2018 National & International News Stories.

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Latest post of the previous page:

Funeral firms 'took advantage of grief', says Co-op boss

The boss of the UK's largest funeral provider, the Co-op Group, has admitted the industry has taken advantage of people's grief in the past.
Steve Murrells said price wasn't on the agenda for people arranging a funeral - which created "the wrong behaviour in the industry".
Last week, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched a major investigation into the sector.
The CMA said it had "serious concerns" about above-inflation price rises.
The Co-op has recently launched a number of affordable products, including a cremation without ceremony product, which Steve Murrells says is already proving popular.
"One in 30 of our funerals are already being taken up in that form," he said.
BBC

There's also an article on this subject in the Mail's Money Mail

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Leicester City crash helicopter rotor controls failed

The helicopter which crashed killing Leicester City's chairman and four others spun out of control after a mechanism became disconnected, investigators said.
An Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) report found cockpit pedals had disconnected from the tail rotor.
This caused the AW169 aircraft to turn uncontrollably to the right before it crashed near the King Power Stadium.
The AAIB said its inquiries into the 27 October crash were ongoing.
BBC

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Boris Johnson apologises to MPs for failing to declare £52,000 in time

Boris Johnson has made a "full and unreserved" apology to MPs for failing to declare more than £52,000 in income.
The former foreign secretary was ordered to apologise by the Committee on Standards over late declaration of book royalty payments.
He made a brief statement to the Commons ahead of the latest debate on Theresa May's EU deal.
Speaker John Bercow thanked him for his "prompt" response and said that was the end of the matter.
Parliament's Standards Commissioner Kathryn Stone had earlier ruled that the breaches were "neither inadvertent nor minor".
She referred the case to the Committee on Standards to decide on a punishment for Mr Johnson.
BBC

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Schools bomb hoaxes: Teenager jailed for nationwide threats

A teenager who sent thousands of hoax bomb threats to schools and triggered an American airline security scare has been jailed for three years.
George Duke-Cohan, 19, sparked nationwide panic and a transatlantic investigation from the bedroom of his home in Watford, Hertfordshire.
He pleaded guilty at Luton Crown Court in September to three counts of making hoax bomb threats.
It followed an investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA).
Duke-Cohan, of Mutchetts Close, caused widespread panic in March when he emailed more than 1,700 schools, colleges and nurseries across the UK to warn about an explosive. Hundreds of the schools were evacuated.
He was arrested days later but in April, he sent another batch of hoax emails to schools in the US and UK.
NCA investigators, working with the FBI, also found that while on bail for the bomb hoaxes, Duke-Cohan had made a fake report of a hijacked US-bound plane.
Jailing him, Judge Richard Foster said: "You knew exactly what you were doing and why you were doing it, and you knew full well the havoc that would follow.
"You were playing a game for your own perverted sense of fun in full knowledge of the consequences.
"The scale of what you did was enormous," he added.
BBC

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British mum says daughter's body was raided by organ traffickers after Mexican hospital death

A British woman who died in a hospital in Mexico was flown home to her family – without her eyes, heart and brain.
The shocking discovery has raised fears Amanda Gill’s body was stripped by organ traffickers.
Amanda, 41, was returned to Britain with all her vital parts missing except her lower bowel.
Her stunned mum Elaine Hines, 65, told the Sunday People: “She came home empty. They stole everything inside her.
“If this has happened to Amanda how many other people has it ­happened to and will again? We think they were stolen and sold.”
And Amanda’s horrified sister Katie Miller-Gill, 35, said: “Where are my sister’s beautiful blue eyes? Why were they taken from her? Where is her brain, her heart?
“If they had said to us can we ­donate her organs then we might have considered it. But to steal them?
“Did they steal all her organs ­because she was British and so they thought they would get away with it as it wouldn’t be followed up?
“Did they do it to her because she was foreign? Did they steal her ­organs for the illegal trade? We just don’t know. We haven’t got the ­answers we wanted.”
Today hospital bosses and local justice chiefs insisted they had no idea what happened to Amanda’s body after her death in Mexico City.
They claimed it was handed over to police in a sealed bag with the organs intact.
But Mexico is plagued by corrupt doctors and criminal gangs who steal organs to profit from a huge donor shortage.
Amanda, a barmaid and waitress from Shipley, West Yorks, died at the Hospital de Cos after complications from diabetes while ­travelling in Latin America.

Full Story in the Daily Mirror

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Push for more take-up of flu vaccine before Christmas

Public Health England (PHE) is urging pregnant women and those over 65 to get the flu jab, after a fall in take-up compared to this time last year.
PHE said it was best to get the jab ahead of Christmas, before flu typically starts to circulate.
Social gatherings can increase the risk of it spreading.
Early indications suggest the vaccine will be more effective this year because it is well-matched to the predominant strain circulating.
This is thought to be Influenza A (H1N1), commonly called swine flu.
Uptake of the vaccine among pregnant women and those over 65, who are at a higher risk of flu complications, is loPaul Cosford, medical director at PHE, said only around 40% of pregnant women and over-65s had been vaccinated so far.
"It is even more important than ever that all those eligible take up the offer of the flu vaccine, especially before Christmas when many people will be gathering together with the added risk of spreading infection that this brings," he said.
PHE said there is strong evidence that pregnant women have a much higher risk of serious illness as a result of flu compared with the general population, with the risks highest in the last three months of pregnancy.
Serious complications of flu include pneumonia, septic shock, meningitis and encephalitis (inflammation of the brain).
An enhanced flu jab for people over 65 was introduced this year which contains extra ingredients to give better protection.
In November, GPs reported a shortage of the new vaccine for the over-65s after a staggered delivery of supplies from the manufacturer to GPs and pharmacies meant some older patients had to wait to be vaccinated.
The final batches of the vaccine have now delivered.
BBC News

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Britain's largest online pharmacy found advertising on Russian state 'propaganda' channel

Britain's biggest online pharmacy advertised on Russia's Kremlin-sponsored television station, which was accused of spreading propaganda over the attempted murder of Sergei Skripal.
Pharmacy2U, an NHS-backed service which provides patients with repeat prescriptions, is among a cluster of British firms found to have placed paid adverts on RT, previously known as Russia Today.
Russia's state-funded television network is being investigated by Ofcom over alleged breaches in impartiality rules following its coverage of the poisonings of Mr Skripal, and his daughter Yulia, in Salisbury earlier this year.
In September, RT aired an interview with two men suspected of perpetrating the Novichok nerve agent attack in which they claimed they were innocent and travelled to the Wiltshire city to visit Salisbury Cathedral.
A Conservative MP said parliamentary colleagues were left “horrified” when he informed them British businesses were advertising on the station he described as “Putin's mouthpiece”.
Richard Benyon, MP for Newbury, said: “I flicked on the channel and was staggered to see the NHS’s logo on my screen."
Telegraph

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Muckamore Abbey seclusion room was 'dark dungeon'

The mother of a severely-disabled man who is a patient at Muckamore Abbey Hospital described a seclusion room her son was placed in as "a dark dungeon".
The woman said she was horrified that in 2017 the room was being used for people with learning disabilities.
Families want a public inquiry to investigate allegations of physical and mental abuse at the hospital.
The Belfast Trust said it "apologised sincerely" for behaviour it said fell below professional standards.
In July, it emerged that 13 members of staff at the County Antrim hospital had been suspended by the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust following allegations of ill treatment.
At the time it said: "This regrettable and unacceptable situation in no way reflects the work of our 500 dedicated and professional staff who provide excellent care every day to the 80 patients in Muckamore."
The man who was secluded at the hospital's Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) last year has complex disabilities including autism and epilepsy and cannot speak or feed himself.
His family says he has the mental capacity of a two year old, and was locked in the room for up to two hours more than once.
His mother, who has asked for her identity to be protected, said alarm bells started ringing as soon as she saw the room.
"I saw a room 12 by eight, with padded walls, and a leather chair sitting in the middle of it," she told BBC News NI.
"There was nothing to look at, no stimulation whatsoever.
"The room had no toilet, nor drinking facilities.
"All I thought of was my poor boy was in there with not even a drink," said the mother.
"In 2017 this was happening in our country."
CCTV footage from the PICU unit shows her son being punched in the stomach by a nurse.
The footage, taken over a three-month period, also shows patients being pulled, hit, punched, flicked and verbally abused by nursing staff.
Sources have told the BBC the CCTV footage shows some of the most degrading and cruel behaviour against vulnerable adults ever captured in the UK.
BBC News

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Commons stir as Labour MP picks up mace

A Labour MP raised eyebrows in the Commons when he picked up the ceremonial mace after the postponement of the vote on Theresa May's Brexit deal.
Speaker John Bercow asked Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle to leave the House after he picked up the ornamental staff, which represents the royal authority of Parliament.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-politi ... ks-up-mace

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Cruise couple held over suitcase cocaine

A British couple in their 70s have been arrested after cocaine was found in their cruise ship cabin.
Officers found 20-22lb (9-10kg) of the drug "ingeniously concealed" in false compartments in four suitcases, Portuguese police said.
The man and woman, aged 72 and 70, were held on suspicion of drug trafficking when the ship docked at Lisbon.
Operator Cruise and Maritime Voyages said it was "co-operating fully with officials".
The Marco Polo ship had left Tilbury in Essex on 5 November and travelled to the West Indies and Azores with 610 passengers and 294 crew on board.
The couple were arrested on 4 December following a tip-off from the UK National Crime Agency.
They appeared before a judge and will be held separately while a joint Portuguese and British investigation continues.
A spokesman for the operator said the firm "does not tolerate any criminal activity or anti-social behaviour on board its ships".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-b ... m-46521026

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Strasbourg shooting: Gunman at large after two killed and 12 injured

At least two people have been killed and 12 others wounded in a shooting in the eastern French city of Strasbourg.
The gunman, known to security services, is on the run and is being hunted by police. He had been injured in an exchange of gunfire with a soldier, police said.
The shooting happened close to a Christmas market near one of the central squares, Place Kléber.
France's counter terrorism prosecutor has opened an investigation.
Confirming the death toll had risen to two, French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner, who is on his way to the city, called it a "serious public security incident".
Six of the injured are said to be in a serious condition, while six others suffered light injuries, police said.
Police said the 29-year-old suspect was born in Strasbourg and was already known to the security services as a possible terrorist threat.
According to France's BFM TV the man had fled his flat in the Neudorf district of the city on Tuesday morning as it was being searched by police in connection with a robbery.
Grenades were found during the search.
Residents in Neudorf have been urged to stay indoors amid unconfirmed reports he has been tracked down and cornered by police in the area.
The European Parliament, which is nearby, was placed on lockdown. The parliament's president, Antonio Tajani, tweeted to say it would "not be intimidated by terrorist or criminal attacks".

Full report

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Theresa May to face leadership challenge

UK Prime Minister Theresa May will face a vote of no confidence in her leadership later on Wednesday.
Conservative MPs will vote between 18:00 GMT and 20:00 GMT.
The challenge to Mrs May's position comes after the required 48 letters calling for a contest were delivered.
Mrs May, who has been prime minister since shortly after the UK voted to leave the European Union in 2016, has faced criticism in her party for the Brexit plan she has negotiated.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-46535739

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Theresa May wins Confidence Vote 200 to 117.

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Residents will see 'inflation-busting' council tax rises under new government plan, Labour warns

Local councils will be allowed to introduce “inflation-busting” council tax hikes under new plans announced by ministers today, Labour has warned.
James Brokenshire, the housing and communities secretary, said the new local government funding plan will see councils given permission to raise council tax by up to 3 per cent next year.
Overall, the plan will see council budgets rise by £1.3bn – from £45.1bn to £46.4bn.
Labour said the proposals will see local residents asked to foot the bill for cuts in central government funding.
However, Mr Brokenshire said any 'excessive rises' must still be approved in a local referendum.
Independent

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Didn't Waveney try this quite a few years ago? Of course they did! And then two or three years ago, or thereabouts, they decided it all had to go back into the Black general waste bin rather than the Green composting bin.

Plan for food waste to be separated

All households in England may be given a separate caddy for food waste, under plans to be announced next week.
Ministers are backing the idea, but will offer it for consultation before any changes happen.
The scheme would reduce greenhouse gases from landfill, but could lead to less frequent collections of general household waste.
Some councils will oppose the policy unless they are given extra funds to carry out the scheme.
At the moment, only around 35% of households in England are obliged to put food waste in its own caddy.
That compares with 56% in Scotland and 100% in Wales. The figures exclude food waste mixed with garden waste.
While the new rule would force councils to offer separate food caddies, people would not be obliged to use them.
Why do we need food caddies?
Unwanted food that goes into a general bin rots in landfill and creates methane - a powerful greenhouse gas.
When waste food is collected separately, it can be put into an anaerobic digester - a tank in which the food breaks down into sludge, carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane, which can be used for generating energy or running a vehicle.
The residual sludge is used as a soil fertiliser.
The change will help the government reach its targets on cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
Some local councils say there’s a long-term bonus from having food waste separated and collecting it every week.
Because when rotting food is safely in the caddy, general waste collections can be reduced to every two or more weeks without providing a feast for flies.
What are the drawbacks?
The policy has been controversial for people wanting bins emptied every week. Some councils say the scheme is too expensive.
It creates a problem with disposing of nappies and the food waste caddies create extra clutter for front gardens or streets.
But the plan does fit with the government strategy of changing our relationship with the stuff we throw away.
Recyclenow, the government-backed campaign, says: "Throwing away food is a huge waste of the energy, water and packaging used in its production, transportation and storage.
“If we all stopped wasting the food which could have been eaten, it would have the same CO₂ impact as taking one in four cars off UK roads.”

BBC News