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US pastor 'disappointed' at UK ban

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Image Controversial American preacher Pastor Terry Jones has said he is disappointed to be barred from the United Kingdom, calling his exclusion from the country "unfair". The preacher sparked outrage when he announced plans by his Florida-based church to burn copies of the Koran to mark the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America. Speaking after the Home Office announced it would not allow him to enter the UK, he insisted he was not against Muslims or Islam, only the "radical element of Islam". He told Sky News: "I have no intention of doing anything against British law. We feel this is definitely against constitutional rights to travel, freedom of speech. We believe that our visit there could be beneficial." He also had personal reasons for wanting to come to Britain, he added, since his daughter lives in England and his grandchildren are English and live in the country too. "I feel this ban is very unfair," he said. A Home Office spokesman said: "The Government opposes extremism in all its forms which is why we have excluded Pastor Terry Jones from the UK." He added: "Numerous comments made by Pastor Jones are evidence of his unacceptable behaviour. "Coming to the UK is a privilege, not a right, and we are not willing to allow entry to those whose presence is not conducive to the public good. The use of exclusion powers is very serious and no decision is taken lightly or as a method of stopping open debate." Pastor Jones had accepted an invitation to speak to a group called England Is Ours next month. He was to speak at a series of demonstrations against the expansion of Islam and the construction of mosques in the UK.

Survey shows 'worst streets' areas

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Image The millions who motor to Blackpool for their holidays are having to contend with some of the worst road conditions in the UK, an AA survey shows. The Lancashire resort - along with Oldham in Greater Manchester and Dartford in Kent - was judged to have streets in the poorest state. In contrast, the best streets, in categories including potholes, pavements, road markings and cleanliness, were in Taunton in Somerset, Ipswich and the Berwick and Borders region of Scotland. The street survey was carried out by 1,912 AA members this autumn. They recorded the frequency of 12 categories of street blight within two miles of their homes. These covered potholes, road repairs, damaged kerbs, inspection covers, road works, uneven payments, blocked drains, badly parked vehicles, litter, dog mess, bad signs and worn road markings. The survey showed: :: London streets had the fewest potholes and patches while the worst pothole areas were Kilmarnock in Scotland, the Fylde coast of Lancashire (which includes Blackpool) and Telford in Shropshire; :: Berwick & Borders was the cleanest area, making the top three for both litter and dog fouling; The worst streets for litter and dog fouling were in Liverpool and Paisley in Scotland; :: The most serious problem was considered to be potholes, while the most reported "bad street item" was litter; :: Overall, Welsh streets were the best and north-east England ones were the worst; :: Northern Ireland streets were the worst for kerbs, roadworks, road signs, road markings and dog mess; But Northern Ireland had the least problem with potholes and the best pavements and paths.

Government could helm flu vaccine

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Image GPs could be forced to hand over control of ordering flu vaccine after complaints about this year's programme, the Government's director of immunisation has suggested. Professor David Salisbury said there was a "pretty compelling" case for the Government to take charge but there were issues over the way GPs are paid for the task. The Government has been forced to release stocks of last winter's swine flu vaccine to bolster this year's supplies of the seasonal flu jab. While ministers have insisted there should be enough across England it has acknowledged a "mismatch", with some regions having too much vaccine and others a shortage. Angry patients wanting to be vaccinated reported being turned away from GP surgeries while some doctors said they had run out. But GPs, who order the vaccine based on estimates from previous years, have remained adamant they have not under-ordered. Prof Salisbury's comments come just a day after the Government published draft legislation which would see 80% of the NHS budget pass to GPs with control of commissioning services. In an interview with the BBC, Prof Salisbury, who is reviewing the current vaccine ordering and supply programme, said GPs purchasing the jab was a "sort of historic hangover" based on their knowledge of how many people fall into at-risk groups. But new information systems meant this could be monitored in other ways. He said: "Given where we are now with the degree of intimacy between ordering and supply we need to question whether that could be done differently. "The question is: can we find a more effective way of contracting and purchasing and then monitoring and distributing using the sophistication that we now can bring to the process? Some of the reasons why we didn't do it before are no longer as robust because of the sophistication of the information systems that we now work with." Prof Salisbury said central ordering would make the issue of any shortages "much more preventable".

Arrest made in Joanna murder hunt

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Image A 32-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of Joanna Yeates, Avon and Somerset Police has said. The 25-year-old's body was found on Longwood Lane, Failand, North Somerset, on Christmas Day morning, sparking a huge police operation. Detective Chief Inspector Phil Jones, Avon and Somerset Police's senior investigating officer, said: "I would like to thank the public for their continued support for the investigation and the information they have provided to us. "I would also like to pay tribute to Jo's family and to Greg who continue to be unfailing in their support to me and my team at what is an incredibly difficult and painful time for them."

GPs could lose flu vaccine control

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Image GPs could be forced to hand over control of ordering flu vaccine after complaints about this year's programme, the Government's director of immunisation has suggested. Professor David Salisbury said there was a "pretty compelling" case for the Government to take charge but there were issues over the way GPs are paid for the task. The Government has been forced to release stocks of last winter's swine flu vaccine to bolster this year's supplies of the seasonal flu jab. While ministers have insisted there should be enough across England it has acknowledged a "mismatch", with some regions having too much vaccine and others a shortage. Angry patients wanting to be vaccinated reported being turned away from GP surgeries while some doctors said they had run out. But GPs, who order the vaccine based on estimates from previous years, have remained adamant they have not under-ordered. Prof Salisbury's comments come just a day after the Government published draft legislation which would see 80% of the NHS budget pass to GPs with control of commissioning services. In an interview with the BBC, Prof Salisbury, who is reviewing the current vaccine ordering and supply programme, said GPs purchasing the jab was a "sort of historic hangover" based on their knowledge of how many people fall into at-risk groups. But new information systems meant this could be monitored in other ways. He said: "Given where we are now with the degree of intimacy between ordering and supply we need to question whether that could be done differently." Prof Salisbury said central ordering would make the issue of any shortages "much more preventable". Richard Vautrey, deputy chairman of the British Medical Association's GP committee, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We would need a lot of convincing that this scheme would improve things. "It does seem very puzzling. We are being told we are going to get huge responsibilities to run services locally and yet ... the seasonal flu campaign, for some reason there's a suggestion that we change a system that works well."

JobCentre staff in two-day strike

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Image Thousands of workers in Jobcentre Plus call centres are staging a 48-hour strike in a row over working conditions and claims of "excessive monitoring". Members of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) at seven sites will take industrial action after previously voting in favour of a walkout. The union said staff have complained about "intolerable" conditions, including excessive monitoring and inflexible working conditions. The PCS claimed that the perceived drop in the number of people receiving Jobseeker's Allowance despite a big increase in unemployment confirmed its fears that a backlog of claims was mounting up. The offices affected are Glasgow, Newport in south Wales, Norwich, Sheffield, Makerfield, near Wigan, Bristol and Manchester, with up to 3,500 workers due to take action. The union said it wanted staff to have the same flexitime arrangements as in the rest of the Department for Work and Pensions, more varied, satisfying work and an end to a "target" driven culture, particularly by changing the way "unrealistic average call times" are used. Officials claimed "oppressive" working conditions in Jobcentre Plus were causing high levels of stress and sickness, adding that staff were leaving at an "alarming" rate. Jane Aitchison, PCS's Work and Pensions Department group president, said: "These targets are putting unacceptable working pressures on our members, who just want to be able to provide a genuine customer service to members of the public. The department's obsession with targets means callers are not receiving that, and that's not good enough." PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "While unemployment will continue rising as the spending cuts bite, our members face increasing workloads with fewer staff. If the Government invested in jobs and our economy none of this would be happening. DWP management need to urgently investigate why the claimant rate appears to be falling when unemployment is going up and to put proper resources in place to handle people's claims effectively." A DWP spokesman said: "We are disappointed that some staff - only 21% across the centres - have voted to take industrial action. No jobs will be at risk through these changes. The contact centre staff at DWP will continue to receive good terms of employment, including generous holidays."

PM 'reneged on girl's care pledge'

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Image David Cameron is "very concerned" after the parents of a disabled girl claimed they may have to put their daughter in care after the Prime Minister went back on a pre-election pledge. Six-year-old Holly Vincent is blind, quadriplegic and has cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Her mother Riven told the Daily Mirror they cannot get the money for extra care at home despite reassurances from Mr Cameron during a visit to the family's Bristol home last April. "He promised us personally before the election that my Holly and the NHS would be safe in his hands. "But clearly he has broken his vow and we feel very upset," she said. A Downing Street spokesman said: "The Prime Minister is very concerned at what he's heard. He's writing to Riven Vincent and in conjunction he's also asked her local MP for all the details of the case urgently. "He's also asking the MP to speak to the local council to make sure that she's receiving all that she's entitled to." Mr Cameron's son Ivan was severely disabled and suffered from cerebral palsy and severe epilepsy. He required intensive round-the-clock care and died in 2009 aged six. Ms Vincent and the girl's father Mark, a £22,000 a year part-time research scientist, said they receive just six hours a week respite with a carer but will not be given any further help. The 41-year-old mother, who suffers from MS, said Mr Cameron had "let us down badly and it's affecting vulnerable families like us right across the country".

Two-year-old attacked by pet dog

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Image A two-year-old boy is being treated in hospital for facial injuries after being mauled by his family's pet dog. The toddler was attacked by the animal, a Japanese Akita, in Hailsham, East Sussex, on Wednesday night. The boy was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton after the incident at his family home at about 8.15pm. He is undergoing treatment for facial injuries, which are not considered life-threatening. A spokeswoman for Sussex Police said the Japanese Akita, which is not a banned breed, was destroyed on Wednesday night with the consent of the child's parents. Inspector Tony Wakefield, of Wealden neighbourhood policing team, said: "Although this was clearly a traumatic incident for the child and his family, this appears to be an isolated incident which occurred within the family home. "The family voluntarily agreed for the dog, which had not previously shown any aggression towards the family or the public, to be destroyed immediately." Police have not released further details of where the family live and said the boy's family have requested to be left alone by the media to concentrate on the health of their son. A South East Coast Ambulance Service spokeswoman confirmed it sent an ambulance to the scene and the child was taken to hospital under blue lights.

Report questions Pearl murder trial

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Image Four men including a British national who were imprisoned for killing Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl were not present during his beheading but were convicted of murder because Pakistani authorities knowingly relied on perjured testimony and ignored other leads, a report has concluded. The results of the Pearl Project, an investigation carried out by a team of US journalists and students which spanned more than three years, raise questions about Pakistan's criminal justice system and underscore the limits US officials face in relying on Pakistani authorities. According to the investigation, the four men convicted in the killing did help kidnap the American journalist. But it said forensic evidence known as "vein-matching" bolsters the confession of al Qaida No 3 Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the professed mastermind of the September 11 attacks on the US, to having killed Mr Pearl. The report said at least 14 of 27 people involved in abducting and murdering Mr Pearl in 2002 are thought to remain free. The four who have been convicted could be released if their appeal is ever heard because of false and contradictory evidence used in their trial, it added. Mr Pearl, 38, was abducted from Karachi on January 23, 2002, while researching a story on Islamist militancy after the September 11 attacks. On February 21, 2002, a shocking video of his killing was delivered to US officials in Pakistan. His remains were found in a shallow grave on Karachi's outskirts three months later. Within months of his disappearance, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, a Londoner of Pakistani heritage, and three accomplices were caught, charged, and convicted of murder and kidnapping. Sheikh, called the kidnapping's mastermind, was sentenced to death in July 2002. The three others were given life terms, which in Pakistan usually means 25 years. Since then, the men's appeals have gone nowhere in the courts, despite dozens of hearings. Both the defence and the prosecution blame each other for stalling tactics and there is constant speculation that Sheikh is being protected, possibly by Pakistani intelligence agencies. Vein-matching is not considered as reliable as fingerprinting, but the CIA and FBI do use it at times to identify suspects, the report said. It involves "extracting the information of the vascular structure of a hand or finger and converting it into a mathematical quantity".

Man held on suspicion of Jo murder

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Image A 32-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of Joanna Yeates, Avon and Somerset Police said. The 25-year-old's body was found on Longwood Lane, Failand, North Somerset, on Christmas Day morning, sparking a huge police operation. A police investigation was launched when Miss Yeates's boyfriend Greg Reardon, 27, reported her missing after he returned to Bristol on December 19 following a weekend away visiting family in Sheffield. Miss Yeates was not seen again until her body was found on December 25. Miss Yeates's father David, 63, speaking at the family home in Ampfield, Hants, said: "We are pleased that the investigation is moving forward. "We know as much as you do. We were told at 6am this morning that someone was arrested on suspicion of Jo's murder and their age." The latest breakthrough came a day after police revealed that more than 300 people had contacted detectives investigating the murder in the 24 hours after a reconstruction of Miss Yeates's final movements was filmed. The landscape architect's last journey, which started after she left work on December 17, was retrodden by an actress on Tuesday night and filmed for the BBC's Crimewatch. The reconstruction focused on what she did after she left her firm, BDP, in Bristol city centre. Seen on CCTV in a Waitrose supermarket at the Clifton Triangle, she then went to a Tesco Express in Clifton village where she bought a pizza. Detectives said Miss Yeates had made it home to her flat because her shoes, coat, mobile phone, purse and keys were found there - although the pizza, the wrapping and its box are still missing along with Miss Yeates's ski sock. On Tuesday night police revealed that tests showed she had not eaten the pizza before she died. Detective Chief Inspector Phil Jones, Avon and Somerset Police's senior investigating officer, said: "I would like to thank the public for their continued support for the investigation and the information they have provided to us."

Big increase in UK car production

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Image Car production accelerated ahead last year, making a big recovery after a slump in 2009, new figures have revealed. A total of 1.27 million cars were produced in the UK - a 27.1% increase on the 2009 figure, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said. Commercial vehicle (CV) production also rose sharply, rising 35.7% last year to 123,019. Despite a slip last month, UK engine output for 2010 - at 2.39 million units - was 16.2% up on 2009.

Figures reveal 5% fall in crimes

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Image The number of crimes fell by 5% from 9.9 million to 9.4 million in the year to last September compared with the previous 12 months, a report has revealed. But levels of violent crime and burglary remained about the same, the British Crime Survey figures showed. The number of crimes recorded by police also fell 7%, fuelled by a drop in every category apart from sexual offences, which rose 7%. Chief Constable Keith Bristow, head of crime for the Association of Chief Police Officers, said the crime survey data showed "the risk of being a victim of crime remains at a 30-year low" at 21.4%. "Nationally, we have been working to improve all areas of sex offence investigation, with a particular emphasis on rape in domestic abuse cases," he said. "We remain determined to bring to justice people who commit sexual offences and we are making significant progress in this critical area, particularly around giving victims confidence to come forward and report these crimes and we need them to do so." The number of homicides fell by 4% to 619 in the year to the end of April 2010, the lowest number since 1997/98 when 606 were recorded, other figures showed. In 2009/10, more than two-thirds of homicide victims (68%) were male. A total of 34% of homicides involved a sharp instrument, with the number of such offences falling from 255 in 2008/09 to 210 in 2009/10. However the number of homicides from shootings rose to 41 from 38 the previous year. Mr Bristow said: "The homicide rate also remains at its lowest level on the homicide index in 12 years. These overall results are a strong indication of the efforts of our workforce and others to keep people safe."

MPs to be asked to give up pay rise

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Image MPs are to be asked to give up a 1% pay rise ordered by the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB), it has been announced. Leader of the House Sir George Young said a resolution would be put before the Commons to block the increase in light of the pay freeze imposed on public sector workers. The move will frustrate many MPs, who argue they are already underpaid on £65,738 a year, and fuel anger at the tight curbs imposed after the scandal over expenses abuses. MPs gave up control over their pay rises in July 2008, when the SSRB was tasked with calculating how much they should receive based on awards for a basket of other public sector workers. The increase takes effect automatically, but many Government ministers and backbenchers have opted not to accept the money over the past two years as the country suffered through recession. The 1% rise set by the SSRB would have taken MPs' pay to £66,395 a year. But Sir George confirmed in a written statement to the Commons that he would be acting to stop it coming into force. "The Government supports the independent determination of Members' remuneration," Sir George said. "However, in light of the decision to impose a two-year pay freeze on all public sector workers earning more than £21,000 per annum, a motion will be brought forward to invite the House to rescind the 2008 resolution, so that the 1% pay increase will not take effect."

Tesler loses extradition appeal

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Image The High Court has refused to block the extradition of British solicitor Jeffrey Tesler to the US, where he faces corruption charges. Tesler, 62, a dual British and Israeli national, is accused by the American authorities of involvement in an international conspiracy to channel bribes to senior officials in Nigeria. Lawyers for Tesler, who works in Tottenham, north London, where he has lived for more than 50 years, argued that the conduct complained of did not occur in America and there were "insufficiently substantial links" between it and the US to legally justify extradition. They also complained that delay and the passage of time has compromised his chances of a fair trial. But Lord Justice Pill and Mr Justice Roderick Evans, in London, said the fact that the eventual "harm" might be in Nigeria did not detract from the US connection - the essence of the US offence being bribery of foreign officials. They also said that, in the circumstances, extradition was not barred by reason of the passage of time. The judges had heard it was alleged that bribes were paid from a 132 million US dollar (£88.4 million) slush fund to influence the awarding of a six billion US dollar (£4 billion) construction contract for a natural gas plant on Bonny Island in Nigeria. Tesler was accused of acting as the middleman in the conspiracy, said to have occurred between 1994 and 2004. He was arrested at the request of the US government after a grand jury indictment was filed at a US district court in Houston, Texas, in February 2009. District judge Caroline Tubbs, sitting at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court in London, decided Tesler's extradition could go ahead and two months later Home Secretary Theresa May ordered his removal.

Warehouse robbers fail in appeal

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Image Four men jailed over a £1.75 million Heathrow warehouse heist after being found guilty in a historic trial without a jury have lost appeals against their convictions. John Twomey, Peter Blake, Barry Hibberd and Glenn Cameron were convicted of robbery by a judge at the Old Bailey last March but argued that their trial was "unlawful". The trial in relation to an armed robbery at the warehouse in February 2004 was the first serious criminal trial to be held without a jury in England and Wales. At the Court of Appeal, the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, Mrs Justice Rafferty and Mr Justice Roderick Evans, who had been urged to find their convictions"unsafe", rejected their challenge. A non-jury trial took place after the Court of Appeal ruled there was a serious danger that a jury could be nobbled. There had been three previous abortive attempts to try the case, lasting up to six months at a time. At the end of the fourth trial, Mr Justice Treacy passed guilty verdicts on Twomey, 62, of New Milton, Hampshire; Blake, 58, of Notting Hill, west London; Hibberd, 43, of Shepherds Bush, west London; and Cameron, 51, of New Milton, Hampshire. Twomey was sentenced to 20 years and six months. Blake was jailed for life with a minimum term of 10 years and nine months. Cameron and Hibberd were sentenced to 15 years and 17 years and six months respectively. Their appeal centred on the secret evidence of alleged jury tampering which had led to the trial being heard by a judge alone. It was decided at the time that this material could not be made public or disclosed to defendants because of its sensitivity. But John Aspinall QC, for Twomey, said that in this case there had been no disclosure by the Crown about the jury tampering, either at the trial or during a previous Court of Appeal hearing which decided it should be heard without a jury. But in a lengthy written ruling, Lord Judge said the four "received a fair trial before a court vested with appropriate jurisdiction".

Honeymoon murder accused 'stressed'

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Image A businessman accused of ordering the murder of his new wife is suffering from acute stress, a court has heard. Shrien Dewani, 31, is accused of hiring a hitman to kill Anni, 28, on their honeymoon in South Africa. Mr Dewani was diagnosed by a psychiatrist with an acute stress disorder and a depressive adjustment disorder, Westminster Magistrates' Court in London heard. He did not attend the hearing, which was adjourned to February 8 at Belmarsh Magistrates' Court. Ben Watson, for the South African authorities, told the hearing that following a psychiatric report, Mr Dewani was judged unfit to attend court and was therefore excused by the judge. Chief Magistrate Howard Riddle said he will review whether Mr Dewani should attend on February 8 when the extradition case against him will be formally opened. The judge extended Mr Dewani's bail. The court heard he is facing charges of conspiracy to murder, murder, kidnapping, robbery with aggravated circumstances and obstruction of the administration of justice. The South African authorities are seeking to have Mr Dewani, from Westbury-on-Trym in Bristol, taken back to the country to stand trial. Mrs Dewani, from Sweden, was shot when the taxi the couple were travelling in was hijacked in the Gugulethu township on the outskirts of Cape Town on November 13. She was found dead in the back of an abandoned cab with a bullet wound to her neck after cabbie Zola Tongo drove the newly-weds to the township. His vehicle was hijacked and he and Mr Dewani were ejected before Mrs Dewani was driven away and killed. Mr Watson said the South African authorities believe Mr Dewani conspired with others to make it "appear as if they had both been the victims of a random hijacking".

One-year link to inmates vote plan

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Image Downing Street has insisted the "minimum number" of prisoners will be given the vote amid signs of a Government U-turn on the controversial issue. Speculation has been growing that ministers are preparing to back down over plans to give the vote to all inmates serving less than four years after a backbench revolt in the House of Commons. The cut-off point could be reduced to sentences of 12 months or less. Prime Minister David Cameron has said the idea of giving prisoners the vote makes him "physically ill" but the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) found that the 140-year-old blanket ban was unlawful. Failure to comply could cost tens of millions of pounds in legal costs and compensation, ministers warned. Some 2,500 inmates already have cases in motion. But the prospect of granting the vote to more than 28,000 prisoners - including 6,000 violent offenders, 1,700 convicted of sex crimes and more than 4,000 burglars - sparked fury on Conservative backbenches when the four-year cut-off was floated last month. MPs will have a chance to revolt against the proposal in a few weeks' time after Labour's former justice secretary Jack Straw and senior Tory David Davis secured a Commons vote on the issue. The Prime Minister's spokesman declined to say whether a one-year maximum sentence was under consideration. He said: "Our intention is to ensure that the minimum number of prisoners get the vote. "At the same time, because this is an issue that has been sitting there for a number of years and hasn't been resolved, we have a backlog of compensation claims by prisoners. Clearly we can't ignore that and the possible costs associated with it. What the number should be - whether it is four years or some other figure - is essentially a matter of legal advice." Shadow justice secretary Sadiq Khan said: "I am pleased that this Government has undertaken this U-turn. The Government should be standing up for the victims of crime but instead they are slashing police numbers and giving dangerous convicted prisoners the vote."

PM to write to 'exhausted mother'

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Image Prime Minister David Cameron is to write to the mother of a severely disabled girl after she accused him of not doing enough to help families in desperate need of respite. Riven Vincent said she may be forced to put her daughter Holly - also known by the Welsh equivalent Celyn - into full-time care after being denied additional support from social services. The six-year-old has severe quadriplegic cerebral palsy and epilepsy and requires round-the-clock care. But her parents receive just six hours' respite a week. The family is "crumbling" and "simply cannot cope", Ms Vincent said. Mr Cameron visited the family at their home in Bristol last April, after which they believed he would do more to help carers if he became prime minister. But on Wednesday, in a desperate plea posted on the parenting website Mumsnet, Ms Vincent announced that she had asked social services to take Holly into care. "We only get six hours' respite a week. They have refused a link family. They have refused extra respite. I can't cope," Ms Vincent posted. It provoked hundreds of messages of support. In a statement, the mother criticised Mr Cameron for failing to improve the plight of carers. She said: "No one government is to blame. But I had hoped that after David Cameron came to visit me earlier this year following our exchange on Mumsnet, he would have done more to protect families like ours. Ms Vincent ends the statement by saying: "I have no wish to put my daughter in a home. We want to look after her. All I am asking for is a little more support. Without this we simply cannot cope and nor can families up and down the country just like ours." Downing Street said the Prime Minister was "very concerned" by Ms Vincent's plight. A spokesman said: "He's writing to Riven Vincent and in conjunction he's also asked her local MP for all the details of the case urgently. He's also asking the MP to speak to the local council to make sure that she's receiving all that she's entitled to."

Man held in Koran burning inquiry

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Image A man has been arrested after a Koran was allegedly burned during an anti-Islamic rant, police have said. He was reported to have stood on a street in Carlisle city centre on Wednesday making pronouncements against the Muslim religion in front of a large crowd. The man is then alleged to have set fire to the Koran he was holding before discarding it on the floor and hurrying away. Officers arrived at the scene a short time later and are now investigating. A spokesman for Cumbria Constabulary confirmed that a 32-year-old man has been arrested. He added: "Just after midday on Wednesday, police received reports that a Koran was being burned by a man in Carlisle city centre. Police have seized the remains of the book and a 32-year-old male has been arrested on suspicion of using racially aggravated threatening words or behaviour. The man remains in police custody where he is helping officers with their inquiries." The incident came as controversial American preacher Pastor Terry Jones said he was disappointed to be barred from the United Kingdom, calling his exclusion from the country "unfair". The preacher sparked outrage when he announced plans by his Florida-based church to burn copies of the Koran to mark the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America. Pastor Jones had accepted an invitation to speak to a group called England Is Ours next month. Speaking after the Home Office announced it would not allow him to enter the UK, he insisted he was not against Muslims or Islam, only the "radical element of Islam". A Home Office spokesman said: "The Government opposes extremism in all its forms which is why we have excluded Pastor Terry Jones from the UK. Coming to the UK is a privilege, not a right, and we are not willing to allow entry to those whose presence is not conducive to the public good."

Arrest pleases murdered Jo's family

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Image The father of Joanna Yeates has welcomed news that a 32-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering her. The suspect was held at an undisclosed location "early this morning" by detectives investigating her death. He is the second person to be arrested since her frozen body was found dumped on the verge of a lane on the outskirts of Bristol on Christmas Day. Police closed off Canynge Road as scaffolding and green tarpaulin was delivered to the rear of the building where Miss Yeates rented a ground-floor flat. The move prompted speculation that police were investigating fresh leads at the large converted Victorian property. Speaking at the family home in Ampfield, Hampshire, David Yeates, 63, said he is "pleased" the police investigation is "moving forward". He said: "We know as much as you do. We were told at 6am this morning that someone was arrested on suspicion of Jo's murder and their age." Miss Yeates, 25, disappeared on Friday December 17 after going for Christmas drinks with colleagues at her architectural firm. Her boyfriend Greg Reardon, 27, reported her missing after he returned to Bristol on December 19 following a weekend away visiting family in Sheffield. A huge police operation swung into action after her body was found on Longwood Lane, Failand, North Somerset, on Christmas Day morning. Miss Yeates's landlord Chris Jefferies, 65, was arrested on December 30 and questioned for three days on suspicion of murder before being released on bail.
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