![Image]( "Ex-BBC presenter wins age claim")
Former Countryfile presenter Miriam O'Reilly, who lost her job when the show was moved to a prime-time slot, has won her employment tribunal against the BBC on the grounds of age discrimination, her solicitors have said.
The award-winning journalist, 53, was "delighted" after winning a claim of age discrimination against the broadcaster, said her solicitors Leigh, Day & Co.
"The primary claim which she has won is the age discrimination claim that on the grounds of her age she was discriminated against and was not given a role in the prime-time Countryfile," a spokeswoman said. "Following on from that, she was, the tribunal has decided, victimised on the basis of her age discrimination claim."
She added that O'Reilly, who failed in a sex discrimination claim against the BBC, was "delighted" with the outcome of the tribunal. "Miriam is delighted and so are we," she said.
The judgment comes after a hearing in November at the central London employment tribunal where the presenter alleged age and sex discrimination by the BBC following its decision to drop her from the show in advance of moving to a Sunday evening slot.
O'Reilly said she was "devastated" when she was told in November 2008 that she was being dropped after eight years of working for the show as a freelance. Three other female Countryfile presenters aged over 40 - Michaela Strachan, 42, Juliet Morris, 45, and Charlotte Smith, 44 - were also axed alongside O'Reilly, she told the tribunal.
The tribunal heard allegations that O'Reilly was warned to be "careful with those wrinkles when high definition comes in", asked whether it was "time for Botox" and offered a can of black spray dye to cover up a white gap on her head.
The programme relaunched in April 2009 with Julia Bradbury, then 38, and former Blue Peter presenter Matt Baker, then 30, along with veteran broadcaster John Craven, 68, who was kept on for a slot called John Craven Investigates.
The BBC denied the claims brought by O'Reilly and insisted that she had been dropped because she lacked the necessary peak-time television presenting experience.
A BBC spokesman said: "We have just received the findings of the tribunal and are considering the full details. The BBC accepts the findings."
A sixth-form student is facing up to five years in jail after throwing a fire extinguisher from a roof during a riot.
Edward Woollard, 18, joined protesters who stormed inside the Millbank complex in London that houses the Tory Party headquarters on November 10.
He was filmed throwing an empty metal fire extinguisher from a seventh-floor rooftop as hundreds of people gathered in a courtyard below.
The canister narrowly missed a line of police officers attempting to protect the looted and vandalised building from further damage.
Woollard, of Dibden Purlieu, in the New Forest in Hampshire, admitted violent disorder at an earlier hearing at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court.
The Brockenhurst College A-level student gave himself up after footage of the incident was shown on television.
Woollard will appear on bail at Southwark Crown Court.
A deal for reforming control orders is to be discussed by the Cabinet after months of intense coalition wrangling.
Curfews for terrorist suspects are expected to be eased, along with restrictions on their use of mobile phones and computers. The name "control order" is also set to be dropped.
However, key elements of the controversial system will be kept after ministers accepted they were needed to ensure public safety.
The compromise is unlikely to satisfy all Liberal Democrats, after the party campaigned for the abolition of control orders at the general election.
Chris Huhne - now Energy Secretary - previously described them as an "affront to British justice".
There was speculation the junior coalition partner could get its way on the issue, having already taken a major hit over university tuition fee hikes.
However, Prime Minister David Cameron has come under mounting pressure from within his own party to limit changes.
Last week Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg conceded there were a small number of individuals who posed a real threat to the public, and could not be dealt with through the conventional justice system.
The shape of a reformed system was hammered out by Deputy Prime Minister Mr Clegg, Mr Cameron and Home Secretary Theresa May at a meeting on Friday - although coalition sources indicated the proposals being put before Cabinet this morning could still be tweaked.
Other changes to anti-terror laws are expected to see the time limit on holding suspects without charge fall from 28 days to 14 days, and new curbs on police stop-and-search powers.
Economic growth pulled back sharply in the fourth quarter of 2010 and the risks of a setback to any recovery remain serious in the year ahead, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has said.
The BCC's latest quarterly survey signalled gross domestic product growth slowing to around 0.4% or 0.5% in the final three months of last year.
This would be a marked slowdown on the 0.7% recorded in the third quarter and comes after a "disturbing" recent performance from the services sector, compounded by last month's Arctic conditions.
BCC chief economist David Kern said while the private sector was expected to be robust enough to withstand Government spending cuts, the fourth-quarter performance in the service sector showed the threat still posed to recovery.
He said: "Unless reversed, weaknesses in services could have adverse consequences, particularly for jobs. While we expect the private sector to prove sufficiently robust to withstand the impact of the tough deficit reduction programme, the UK recovery is fragile.
"Risks of a setback will be serious in the next few quarters. A new recession is unlikely, but the dangers cannot be shrugged off."
The BCC survey of 5,600 responses across the business sector suggested the manufacturing industry was the star performer of the fourth quarter thanks largely to export sales. Export orders and sales rose to their highest for 16 years and the second highest since the survey began.
Domestic sales were also strong for manufacturers but the results pointed to a fall in home orders for services firms. The most recent Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers' Index data showed that the powerhouse services sector shrunk for the first time in 20 months during December.
The BCC said the services sector weakness was worrying, given that the impact of the VAT rise to 20% had not yet been felt by firms, such as retailers. It added that eurozone debt troubles are worrying manufacturers if they started to reduce export demand.
David Frost, director general of the BCC, said: "Our latest economic survey points to some encouraging signs amongst UK firms, particularly in manufacturing. However, as the figures for the service sector show, we're not out of the woods yet. Faced with public sector cuts and cost pressures, ensuring the health of UK businesses is critical to a sustained economic recovery."
Ministers are braced for more pressure over bankers' bonuses amid speculation that efforts to limit payouts have failed.
Downing Street stressed it could not "micromanage" financial institutions, seemingly indicating that efforts to reduce the looming multi-billion pound bonus round had failed.
Instead, the coalition is believed to be focusing on increasing transparency and securing more lending for small businesses.
The part-nationalised banks - Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds TSB - will be expected to pay the lowest bonuses following public warnings from David Cameron and Nick Clegg.
RBS chief executive Stephen Hester is reportedly in line for £2 million, but the award will be in stock rather than cash.
Deputy Prime Minister Mr Clegg told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "These state-owned banks wouldn't be in existence if it wasn't for the generosity of taxpayers. The directors of those banks have been asked to do a job: to fix those banks and make them healthy again. That job isn't complete yet and until it is I think that should be reflected in their remuneration."
He added that the "sky high" seven-figure bonuses pocketed by some bank bosses "seem to come from a parallel universe to many people".
Meanwhile, Labour leader Ed Miliband called for the Government to extend the tax on bankers' bonuses which raised £3.5 billion last year.
He said: "We believe the extension of the bonus tax for another year is not only fairer, but more responsible."
The debate over bonus payouts could be inflamed further when controversial Barclays chief executive Bob Diamond gives evidence to MPs. Mr Diamond is said to have been awarded £8 million this year.
A tsunami-like wall of flood water has torn through a town in eastern Australia, killing at least eight people and leaving 72 missing.
The violent surge near the town of Toowoomba after a fresh storm on Monday has escalated Australia's flood crisis in Queensland and taken the death toll to 18.
Rescuers plucked more than 40 people from houses isolated overnight by the torrent that hit the Lockyer Valley on Monday. But thunderstorms and more driving rain hampered efforts to send helicopters to help an unknown number of other people still in danger.
Thousands are being evacuated from flood-prone areas, and residents in some sections of Brisbane - Australia's third-largest city - are being urged to move to higher ground as water from Toowoomba's flash flood works its way toward the coast.
Queensland state premier Anna Bligh said four children were killed and there were "grave concerns" for at least 11 of the 72 missing.
Many of those still stranded or unaccounted for are families and young children, she said.
"This has been a night of extraordinary events," Ms Bligh told reporters. "We've seen acts of extreme bravery and courage from our emergency workers. We know they're out on the front line desperately trying to begin their search and rescue efforts, and we know we have people stranded and people lost."
She said the death toll stood at eight, but that "we expect that figure to rise and potentially quite dramatically".
Queensland has been in the grip of its worst flooding for more than two weeks, after tropical downpours across a vast area of the state covered an area the size of France and Germany combined. Entire towns have been swamped, more than 200,000 people affected, and coal and farming industries virtually shut down.
Nine men are being investigated over claims that they groomed teenage girls for sex.
The suspects, who are all Asian and aged between 20 and 40, from Rochdale and Heywood in Greater Manchester, were arrested on suspicion of causing or inciting child prostitution, sexual activity with a child under 16 and paying for the sexual services of a child.
The arrests, made last month, were part of an investigation into the sexual exploitation of teenage girls by men since 2008, said Greater Manchester Police (GMP). All the men have since been released on bail pending further inquiries.
According to reports, up to 14 girls aged between 13 and 15 alleged they were plied with alcohol and drugs before they were taken to properties for sex.
Rochdale divisional commander Chief Superintendent John O'Hare said: "I hope this action shows the communities of Rochdale that we take the issue of sexual exploitation of children extremely seriously.
"This is an extremely complex investigation and the welfare of the victims is absolutely paramount. Both GMP and Rochdale Council have working strategies in place to combat child exploitation and will work together to prosecute people who target vulnerable children and young people.
"Child sex exploitation is something that parents and carers everywhere should be aware of. Parents and carers should talk to their children, take an interest in what they are doing and warn them not to go off with strangers, no matter how tempting it might seem.
"We have shown that people who do exploit children will be investigated."
The news of the arrests emerged following an unrelated case last week in which two Asian men were jailed at Nottingham Crown Court for raping and sexually abusing teenage white girls after previously grooming them.
After the men were jailed, Labour former home secretary Jack Straw sparked a backlash after claiming the case was evidence of a specific problem among young men in the UK's Pakistani community.
High street giant Marks & Spencer has said that it overcame the severe weather over Christmas after recording its biggest ever day in food sales.
The retailer said big-impact promotions helped food sales achieve a record of more than £50 million on December 23, while UK like-for-like sales in the 13 weeks to January 1 grew at a better-than-expected 2.8%.
M&S enjoyed a good run in 2010, with like-for-like sales consistently beating expectations and profits in the first half of the financial year up 17% at £348.6 million.
The latest figures reflect chief executive Marc Bolland's first Christmas with the company, and the first trading update since he unveiled his three-year plan.
M&S said UK food sales grew 1.8% in the third quarter, while general merchandise, which includes clothing, rose by 3.8%. The retailer increased its market share in food to 3.9%, according to researcher Kantar, as the firm launched more than 600 new products during the quarter.
M&S Food was also promoted in a series of new ads over the festive season starring actress Caroline Quentin, who is seen hosting a Christmas party.
Mr Bolland said: "Marks & Spencer traded well through the important Christmas period despite the severe weather as customers continued to return to M&S quality. We delivered a great Christmas for our customers, from our stylish occasionwear to our innovative festive food."
M&S said it was pleased with its performance but pointed out that the five sale days after Christmas included in the latest figures were not included in the third quarter period last year.
In food, deals-of-the-week promotions and half-price champagne were popular and the company sold a record 1.9 million turkeys in the period, up 10% on last year, while salmon and prawns were up 17%. The company does expect food price inflation of around 1% to 2% in the final quarter of the financial year, but said it was focused on offering competitive pricing.
M&S said that, in clothing, customers bought up seasonal items such as Fair Isle knitwear and thermals, and 600,000 cashmere products worth £69 or more were sold in the period - up 10% on last year. Mr Bolland said the company was witnessing a "return to quality", with customers willing to pay more for better-quality clothing.
Residents in parts of Brisbane, Australia, have been urged to leave their homes after the city's main river burst its banks, threatening to inundate dozens of low-lying neighbourhoods with water.
Other residents queued for up to four hours outside emergency services depots on Tuesday to get sandbags in a bid to protect their homes and shoppers stocked up on bottled water, milk and fuel after floods which have devastated Queensland in recent weeks threatened to reach the city. People living in at least three suburbs were asked to prepare their homes and then go and stay with friends or family on higher ground.
Queensland state premier Anna Bligh said about 9,000 homes in Brisbane could be badly affected and tens of thousands more could have floodwaters enter their back yards. The flood peak is expected on Thursday.
Meanwhile, military helicopters searched for scores of people missing after a tsunami-like wall of water ripped through Queensland state's Lockyer Valley, tossing cars like toys in the deadliest episode of the area's flood crisis.
At least 10 people were killed and 78 still unaccounted for almost 24 hours after the flash flood hurled untold millions of gallons of water down the valley on Monday, Ms Bligh said. Authorities had grave fears for at least 18 of the missing, she said.
The valley funnelled rain from a freak storm - forecasters estimated up to six inches fell in half an hour near Toowoomba city - into a stream that formed a path of destruction, lifting houses from foundations. The torrent slowed and spread out as it moved downstream towards Brisbane, Australia's third-largest city, which is home to two million people.
"This is a truly dire set of circumstances for the people of Queensland, with more flooding to come," said prime minister Julia Gillard.
The violent surge near Toowoomba on Monday escalated Australia's flood crisis in Queensland state and brought the overall death toll to 20. Until then, the flooding had unfolded slowly as swollen rivers burst their banks and inundated towns while moving downstream toward the ocean.
Emergency services officers plucked more than 40 people from houses isolated overnight by the torrent that hit the Lockyer Valley and thousands were being evacuated. In one small community, Forest Hill, the entire population of about 300 was airlifted to safety in military helicopters, Ms Bligh said.
As Tuesday progressed, the death toll rose from eight to 10 and Ms Bligh said officials held grave fears for 18 of the 78 people missing.
Royal Bank of Scotland has been fined £2.8 million for "multiple failings" in the way it handled customers' complaints, the City watchdog has said.
The Financial Services Authority said the part-nationalised bank responded inadequately to more than half of all the complaints it reviewed.
It said there was a "high risk" that customers of both RBS and its NatWest brand may not have been treated fairly due to a catalogue of failings in the bank's approach to handling routine complaints.
These failings included delays in responding to customers and poor quality investigations into complaints, with complaints handlers failing to obtain and take into account all relevant information when making a decision.
The group also issued correspondence which failed to fully address all of the concerns raised by customers, while it did not explain why complaints had been upheld or rejected.
Customers were also not given information on their right to refer their complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service within the appropriate time period.
Overall, the FSA said 53% of the cases it reviewed showed deficient complaint handling, while in 62% of cases the bank failed to follow FSA rules on giving people information on the Financial Ombudsman Service and in 31% of cases it did not demonstrate fair outcomes for consumers.
The regulator said the problems stemmed from the fact that the bank did not give staff adequate training and guidance on how to properly handle a complaint.
It also failed to monitor complaint handling in branches and the management information produced was not enough to assess whether customers were being treated fairly. RBS also failed to ensure that complaint handlers properly reviewed complaints, taking into account all of the relevant factors.
Eric Illsley has become the first sitting MP to be convicted of expenses fraud after admitting that he dishonestly claimed more than £14,000.
The member for Barnsley Central was due to stand trial at Southwark Crown Court in London.
But he changed his pleas on three charges of false accounting relating to three years of expenses claimed on his second home in London.
On Friday, former Labour MP David Chaytor became the first person to be jailed over the expenses scandal.
He was sentenced to 18 months after admitting he forged tenancy documents and invoices to falsely claim more than £22,000 of taxpayers' money for rent and IT work from House of Commons authorities.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will fight to remain in Britain next month, it has been confirmed.
In a 10-minute hearing at Belmarsh Magistrates' Court, Assange's legal team said it was ready to start a full two-day extradition hearing on February 7. Hannah Pye, for the Swedish authorities, said she had no objection to the date.
District Judge Nicholas Evans released Assange, who spoke only to confirm his name, age and address, on conditional bail. The judge agreed to vary Assange's bail conditions to allow him to stay in Paddington on February 6 and 7.
Assange is wanted by the Swedish authorities over claims he sexually assaulted two women last year.
The computer programmer was released on £240,000 bail by a High Court judge last month after spending nine days in Wandsworth Prison.
He denies committing any offences and his supporters claim the criminal inquiry and extradition request is unfair and politically motivated.
The controversial figure was behind the release of hundreds of United States diplomatic cables, as well as information about the Iraq war, that sparked global uproar.
Earlier, supporters of Assange including human rights campaigner Bianca Jagger, socialite Jemima Khan and Gavin MacFadyen, director of the Centre for Investigative Journalism, arrived at court.
Speaking outside court after Tuesday's hearing, Assange said he was "happy about today's outcome" and vowed that WikiLeaks's activities would continue.
A policeman has been jailed for life after being convicted of raping and sexually assaulting vulnerable women.
Pc Stephen Mitchell preyed on women he met while on duty from his base at Pilgrim Street police station in Newcastle. He was given two life sentences at Newcastle Crown Court and told he would not be eligible for parole for at least seven-and-a-half years.
Mitchell, 42, originally from Glasgow and formerly of Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, raped and sexually abused heroin addicts, shoplifters and a disabled teenager by offering them help while in custody, then later demanding sexual favours. He told one of his victims that if she complained, "no one would believe a junkie".
During a five-week trial in December, the Pc claimed he was the victim of a conspiracy hatched by the criminal underworld and labelled his accusers liars. But after nearly a week of deliberation, a jury convicted him of raping two women and carrying out three further indecent assaults.
Mitchell was convicted of two rapes, three indecent assaults and six counts of misconduct in a public office against seven female victims.
Sentencing, trial judge Mr Justice Wilkie said Mitchell presented such a danger to women that he might never be released from prison.
He said the officer had broken the bond of trust that existed between the public and the police. Mitchell was a sexual predator who "ruthlessly exploited" his victims for his own pleasure and "degraded them repeatedly".
He said: "You succeeded so well you were able to treat them as sex objects over a period of months, and in some cases, years. So cowed and downtrodden by their experiences of life and by your influence were those seven women that they did not report what you had done until they were given the opportunity to do so by the police investigation into your activities years later."
He said Mitchell would serve at least seven-and-a-half years in jail before being considered for parole. "Thereafter, you will only be released, if at all, if the parole board has concluded it is safe and in the public interest for you to be released on public licence. That may not be for many years, if for ever."
Northumbria Police Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Jim Campbell said police were seeking authority to apply for a forfeiture of Mitchell's police pension. He said: "I continue to offer my unreserved apologies to anyone who has been subject to criminal or inappropriate behaviour by Mitchell during his time as a serving officer with Northumbria Police."
Former Countryfile presenter Miriam O'Reilly, who lost her job when the show was moved to a prime-time slot, has won her employment tribunal against the BBC on the grounds of age discrimination, her solicitors have said.
The award-winning journalist, 53, was "delighted" after winning a claim of age discrimination against the broadcaster, said her solicitors Leigh, Day & Co.
"The primary claim which she has won is the age discrimination claim that on the grounds of her age she was discriminated against and was not given a role in the prime-time Countryfile," a spokeswoman said. "Following on from that, she was, the tribunal has decided, victimised on the basis of her age discrimination claim."
She added that O'Reilly, who failed in a sex discrimination claim against the BBC, was "delighted" with the outcome of the tribunal. "Miriam is delighted and so are we," she said.
The judgment comes after a hearing in November at the central London employment tribunal where the presenter alleged age and sex discrimination by the BBC following its decision to drop her from the show in advance of moving to a Sunday evening slot.
O'Reilly said she was "devastated" when she was told in November 2008 that she was being dropped after eight years of working for the show as a freelance. Three other female Countryfile presenters aged over 40 - Michaela Strachan, 42, Juliet Morris, 45, and Charlotte Smith, 44 - were also axed alongside O'Reilly, she told the tribunal.
The tribunal heard allegations that O'Reilly was warned to be "careful with those wrinkles when high definition comes in", asked whether it was "time for Botox" and offered a can of black spray dye to cover up a white gap on her head.
The programme relaunched in April 2009 with Julia Bradbury, then 38, and former Blue Peter presenter Matt Baker, then 30, along with veteran broadcaster John Craven, 68, who was kept on for a slot called John Craven Investigates.
The BBC denied the claims brought by O'Reilly and insisted that she had been dropped because she lacked the necessary peak-time television presenting experience.
A BBC spokesman said: "We have just received the findings of the tribunal and are considering the full details. The BBC accepts the findings."
Osteopaths have reported a 72% rise in the number of people suffering strain injuries due to overuse of their Wii or iPhone.
The British College of Osteopathic Medicine (BCOM) said experts at its London clinic had seen far more patients in the last week than before Christmas.
"The Christmas period is the obvious time, particularly this year's longer-than-usual break, when people spend more time entertaining themselves at home," said Manoj Mehta, head of clinic and osteopathy at the BCOM.
Although the BCOM declined to give the exact number of patients seen due to concerns about confidentiality, a spokeswoman said it was not small.
Mr Mehta said people presume there is no need to warm up when using the Wii, adding that anyone suffering strain should perform gentle stretching exercises and not over-exert themselves if playing sports games, such as tennis.
Over-using the iPhone can also cause problems, he added.
Neck ache and headaches can be caused by prolonged periods on the phone, particularly when playing games or using apps.
Gentle stretching exercises for the neck, upper back and shoulders can offer relief but people should avoid long periods on the phone, he said.
He added: "Do not ignore the warning signs - the twinges that occur whilst you're playing these games serve as a warning.
"It is important that, if the ache or pain does not ease off after gentle stretching, the person seeks the advice of a GP or osteopath."
The RSPCA is urging the public to be aware of the dangers posed to cats by antifreeze.
Hundreds of cases of antifreeze poisoning have been reported to the society in the last few years.
Now the RSPCA is appealing to the public to take extra care when using the product after five cats died in Norwich on December 30.
The cats named Spike, Rabbit, Sprinkles, Cookie and Theodore, all belonged to Andrew Thompson and his family.
It is thought all five had swallowed antifreeze.
Mr Thompson said: "Our other three cats and our neighbours' cats have all been fine, but we think the antifreeze must have been nearby as they never go far from home.
"It was so upsetting for us and our children to see the cats suffer in the way they did and I just hope that people will be more careful if using antifreeze."
The chemical ethylene glycol, found in some household brands of antifreeze, has potentially lethal consequences when ingested by cats, which seem to enjoy the taste of it.
Dr Kerry Westwood, RSPCA scientific officer for companion animals, said: "Many of us are not aware of just how toxic antifreeze is so it's really important that we all take care when using, storing and disposing of it. It could save an animal from an incredibly painful death."
In 2007, the RSPCA took 41 calls regarding antifreeze poisoning. By 2009 this had gone up to 259 and by November last year, 248 calls had already been taken
Forced detention of the children of two failed asylum seeker mothers at Yarl's Wood immigration centre has been ruled unlawful by the High Court.
The decision, which opens the way for the affected families to claim damages, comes almost a month after the Government announced that it was ending detention of children at the centre in general.
The two single mothers said a lack of safeguards at Yarl's Wood in Bedfordshire, the UK's main removal centre for women and minors, led to their children suffering distress and trauma.
Reetha Suppiah, 37, a Malaysian nurse, and Sakinat Bello, 25, a Nigerian national, claimed the Government policy of detaining minors was so flawed that it could not be operated lawfully.
Mr Justice Wyn Williams, sitting at the High Court in London, ruled the policy itself was not unlawful, but that it had been applied in an unlawful way. He ruled: "The claimants were detained unlawfully from the time they were taken into custody until their release."
The judge said they suffered human rights breaches and were entitled to claim damages.
There was "a significant body of evidence" which demonstrated that employers of the UK Border Agency (UKBA) "have failed to apply that policy with the rigour it deserves".
The judge said: "The cases of the two families involved in this litigation provide good examples of the failure by UKBA to apply important aspects of the policy both when the decisions were taken to detain each family and when decisions were taken to maintain detention after removal directions had been cancelled."
The mothers' application for judicial review was heard last October.
Between then and the judgment, the Government stated that detention of the children of failed asylum seekers would end by May this year, and the family section at Yarl's Wood would be closed immediately.
