-B rays rose, but were not sustained. It's still not clear what risks this new hole has posed or will pose to human health.

While chlorine compounds such as CFCs have been phased out in most countries, they persist in the upper atmosphere for decades. 

Scientists predict that the current 'trend' for cold winters in the stratosphere will continue, and that the ozone hole may continue. 'Over the last decades, cold winters have been getting colder,' said Dr Santee. 'If other cold ones happen while chlorine levels are high, we'd anticipate severe ozone loss.'

Two armed robbers were shot dead by police marksmen as they tried to raid security van making delivery to HSBC

Two armed robbers were shot dead by police marksmen during a foiled raid on a cash security van, an inquest heard today.

Mark Nunes, 35, and Andrew Markland, 36, targeted an armoured Group 4 Securicor van as it delivered cash to a branch of HSBC in Hampshire.

Gang leader Nunes, from Streatham, South London, was shot in the upper back by a Metropolitan Police marksman as he pointed a Beretta 9mm handgun at security guard Michael Player.

Shot dead: Mark Nunes (left) and Andrew Markland (right) were shot dead by police marksmen during a foiled raid on a cash security van in Hampshire in 2007

Accomplice Markland, from Brixton, south London, was then shot twice in the back as he went to pick it up. The gun was later found to be fully loaded and ready to fire.

A subsequent trial of gang members heard Nunes was the leader of a group that had carried out 21 carefully-planned raids.

They are thought to have netted £500,000 as they hit vans delivering money to banks in southern England over 18 months.

Nunes was followed by undercover officers as he travelled to the bank in Chandler's Ford, Hampshire, on several reconnaissance trips.

The robbers were also under surveillance when they targeted the security guard, on September 13, 2007.

A jury at Central Hampshire Coroner's Court today watched a dramatic ten minute video, which showed the raid and fatal shootings.

Some family members broke down in tears and had to leave the court as pathologist Huw White gave a detailed account of the post mortem.

Coroner Grahame Short said: "Mark Nunes and Andrew Markland both died after being shot and fatally wounded by Met Police riflemen.

Fatal moment: Mark Nunes points a pistol at the head of a security van guard seconds before he is shot dead by police marksmen

"At that time, the deceased men were living in London and both were subject to long-standing Met Police investigations.

"That operation was looking into a series of armed and unarmed robberies, specifically on cash in transit deliveries.

"Those robberies had taken place in London and the home counties.

"On the basis of information officers had obtained, they understood an armed robbery was planned for 13 September, 2007, at one of a number of possible locations in Hampshire.

"As a result, the Met Police, with the approval and cooperation of Hampshire Police, sent a large number of officers to Hampshire to await the events.

"This included a number of armed officers.

"One of the possible locations of the robberies was Chandler's Ford, where there is a small shopping precinct, with a bank on its corner.

"A number of Met Police officers, including armed officers, were put in place - although their presence was hidden from view.

"Police were out of site in an observation post across the road.

"From 9.47am, Andrew Markland was seen to be waiting by a bus stop across the road from the bank.

Crime scene: Police at the scene on September 13, 2007, where the two robbers were shot dead at an HSBC bank at Chandlers Ford, Hampshire

"At 10.06am a Volvo car drove into the road by the bank and reversed into a bay for disabled drivers.

"Less than a minute later, a Group 4 Securicor secure delivery van drove into the same access road and parked at the steps near the bank.

"That van contained a driver and a guard.

"About two minutes elapsed before the guard stepped out of the back of the G4S van.

"Mark Nunes quickly emerged from the parked car and moved towards the guard.

"He was pointing a hand gun at the guard.

"A moment or so later, he was shot by one of the police marksmen positioned in the observation point opposite the bank.

"Mark Nunes fell to the ground and dropped the gun.

"By this time, Andrew Markland was running from a bus stop on the opposite side of the road, towards the G4S van.

"When he reached the area where Mark Nunes was lying, Andrew Markland appears to have picked up the dropped hand gun from the ground.

Target: The armoured Group 4 Securicor van which was targeted by the robbers as it delivered cash to the branch of HSBC in 2007

"Andrew Markland was then shot down by a second police marksmen situated at an observation point opposite the bank." 

Consultant pathologist Hugh White, who conducted the post mortems, concluded the cause of death for both robbers was 'high velocity' gunshot wounds to the chest.

He said the bullets caused a 'huge shock wave' as they travelled through their bodies at over three-times the speed of sound.

One bullet shattered a number of Nunes' ribs after entering his upper back on the left hand side and exiting just below his neck.

It caused extensive damage to his lung and jugular vein in his neck, resulting in 'extensive' blood loss.

Markland was shot twice in the back with both bullets exiting his chest.

Mr White said: "Andrew Markland may have been killed by either bullet or both bullets.

"Each bullet damaged a separate lung and the combined effect completely disrupted the heart." 

The families of the two dead men are understood to be demanding answers as to why the men were not arrested instead of being shot.

Nunes and Markland were part of a nine-man gang that conducted the raids between April 2006 and September 2007.

There were 21 raids that took place at 18 locations including Oxford, Swindon, Bristol, Bath, Cambridgeshire, Hampshire, Reading, Croydon, Ipswich and Gloucestershire.

Prosecutor Brendan Kelly QC said at the trial of accomplices in 2008: "Nunes was seen to run from the side of the bank with a pistol and he pointed that pistol at the head of the guard.

"As he did that, Nunes was shot and killed. Markland was with Nunes. He sought to pick the gun up. He too was shot dead." 

The inquest continues at the Hampshire County Council chamber and is expected to last six weeks.

Caught on CCTV: The moment a callous vandal smashed a bottle on memorial to murder victim

This is the the moment a vandal smashed a bottle over a Stephen Lawrence memorial plaque while walking alongside a woman with a pushchair.

Police released the footage in a bid to trace the man and woman after the tribute to the murdered teenager was covered in shards of broken glass yesterday.

Images released by Scotland Yard show a man in white shorts, white trainers and a blue sleeveless shirt accompanied by a blonde woman pushing a stroller with a child in it.

The vandal, in a blue top and white shorts, approaches the plaque carrying a bottle

He is then filmed dropping the glass bottle on the plaque, as a woman with a pushchair walks beside him

The vandal then walks away, leaving smashed glass over the memorial

Detective Sergeant James Bray said: 'Anyone with information concerning the incident or who recognises this man and woman are asked to come forward and assist us with their inquiries.'

'It is a senseless act of vandalism and the culprits deserve to see justice,' an unnamed source told the Daily Mirror. 

'This is being seriously investigated.'

It is the fourth time the plaque, which marks the spot where A-level student Stephen was stabbed to death in 1993, has been targeted.

Disrespect: A vandal has struck at the memorial to murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence

In March 1993, vandals chipped and poured paint on the memorial in Eltham, south-east London, and the same happened a year later despite ramped-up surveillance.

In 2010, three men were seen dousing the plaque in flammable liquid.

The Stephen Lawrence Centre in nearby Deptford was attacked in 2008 by thugs who caused £120,000 worth of damage.

Three days ago, Gary Dobson, 35, and David Norris, 34, appeared at the Old Bailey via videolink from Belmarsh prison accused of Stephen's murder.

They were arrested last September and are due to be tried in November over the death.

Stephen's parents, Doreen and Neville Lawrence, who are now separated, sat at the side of the court for the 90-minute hearing, which dealt with procedural matters to do with the November 14 trial.

Witnesses are asked to call Plumstead CID on 020 8284 9554 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Hate crime: It is the fourth time the plaque, shown here in a 2003 file photo, has been targeted by vandals

World's most complex telescope takes first pictures of deepest space

This is the remarkable first picture taken by the new $1.3 billion radio telescope sitting high in the Chilean Andes.

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, shortened to the 'ALMA radio telescope', took a snap of the Antennae Galaxies from South America.

The telescope is now officially open and ready to explore the universe after years of planning and constructing the massive observatory it sits in alongside some of the world’s most complex ground-based telescopes.

The ALMA radio telescope has taken its first photograph of the Antennae Galaxies from the observatory in Chile (pictured)

North American ALMA project manager at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Charlottesville, Virginia, Mark McKinnon, told Space.com: We went to one of the most extreme locations on Earth to build the world’s largest array of millimetre/submillimeter telescopes, having a level of technical sophistication that was merely a dream only a decade ago.’

‘This truly is a great occasion.’

The amazing shot of the Antennae Galaxies (otherwise known as NGC 4038 and 4039) shows the pair of interacting galaxies in the constellation Corvus.

The galaxies are around 70 million light-years away and were captured by ALMA using two different wavelength ranges.

Desert location: ALMA radio telescope sits in the Chajnantor plateau, in Chile's Atacama desert, some 1500 km north of Santiago

ALMA's antennas: Each of its 66 antennas will be used to detect extremely cold objects, such as gas clouds formed by stars and planets

Researchers released the early image, shot during testing phases, to show off ALMA's capabilities but say images in the future will be better quality and sharper.

The 40ft radio telescope sits on the Chajnator plateau in the Atacama desert, some 1500 km north of Santiago, at an elevation of 16,500 ft.

Each of ALMA’s 66 antennas will be used to detect extremely cold objects, such as gas clouds formed by stars and planets, researchers said.

Joint project: ALMA is an international partnership project of Europe, North America and East Asia, with the cooperation of Chile

This is possible because its antennas each pick up light at a range around 1,000 times longer than visible-light wavelengths – known as millimetre/submillimeter range.

ALMA’s deputy project scientist during construction, Alison Peck, told the science site: ‘With millimetre and submillimeter waves, we can watch planet formation, investigate astrochemistry and detect the light that is finally reaching us from the universe’s earliest galaxies.’

ALMA is an international partnership project of Europe, North America and East Asia, with the cooperation of Chile, and is presently the largest astronomical project in the world.

Overdoing it, Mr Cameron? Prime Minister appears to be dozing off during his chancellor's conference speech

It looked like David Cameron might have been burning the candle at both ends it a bit as he struggled to stay alert during one of the most important speeches of the Tory Party conference.

Just hours after he was pictured running along the banks of a canal in Manchester at the crack of dawn the Prime Minister was caught rubbing his eyes while George Osborne spoke about tackling the country's deficit. 

But, at the right moment, Mr Cameron jumped to his feet to clap and join the standing ovation marking the end of his Chancellor's speech.

Time for shut eye? It looks like the excitement of party conference might be getting to much for David Cameron

While those next to him listen intently, the PM's eyes look heavy as George Osborne speaks about the economy

Struggling? Even when his eyes were open, Mr Cameron appeared tired and as though he was concentrating on listening

Thank goodness that's over: Mr Cameron joins the standing ovation to his chancellor's speech

At sunrise, the PM was pictured on the second day of the conference in Manchester as he stretched his legs, going for an early morning run along the canal.

If he had actually fallen asleep during Mr Osborne's speech about fiscal policy and the approach to the eurozone crisis, Mr Cameron joins a club of those that have fallen asleep while hearing about the country's finances.

During the budget speech earlier this year, Kenneth Clarke appeared to nod off. 

Mr Clarke, however, has a bit of a reputation for getting shut eye during speeches - during Barack Obama's visit to the UK in May he nodded off while the U.S. president was speaking.

Mr Cameron was listening to Mr Osborne as he repeated the Tory's vow not to veer from addressing the British economic deficit and ruled out tax cuts until they could be afforded.

And he dismissed the prospect of a cash injection into the economy, saying 'you can't borrow your

He also unveiled plans to freeze council tax as well as help credit-starved small firms in his conference speech adding 'together we will ride out the storm'.

Earlier, the PM took a dawn jog along a canal before the second day of the Conservative Party's annual conference opened in Manchester

It could be that Mr Cameron's tiredness was down to his early-morning run along the canal

Mr Cameron isn't the only one that appears to need a bit of shut-eye during speeches - Kenneth Clarke looked like he'd dosed of during Barack Obama's address at Westminster