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Knifeman stabs policeman and dog

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Knifeman stabs policeman and dog A man is being held in police custody after a man, a police officer and a police dog received stab wounds. The officer and the dog were injured when they tried to arrest a 21-year-old man suspected of stabbing another man in the stomach, police said. Police were called to Oulton Road in Ipswich, Suffolk, where they found a man with a wound to his stomach. A Suffolk Police spokewoman said that officers tracked a suspect down and stopped him in a nearby road but when they tried to detain him using a Taser, the policeman was stabbed in the arm and the animal received a stab wound to its leg. The force spokeswoman said: "Following information gathered, police tracked a man believed to be the offender and stopped him in Nacton Road. "He was agitated, in possession of a knife and officers attempted to detain him by using a Taser. "A police dog and handler were at the scene and in the attempts to arrest him, both the animal and the police officer were stabbed." The 21-year-old was arrested and taken into custody, she said. The man with the stomach wound was taken to Ipswich Hospital and was said to be in a stable condition. The police officer was also taken to Ipswich Hospital. The spokeswoman said the dog was at a veterinary clinic undergoing an operation.

Crime set to rise as clocks go back

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Crime set to rise as clocks go back Crime is expected to rise when the clocks go back this weekend, according to new figures. With British Summer Time drawing to a close, new research has discovered that burglaries rose by 26% in the week surrounding last October's clock change compared with the weekly average for the rest of 2010. Insurer Aviva, which collated the figures using freedom of information requests to 16 UK police forces, said the figures show the highest increase was in Strathclyde, where police saw a rise of 57% in reported burglaries between October 30 and November 5, compared with the weekly average for the rest of the year. The second worst-affected area was Northamptonshire, which saw a 53% increase, followed by South Wales, with a 45% rise in break-ins. Devon and Cornwall saw two-fifths more burglaries, while Merseyside, West Yorkshire and Durham all rose by about a third, figures show. A spokesman for the insurer said the statistics are supported by 10 years of claims data which show a 28% increase in burglary claims on Bonfire Night, making it the worst night of the year for break-ins. Commenting on the figures, criminologist Professor David Wilson of Birmingham City University, said: "Clearly when the clocks go back, it gets darker earlier and darkness provides a number of opportunities to the offender. "Most obviously, he is more difficult to personally identify and the importance of this was underscored by all those pictures of young men covering their faces during the August riots. "The darkness also hides their criminal intentions - in other words, they do not look suspicious to those who might be walking about and who provide a form of 'natural surveillance'. "Some householders may have forgotten to leave a light on in their homes - their houses would be in darkness - which signals that there is no one home and therefore the house is easier to enter."

'Let bosses sack bad workers' move

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'Let bosses sack bad workers' move Companies should be able to sack unproductive workers without explanation, according to a leaked government report. The right to claim unfair dismissal should be scrapped to free up business and boost economic growth. The controversial call for a dramatic overhaul of UK employment laws comes in a report commissioned by David Cameron from venture capitalist Adrian Beecroft. The proposals are said to have support in Downing Street. However, they will encounter furious resistance from Liberal Democrats. Senior figures in the party have already suggested Mr Beecroft's ideas will be "swiftly swept away". A draft seen by the Daily Telegraph warns that incapable workers are being left to "coast along". Firms also fear expanding because new staff may prove "unknown quantities" who are impossible to sack. The document, dated October 12 this year, says the first major issue for British enterprise is "the terrible impact of the current unfair dismissal rules on the efficiency and hence competitiveness of our businesses, and on the effectiveness and cost of our public services". It continues: "The rules both make it difficult to prove that someone deserves to be dismissed, and demand a process for doing so which is so lengthy and complex that it is hard to implement. This makes it too easy for employees to claim they have been unfairly treated and to gain significant compensation." Mr Beecroft says managers in the public sector have been forced to offer under-performing staff large settlements because they fear costly tribunal rulings. Public bodies "accept inefficiency that they would not tolerate if dismissal of unsatisfactory employees was easier". He adds: "A proportion of employees, secure in the knowledge that their employer will be reluctant to dismiss them, work at a level well below their true capacity; they coast along." Mr Beecroft argues that there is nothing in European law that would prevent the Government from abandoning unfair dismissal laws. Rules preventing dismissal on the basis of a person's gender, race or sexuality would remain.

Babies dying amid agency failings

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Babies dying amid agency failings Too many babies have been killed or seriously injured through child abuse because of failings by the authorities that are repeated across the country, a report has found. Ofsted highlighted recurrent patterns of agencies carrying out inadequate pre-birth risk assessments, placing too much focus on the mother's needs at the expense of the baby, and underestimating the vulnerability of young infants. The regulator also warned that staff were underestimating the risks resulting from the needs of parents with problems ranging from drug addiction to histories of abuse, and said teenage parents in particular were receiving insufficient support. It cited the case of a 12-week-old boy from the Isle of Wight who suffered 16 separate non-accidental fractures after the authorities failed to consider the dangers posed by his 19-year-old father's history of becoming violent when drunk or his 17-year-old mother's troubled background. There has been heightened concern about how agencies care for vulnerable young children since the horrific death of 17-month-old Baby P - now named as Peter Connelly - while on the at-risk register in August 2007. Babies make up a disproportionately large proportion of the youngsters who are the subject of official investigations into the worst cases of child abuse or neglect, known as serious case reviews. Under-ones accounted for more than a third of the 602 children in England whose death or serious injury was examined by reviews evaluated by Ofsted between 2007 and 2011. The regulator's new report identifies a series of lessons to learn from these investigations, especially for health workers, who are most frequently involved with vulnerable babies. Ofsted also published a second report looking at how local authorities can successfully keep children out of care by supporting families to stay together. Miriam Rosen, the regulator's chief inspector, said: "These two reports make a significant contribution to our understanding of how to better protect some very vulnerable groups, particularly babies and children over 14."

Cameron heads for EU crisis summit

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Cameron heads for EU crisis summit David Cameron is heading for a crunch EU summit amid fears the continent is teetering on the brink of economic disaster. There had been hopes the hastily-arranged gathering of leaders in Brussels would agree a deal to secure struggling eurozone members by shoring up banks and ramping up emergency funds. But the prospects for decisive action appeared to be receding on Tuesday night. The cancellation of a meeting of finance ministers was taken as an indication that only broad outlines of a solution were being considered. Meanwhile, Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi was fighting to get his coalition government to authorise new austerity measures being demanded in return for financial aid. Frantic behind-the-scenes talks have been taking place in an effort to nail down three key issues that could soothe panicky markets. A provisional agreement is already in place on the recapitalisation of Europe's most exposed banks - none in the UK - to the tune of about 100 billion euro (£87 billion). Many financial experts say at least half as much again will be needed to convince markets that they are well insulated against further economic shocks. On the second plank, nothing is agreed on how to leverage an existing 440 billion euro (£383 billion) bailout fund to something above one trillion euros, to demonstrate a capacity to respond to any more Greek-style meltdowns. And a decision is still awaited on a demand that private investors - mainly banks - absorb at least a 50% write-off of their loans to Greece. Last weekend EU leaders set Wednesday as the absolute deadline for a deal, but the timetable has seemingly stretched as finance ministers will meet later this week. UK officials have also suggested that a further summit of leaders could be required at the weekend to finalise the package.

Pensioners lobby for better deal

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Pensioners lobby for better deal Hundreds of pensioners will lobby Parliament to press the Government for increased rights in retirement, including a higher state pension. The National Pensioners Convention (NPC) said its protest was also aimed at calling for a national Care Service, paid for through general taxation, and a winter fuel allowance of £500 per pensioner household to help old people pay rising energy bills. The NPC said Britain's state pension was among the least adequate in Europe, and sixth from bottom out of the world's 46 most developed countries. General secretary Dot Gibson said: "Most commentators now believe that the poorest in our society are beginning to pay the highest price for the cuts to public spending, benefits and services. "Whether through lower pensions, reduced or inferior care services or cuts to winter fuel payments, older people are being told to shoulder a much bigger burden than those at the very top. "Rather than declaring that the older generation is a drain on our society, we should recognise that every year, pensioners are providing over £40 billion in taxes, unpaid caring, voluntary work and childminding. "Yet around one in four pensioners still live in poverty and rising costs of food and fuel, combined with record lows in savings returns, mean that pensioners continue to suffer a disproportionate increase in the cost of living. "After a lifetime of working, older people deserve a decent state pension, proper care when they need it and the right to keep warm in the winter. The coalition Government needs to do more to reassure pensioners that their retirement is not under threat." Pensioners will lobby their MPs and hold a rally inside Parliament, which will be addressed by politicians and union leaders.

Vince Cable 'fined over VAT bill'

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Vince Cable 'fined over VAT bill' Business Secretary Vince Cable has been fined for failing to pay up to £25,000 in VAT on his media work, it has been reported. According to the Sun, Mr Cable was ordered to pay a £500 penalty by HM Revenue and Customs after it emerged he had not paid the tax on time. His aides told the newspaper the mistake was made "unknowingly". In the two years before he became minister, Mr Cable is said to have made a considerable sum from media work and book deals, although he cut back his freelance work after joining the Government in May 2010. He earned an estimated £192,000 on top of his MP's annual salary of £65,738, but did not tell HMRC that his income had exceeded a pre-set threshold, it was reported. HMRC rules state that if a person's turnover of VAT-liable goods and services over a 12-month period exceeds the current threshold of £73,000, they must register for the duty within 30 days. Mr Cable's aides told the newspaper the error was spotted by his personal accountants in January while his tax return for the previous financial year was being finalised. The accountants notified HMRC officials and apologised, before offering to pay any due tax. The former deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats was then billed for a figure of "less than £15,000" after a rebate on his charity donations was taken into account, his spokeswoman told the Sun. He is said to have sent a cheque to the Revenue by mid-February to make up for the shortfall, and was let off with half the usual penalty of £1,000. Mr Cable's spokeswoman said in a statement: "All Vince's tax affairs are above board, and he went out of his way to settle this quickly - in fact HMRC let him off 50% of the usual penalty."

Pushchair fault could tip it over

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Pushchair fault could tip it over Pushchair company Bugaboo has warned customers that a fault on one of its models could cause it to tip over. Sales of the £480 Bugaboo Bee have now been halted and parents who already own one are being sent a replacement wheel set. Safety tests found that the stroller's front wheels could jam, potentially leading to it tipping over. The problem arose after the firm swapped metal-bearing wheels for plastic after some customers complained the wheels were vibrating. A statement on the company's website said: "The safety and wellbeing of our customers and their children is paramount to Bugaboo. "Previously this year we found that, although non-swivelling wheels affect the driving experience, we believed it did not affect the safety of the stroller. "However, the latest safety assessment by an independent expert concluded, following further tests, that there is a small chance that the stroller's front wheels could jam, which could potentially make the stroller tip over. In light of this, we believe that the safety profile of this product is inadequate and not up to our quality standard." The Bee received a Mumsnet Best Awards 2011 prize, and Bugaboo came first in a vote of Which? members' favourite pushchair brand in March. The company has now gone back to using the original metal-bearing wheels and will exchange plastic ones on all pushchairs with a production date between January and September this year. The statement added: "We believe that these metal-bearing swivel wheels will be the solution to the non-swivelling issues some Bugaboo Bee customers are experiencing and remove any potential for tip-over and the risks associated with tip-over." Customers who have registered their product will be sent the replacement wheels over the next three to four weeks. Anyone who has not registered their buggy will need to contact the company.

UK population 'to hit 70m by 2027'

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UK population 'to hit 70m by 2027' The UK population is on course to reach 70 million within 16 years, fuelled by the number of migrants coming to the country, figures have shown. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the UK was set to reach the milestone by mid-2027. Within 25 years, the UK population is set to swell from 62.3 million last year to 73.2 million, with more than two thirds of this increase a result of immigration, the figures showed. Of the 10.9 million increase, 5.1 million (47%) is due to projected net migration, 2.3 million (21%) from migrant women giving birth, and 5.8 million (53%) due to projected natural increase as the number of births outpace deaths. Officials said the UK's population was projected to rise by 438,000 a year until 2035 - the equivalent of adding a city the size of Bristol every year. The new long-term assumption for net migration - the number of people coming to the UK less the number leaving - is 200,000 each year, 20,000 a year more than in the last projections two years ago, the ONS report showed. Some 15,500 of this is based on England alone, with 5,500 extra in Scotland and 500 fewer in both Wales and Northern Ireland. Immigration Minister Damian Green said: "Immigration to the UK has been too high. That's why we have made sweeping changes to get a grip on immigration in this country, closing down routes subject to abuse and taking action against those with no right to be here. "Much has been done, but there is more to do to bring down net migration to the order of tens of thousands a year and ensure migration which benefits the UK." Sir Andrew Green, chairman of the campaign group Migration Watch UK, said: "These figures confirm that the UK's dramatic rise in population will continue unabated. "The population is now set to hit 70 million in 16 years time, over two thirds of which is due to immigration. As people return home this evening crammed into public transport and on congested roads, they could well ask where all of these people are going to fit."

Fury at plan to make sacking easier

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Fury at plan to make sacking easier Unions have angrily attacked the Government over a report it commissioned which said companies should be able to sack unproductive staff without explanation, warning that the move would "horrify" workers. The right to claim unfair dismissal should be scrapped to free up business and boost economic growth, according to the controversial findings of venture capitalist and Tory donor Adrian Beecroft. He suggested a dramatic overhaul of UK employment laws, claiming that incapable workers were being left to "coast along" and that firms feared expanding because new staff may prove "unknown quantities" who were impossible to sack. The document, dated October 12, said the first major issue for British enterprise was the "terrible impact of the current unfair dismissal rules on the efficiency and hence competitiveness of our businesses, and on the effectiveness and cost of our public services". TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: "Scrapping protection against unfair dismissal, even for people who have given years of loyal service, will do absolutely nothing to boost the economy. Indeed, if people are constantly in fear of losing their jobs, it will lead consumers to spend even less." Paul Kenny, general secretary of the GMB union, said: "This report shows the true face of the nasty Tory Party who are, in fact, the political wing of the rich and the elite. That is why Tories have yet to make any move to curb the greed of bankers and financiers who had to be bailed out with billions of pounds of public funds." Mr Beecroft said managers in the public sector had been forced to offer under-performing staff large settlements because they feared costly tribunal rulings. "A proportion of employees, secure in the knowledge that their employer will be reluctant to dismiss them, work at a level well below their true capacity; they coast along," said the report. Mr Beecroft argued that there was nothing in European law that would prevent the Government abandoning unfair dismissal laws. He suggested replacing it with Compensated No Fault Dismissal, which would allow employers to sack unproductive staff with basic redundancy pay and notice.

Musa Kusa denies bombing knowledge

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Musa Kusa denies bombing knowledge Former Libyan foreign minister Musa Kusa has denied having any "involvement of any kind or knowledge" of the Lockerbie bombing and the murder of WPC Yvonne Fletcher. Kusa issued a statement through legal representatives in London following allegations made on the BBC's Panorama programme. The programme, which was broadcast on Monday, claimed he personally tortured prisoners and was involved in the 1996 massacre of more than 1,200 inmates at the country's notorious Abu Salim prison. Kusa, who made a high-profile defection to Britain in March as Colonel Gaddafi's regime crumbled, accused programme-makers of making "false allegations", adding: "I have never tortured anyone nor been involved in torture. Neither was I present at the massacre at Abu Salim prison." He said: "I also had no involvement of any kind or knowledge of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie in 1988 or the murder of WPC Fletcher in 1984. I have voluntarily assisted the relevant investigatory authorities with their inquiries in relation to these matters." Kusa left Britain following an EU decision to lift sanctions against him, meaning he no longer faces travel restrictions or an asset freeze. He was head of Gaddafi's intelligence agency from 1994 and was reported to be a senior intelligence agent when PanAm flight 103 was blown up over Lockerbie in 1988, killing 270 people. Kusa denied that, adding: "I had no involvement in Libya's intelligence and security organisations until my appointment as head of the External Security Organisation (ESO) in 1994." The programme, called Britain, Gaddafi And The Torture Trail, described Kusa as one of the former Libyan leader's "most ruthless henchmen". It confronted him with the claims at a luxury resort in Qatar where he is living but he declined to comment on them. In his statement, Kusa said: "When the reporter confronted me, I was taken by surprise and had no idea who he was. Far from being 'tracked down' in Doha by the BBC and 'on the run', I have made no secret of my whereabouts in Qatar since I left the UK in April earlier this year. Contrary to assertions made by the BBC, I am not a wealthy man and I am currently being supported by friends." A BBC spokeswoman said: "Panorama stands by its journalism in Britain, Gaddafi and the Torture Trail. The approach to Musa Kusa - former Libyan foreign minister and Gaddafi's chief of spies - was made in accordance with BBC guidelines."

Cable embarrassed by unpaid tax

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Cable embarrassed by unpaid tax Business Secretary Vince Cable admitted it was a "bit embarrassing" that his failure to pay a VAT bill of up to £25,000 on time "wasn't spotted earlier". The Liberal Democrat Cabinet minister was hit by a £500 penalty from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) after the blunder over tax on his media work. Mr Cable insisted that he "made no attempt to avoid tax" and the "oversight" had happened in good faith. It followed earnings in a lucrative period before he became a minister when he is said to have made a considerable sum from media work and book deals. He earned an estimated £192,000 on top of his MP's annual salary of £65,738, but did not tell HMRC that his income had exceeded a pre-set threshold. HMRC rules state that if a person's turnover of VAT-liable goods and services over a 12-month period exceeds the current threshold of £73,000, they must register for the duty within 30 days. Mr Cable said: "I have not avoided paying tax. I paid in full, all that was owed. The tax accountant has made a statement making this clear. I approached HMRC unprompted, as soon as I realised I was liable for VAT on my earnings for 2009/10. "The tax was paid in full and the matter closed within four weeks. HMRC waived 50% of the fixed penalty for late notification in recognition of the fact that I did approach them unprompted and my oversight was in good faith. "I made no attempt to avoid tax - in fact I made every effort to pay what was outstanding as soon as it became clear I was liable for VAT. "It's a bit embarrassing that this wasn't spotted earlier. None of this will stop me talking out against tax avoidance."

Broadmoor patient loses appeal bid

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Broadmoor patient loses appeal bid The first psychiatric patient to have an appeal against detention held in public has lost his legal battle to be freed from Broadmoor Hospital. Albert Haines, 52, made legal history when he successfully argued that his case should be considered at an open hearing. But a mental health tribunal ruled that the nature or degree of his mental disorder meant he should not be released from the high-security psychiatric institution. Mr Haines was convicted of two counts of attempted wounding in September 1986 after he armed himself with a machete and a knife and tried to attack a doctor and a nurse at the Maudsley psychiatric hospital in Camberwell, south London. Since then he has been detained under the Mental Health Act at Broadmoor in Crowthorne, Berkshire, and at Three Bridges medium secure unit in Ealing, west London. The tribunal heard that he does not think there is anything wrong with him and believes his discharge from Broadmoor is "in the moral public interest". But it also received evidence from Dr Jose Romero-Urcelay, Mr Haines's responsible clinician, who argued that the patient remained a risk to the public and to himself. The mental health tribunal panel's ruling, the first ever published, criticised Broadmoor for repeatedly moving Mr Haines between wards this year, which it described as destabilising and "extremely unhelpful". The panel concluded: "Plainly these tribunal proceedings, being greatly extended by the issue of whether the hearing should be in public, have dominated Mr Haines's life in the last two years or so, really to the exclusion of everything else. "It is in nobody's interest that Mr Haines should have to be detained, whether in high or medium security, for a day longer than absolutely necessary. In our judgment detention does remain necessary, and we conclude by observing that it is likely to remain so unless the treating team are able to find a way of engaging Mr Haines, and that this will require an equal commitment by Mr Haines himself." An estimated 100,000 mental health tribunals have been held in the past seven years, but out of these there were only 10 applications for the hearing to be held in public. Only one previous application for an open session was granted, and this was later withdrawn.

Joanna trial jury considers verdict

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Joanna trial jury considers verdict Jurors at the Joanna Yeates murder trial have retired to consider their verdict. The judge urged the six men and six women trying Vincent Tabak to reach a unanimous verdict. Jurors at Bristol Crown Court "should not allow emotion or sympathy" to cloud their judgment in deciding whether Tabak intended to kill Miss Yeates, Mr Justice Field said. The defendant, 33, denies murder but admits the manslaughter of the 25-year-old at her Clifton flat. The judge told the jury: "It is your responsibility, and your responsibility alone, to judge the evidence and decide all the relevant facts, and that is a heavy responsibility. "The defendant is charged with murder - the most serious charge in the calendar of the criminal law. "Please do not allow emotion to enter into your deliberation. "This is a tragic case. A lovely young woman, with a promising future ahead of her, has been robbed of her life. "Her death will have, and doubtless continues to have, a devastating effect on her family and Greg. "You must not allow emotion or sympathy for Joanna and her family and for Greg to cloud your judgment."

Money clawed back from dead soldier

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Money clawed back from dead soldier The Ministry of Defence has clawed back money paid to a soldier killed in Afghanistan because he died before the end of the month. The family of Lance Corporal Jordan Bancroft was told that £433 had been overpaid into his account because he died on August 21 2010 and had been paid for the month in advance. It was taken from a payment of £1,493.04 refunded for holiday time off not taken. Father Tony Bancroft, from Earby, near Burnley, was reported as saying: "When I read the letter, it felt like I'd been poked in the eye with a sharp stick. "I think it's undignified and very petty to be sent a bureaucratic letter like this." A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "We regret any distress that this has caused for the family. "We never ask families of those killed in service to pay money back. If there is an overpayment of salary and further payments are due to an estate, adjustments are made to ensure families receive what they are owed. "A recent improvement means that families of those killed in service receive payment for leave due, but of course overpayments need to be taken into account at the same time. "Every case involving death in action must be handled with particular care and to achieve this we strive to have clear rules to ensure the system operates fairly for all."

Diabetes numbers near three million

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Diabetes numbers near three million Diabetes rates in the UK have soared to nearly three million, a leading charity has said. The number of people diagnosed with the disease has risen by nearly 130,000 to 2.9 million in the past year, said Diabetes UK. There are now 50% more Britons with diabetes than when GP data on the disease were first published in 2005. The rise is mainly due to a surge in Type 2 diabetes, which accounts for 90% of all cases and is most common in people who are overweight. Barbara Young, chief executive of Diabetes UK, said: "The rate of increase of diabetes is growing with huge human cost and cost to the NHS. The time for action is now. Whilst rates of other serious conditions including many cancers, heart disease and stroke are steady or declining, the epidemic of diabetes continues to grow at even faster rates. "Simple things can make a huge impact. The vascular screening NHS Health Checks is critical in detecting early signs of Type 2 diabetes. Losing 10% of your weight reduces your chances of developing Type 2 diabetes by 50%." "We must reverse this trend if more people are not going to suffer unnecessarily and if diabetes is not going to bankrupt the NHS. Around 10% of NHS spending goes on diabetes and its complications; this equates to £9 billion per year or £1 million an hour." Diabetes UK is trying to make people aware of the lesser-known risk factors associated with the condition. These include having a large waist, irrespective of weight, being aged over 40, having relatives with the disease, or being from a black, Asian, or other minority ethnic community. At-risk waist measurements are 37 inches or more for men, except those of South Asian origin for whom the threshold is 35 inches or more, and 31.5 inches or more for women. People with Type 2 diabetes may have the condition for up to 10 years without realising it. Around half of sufferers already show signs of complications by the time they are diagnosed. Ms Young said people could check their risk levels online at www.diabetes.org.uk/riskscore. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease not linked to lifestyle or weight which results in the destruction of insulin-producing cells. It affects about 10% of sufferers.

ChildLine use up after web launch

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ChildLine use up after web launch The number of children troubled by suicide, depression and self-harm calling on a national helpline has trebled since the service went online, figures have shown. ChildLine received more than 30,000 inquiries over these three issues in 2010/11, including 19,000 online in the first full year of the service being available over the internet, compared with 10,000 calls the previous year. More than 60% of all counselling about suicide, depression and mental health issues took place online last year, the figures showed. Sue Minto, head of ChildLine, said it was unclear whether more children were suffering from mental health problems or if they simply found it easier to discuss such issues online. "Most children who contact us online are deeply troubled. In many cases, they will be struggling to cope with inner feelings they can't control or understand. Others tell counsellors how they hurt themselves in an attempt to alleviate their pain. "Sadly, for some, those feelings become so overwhelming they see no other option but to give up on life," she said. Overall, ChildLine received almost 275,000 counselling enquiries last year, 44% more than in 2009/10. Bullying, family concerns and physical and sexual abuse were among some of the most common calls, the figures showed. Speaking ahead of the 25th anniversary of ChildLine being launched on Sunday, its founder Esther Rantzen added: "Eight suicidal children contact ChildLine every single day. It makes me especially proud as our 25th anniversary arrives that we can say, for the first time in ChildLine's history, we can now answer almost every call the first time a child rings. "But to continue this we need the support of the public and our volunteers. Money is always tight and every penny helps towards keeping this vital lifeline going." ChildLine, a free, confidential 24-hour helpline for children and young people, can be contacted on 0800 1111.

Clarkson lifts sex claims gag on ex

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Clarkson lifts sex claims gag on ex Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson has abandoned an injunction to prevent allegations about his private life being published, he said. The gagging order prevented the publication of personal details, including a claim that he had an affair with his first wife, Alexandra Hall, while married to his current wife Frances. Explaining why he took out the injunction at the High Court last autumn, the BBC star told the Daily Mail: "One, most importantly, injunctions don't work. You take out an injunction against somebody or some organisation and immediately news of that injunction and the people involved and the story behind the injunction is in a legal-free world on Twitter and the internet. It's pointless." He continued: "Secondly, you used to be able to take out an injunction and then just sit on it. But as a result of a recent court case you are now ultimately forced by the courts to go to trial - which is unbelievably expensive. "If you win, news leaks out on the internet. If you lose, you then get raped by your opponent's legal fees. I regretted doing it from the day I took the injunction out to this morning. There is also an assumption of guilt which goes hand in hand with an injunction. "Thirdly, my mother was desperately ill at the time last year. But she had a scan last week and it's now entirely fixed." It is claimed that the injunction banned the media from reporting "sexual or other intimate acts or dealings" between Clarkson and his first wife as well as the Top Gear presenter's "private thoughts and feelings, his health and other financial affairs". Max Clifford, who is representing Ms Hall, said: "She is delighted that the injunction has been withdrawn. She wants the whole truth to come out and she feels that a large black cloud that has been hanging over her for the last year has been lifted." Asked about the allegations, Clarkson told the Daily Express: "I have to be very careful about what I say about her claims. I'm not denying them because denying them has legal implications now. She now has the right to say what she wants. And you can choose whether or not to believe her." Clarkson is said to be spending the rest of the week 300 metres under the ocean on a nuclear submarine. He told The Sun: "My wife and I decided to let it go. My ex-wife is now free to tell her story and people can either believe it or not, it's up to them. I will be on a nuclear submarine."

Balls warns of economic catastrophe

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Balls warns of economic catastrophe The world risks economic "catastrophe" if governments persist in their policy of collective austerity, shadow chancellor Ed Balls has warned. Mr Balls called for a change of course at the G20 summit in France next week to rein in austerity measures to boost confidence, growth and jobs. At their meeting in Cannes next Thursday, the leaders of the world's 20 major economies should show leadership like that of US president Franklin Roosevelt when he launched the New Deal to see off depression in the 1930s, said Mr Balls. The New Deal involved major state investment in infrastructure projects to stimulate the economy, relief for the poor and unemployed and thorough-going reform of the banking sector. Writing in The Independent, Mr Balls said: "The world badly needs a change of course at the forthcoming G20 summit. "We need a new deal based on the understanding that collective austerity risks catastrophe and that, as the IMF's Christine Lagarde has rightly warned, 'slamming on the brakes too quickly will hurt the recovery and worsen job prospects'. "A new deal that includes credible but steadier, more balanced deficit reduction plans to support the growth and jobs the world needs now - all of which should be agreed when the G20 meets in Cannes next week. "If we are to avoid repeating the mistakes of that 1930s lost decade, then the world badly needs a 'new deal' - and soon. But from where will the leadership come? And how long will we have to wait?" Mr Balls, who launched his call for a global new deal in a speech in New York on Wednesday night, warned that the UK's coalition Government lacked the flexibility to change economic policy, despite evidence that growth was stalling and unemployment rising. "Austerity is not working in Britain. But the UK's peculiarly British problem is that the coalition is locked into a rigid agreement on the deficit and fears that any change of course might undermine the political foundations upon which it was built - the very reason it came together in the first place," he said. "This can't go on."

Study: Child care needs improvement

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Study: Child care needs improvement The largest case-based study into children who died after surgery has found there was room for improvement in more than a quarter of cases. The National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) study found there could have been improved care in 26% of patients, despite the considerable advances made since its first report in 1989. The report highlighted that there were often delays in transferring sick children with complex health needs to a specialist centre for surgery. In many cases the transfer of these critically-ill children from district general hospitals to specialist paediatric centres took more than six hours to organise and implement. Co-author and NCEPOD clinical coordinator and consultant paediatric anaesthetist Dr Kathy Wilkinson said: "It is important to note how much improvement has occurred in children's surgery with 71% receiving good care, compared to our 1999 report where this was only 50%. However, there still much to be done to improve care for the rest of these patients. "There need to be national standards for the transfer of children who require surgery, and hospitals must develop robust policies for these." The report revealed that parents and carers of sick children were often provided with limited information about diagnosis and treatment that resulted in inadequate consent procedures and there was little discussion and documentation about the risk that a child might die following surgery, and when this became inevitable, end-of-life care planning was often lacking. Co-author Dr David Mason, NCEPOD clinical co-ordinator and consultant paediatric anaesthetist, commenting on the organisation of children's surgery, said: "I was concerned to find that only half of the hospitals in our review were part of a clinical network, which is the model that has been recommended to provide comprehensive care for children's surgery." NCEPOD also found cases where hospitals lacked adequate numbers of trained nurses to provide immediate care for sick children when admitted, and many hospitals did not have appropriate systems for the management of pain following children's surgery. Dr Mason added: "It is disturbing that one in five of the hospitals we looked at did not have a policy to identify particularly sick children and to manage them appropriately. We need to ensure that there are nursing and medical staff with the appropriate skills to look after these very sick children, including staff with experience to manage acute pain." NCEPOD chairman Bertie Leigh said this latest report was a valuable snapshot of the service very sick children received.
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