21 May 2015
Week in Brief: UK NEWS
PRINCE CHARLES: 27 letters between the Prince of Wales and Labour ministers were released under the Freedom of Information Act following legal action by the Guardian newspaper. The subjects covered include herbal medicine, the badger cull and the need for additional aircraft for the armed services involved in Iraq. On Tuesday, the Prince met Mr Gerry Adams , the Sinn Fein leader, in Galway where they both expressed their regret over the troubles. The Prince will visit Mullaghmore, where Lord Mountbatten and members of his family were assassinated in 1979.
UKIP: Douglas Carswell, the UKIP MP, has suggested that Mr Farage should take a break. UKIP has been riven by infighting since the election. The campaign director Patrick O’Flynn, who has been particularly critical of Mr Farage’s aggressive manner, has resigned as economic spokesman..
ELGIN MARBLES: The Greek Government has rejected advice to start legal proceedings for the return of the Elgin marbles, preferring to pursue diplomatic avenues.
MEDITERRANEAN: HMS Bulwark has rescued a number of refugees from the Mediterranean and taken them to Italy; the boats on which they were being transported have been sunk and the captains handed over to the authorities. Consideration is being given to employing the ship in a combat role to destroy trafficking operations. Associated intelligence gathering may involve the RAF.
LABOUR PARTY LEADERSHIP: The Labour party will choose its new leader in September , with 12 August as the cut off for registration. Until then Harriet Harman will lead the opposition. Mr Chuka Umunna has ruled himself out of the contest. Andy Burnham, the shadow health secretary, Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, Tristram Hunt, the shadow education secretary, and Liz Kendall, the shadow care minister, are all contenders. Mr McCluskey of the Unite union, which favours a move to the left, is understood to back Mr Burnham.
ORIENTATION: 32 out of 650 MPs are openly gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. That is the highest proportion of the members of any lower house wordwide.
BIRD: A rare citril finch, indigenous to the mountains of Europe, has been spotted in Norfolk. It is thought to have been caught up in a weather front.
BUDGET: There will be a second budget on 8 July.
HEALTH SERVICE: 20,464 operations were cancelled in the quarter ending March 2015. That is the highest number since 2005.
LIBYAN SOLDIERS: Two Libyan soldiers, convicted of raping a man in Cambridge last October, have each been jailed for 12 years.
RUGBY: Manu Tuilagi will be left out of the England world Cup Squad after being convicted of assault and criminal damage.
DRINK DRIVING: Figures from the Ministry of Justice show that the number of women found guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in England and Wales rose from 9,077 in 2011 to 9,586 in 2012. The corresponding figure for men dropped from 46,204 to 45,471. At 80 mg, the legal limit in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is the highest in the EU (the limit in Scotland is 50mg). The Police Federation has called for it to be reduced.
DRUGS: According to a study led by Dr Syed Shakeel Raza Rizvi of the Pir Mehr Ali Shah Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, boys who smoke cannabis before puberty can stunt their growth by up to 4 inches. Official figures show that the proportion of 11 to 15 year olds in England using Cannabis each year has dropped from 13.3% in 2003 to 7% in 2013. Scientists believe that it will be possible to make heroin with a “home brew” kit in about two years time.
EDUCATION: Nicky Morgan, the education secretary, has indicated that new powers to intervene in the management of schools with a “require improvement” rating from Ofsted will be included in the Queen’s speech. At present intervention is restricted to schools rated “inadequate”.
ELITE: While promoting his new book “More Human”, Steve Hilton, previously Mr Cameron’s PR adviser, has said that power in Britain is exercised by a small elite regardless of which party is in government.
TRIDENT: The newly qualified Royal Navy engineer who purports to have identified 30 breaches of safety and security in relation to Trident submarines has been arrested.
HORTICULTURE; A report launched at the Chelsea Flower Show indicates that some 3 million front gardens have been paved over in the last ten years. As part of its campaign “Greening Britain” the RHS commissioned a garden at the show designed by Sean Murray. It combines off street parking with extensive planting.
HEALTH: A report by the health service ombudsman has criticised the quality of care afforded to the dying, citing, inter alia, failure to identify that a patient is dying with a consequent deferral of palliative care and poor out of hours care. Peter Carter, chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing has described the report as heartbreaking.
PRISONS: In a speech to the Police Federation, the Home Secretary will announce the provision of £15 million to remove the need for persons held under the Mental Health Act to be accommodated in police cells.
HATTON GARDEN; Police have arrested nine suspects in connection with the recent burglary at the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Company where up to £200 million precious stones, gold and cash were taken. The average age of those arrested is 59.
MURDER: Victorina Chua, 49, a father of two from the Philippines received 25 life sentences, including two for murder, following poisons at Stepping Hill Hospital, Stockport. He will serve at least 35 years.
SUSPICIOUS DEATH: It is understood that new tests have been ordered by the coroner investigating the death of Russian whistleblowing businessman Alexander Perepilichny to determine whether he could have been poisoned.
