October 15, 2010, 5:06 am
![Image]( "Tomato stunt costs council £24,000")
A former city mayor is ruing an expensive slip-up after his failure to vault a giant human tomato cost his council £24,000.
Jim Rodgers accidentally kicked Belfast City Council employee Lorraine Mallon in the head in a publicity stunt which went spectacularly wrong.
Ms Mallon, who was dressed up as the huge fruit for a photo shoot to promote a gourmet food fair, suffered a slipped disc in the ill-fated leap.
She brought a negligence case against the council and a settlement was reached this week in Belfast High Court.
She has been paid £24,021.75 with the council also agreeing to cover the cost of the action.
Egged on by press photographers, Mr Rodgers tried to jump over her but he slipped on wet grass on his run up and ended up kneeing her in the back of the head.
The Ulster Unionist councillor said it would not be appropriate for him to comment on the outcome of the case. But at the time of the incident in September 2007 the red-faced first citizen apologised for his stumble.
"I have been absolutely devastated over what has happened," he said. "There had been three false runs and I think Lorraine thought this was just another one. I just caught the top of her head and unfortunately I injured her."
Mr Rodgers said he was confident he would have been able to make the jump if he hadn't slipped, adding: "I'm very fit and look after myself, but it was just one of those unfortunate things."
A council spokeswoman confirmed a settlement had been reached.
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October 15, 2010, 5:06 am
![Image]( "Universities 'face cuts of £4.2bn'")
University bosses have been warned their budgets could be slashed by £4.2 billion in the Government's spending review, it has been disclosed.
In a leaked email to vice-chancellors, Steve Smith, president of the umbrella group Universities UK (UUK), said that figures of potential cuts have been getting "worse and worse".
Figures set out in Lord Browne's review of student funding, published on Tuesday, "confirm our worst fears", said Professor Smith.
His review suggests that the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), which distributes public funding to universities, will have funding of £700 million for teaching - this would be a cut of £3.2 billion from the current sum of £3.9 billion.
Prof Smith's email said: "Browne's figures confirm our worst fears."
It added that cuts to research grants of £1 billion have been proposed, bringing the total cut to £4.2 billion.
Figures of this magnitude have already been mooted in UUK's submission to the spending review, which is due next week.
The submission noted that the Treasury has asked government departments to look at cuts of between 25% and 40% by 2015.
If this is the case, universities could see their overall income fall by between £4.1 billion and £6.6 billion in cash terms.
Prof Smith's email, first seen by BBC Online, says: "There remains a terrible danger of the valley of death becoming a reality for all institutions, and avoiding that is our core concern."
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October 15, 2010, 5:06 am
![Image]( "MacAskill: I answer to Holyrood")
The man who controversially freed the Lockerbie bomber has insisted he is accountable to the Scottish Parliament and "no other".
US senators had wanted to question Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill on his decision to grant compassionate release to Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi.
But Mr MacAskill turned down the request to appear before the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee.
On Friday, he told delegates at the SNP annual conference in Perth that he answered to Holyrood and no-one else, "irrespective of their size, status or power".
The Libyan remains the only person convicted of the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland, in which 270 people died - most of them Americans.
Mr MacAskill did not explicitly mention the Lockerbie case or Megrahi in his address to the SNP conference. But he told delegates it was a "great privilege" to be both a member of the Scottish Parliament and the country's Justice Secretary.
To loud applause, Mr MacAskill stated: "It is those electors that I am accountable and to that institution that I am answerable. To no other, irrespective of their size, status or power."
Mr MacAskill released the Libyan, who has prostate cancer, on compassionate grounds almost 14 months ago after the bomber was given three months to live. But Megrahi remains alive.
The decision sparked fury in America and was condemned by President Barack Obama's administration.
Mr MacAskill said he believed he had "upheld the laws and followed the values of Scotland".
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October 15, 2010, 5:06 am
![Image]( "UK aid worker kidnapped in Somalia")
A British consultant working for Save the Children in Somalia was abducted by masked gunmen on Thursday night along with his native colleague, the aid agency has said.
The pair were taken from a guest house compound in Adado, a small town close to the border with Ethiopia.
The Somali man was later released.
Anna Ford, a spokesman for the aid agency, said: "Save the Children can confirm that a British national and a Somali national working with the agency were taken by armed gunmen on Thursday night from a guesthouse compound in Adado, a Somali town near the Ethiopian border.
"Save the Children was assessing the feasibility of starting up a humanitarian programme to help malnourished and sick children and their families in the area.
"We are extremely concerned about the welfare of those being held and urgently call upon whoever is holding them captive to release them unconditionally."
A friend of the kidnapped Briton described him as an avid skier and mountaineer who once lived in Canada and had worked for humanitarian organisations for several years.
Several forces have gunmen in the area, including pirate gangs and factions of militias allied to the government.
A spokesman for the British Foreign Office said officials were "urgently investigating" the kidnapping.
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October 15, 2010, 5:38 am
![Image]( "Liverpool FC takeover deal 'done''")
New England Sports Ventures has completed the £300million takeover of Liverpool.
The owner of the Boston Red Sox has taken control of the club after Tom Hicks and George Gillett were defeated in their legal battle to stop the takeover.
An NESV source told Press Association Sport: "The deal has been done."
New owner John W Henry said he was "proud and humble" after New England Sports Ventures completed their takeover of the club on Friday, adding: "We're here to win."
The purchase of Liverpool brings an end to Hicks and Gillett's three-and-a-half years at the club but almost certainly not an end to the saga. Hicks and Gillett have promised to sue for £1billion in damages, claiming the sale to NESV was "illegal", and have threatened to launch another destabilising legal action.
A statement from Hicks' and Gillett's New York representatives announced they were suing over "an extraordinary swindle" but appeared to accept that they will have to relinquish ownership of the club.
Steve Stodghill, the Texas lawyer representing the duo, said: "This outcome not only devalues the club but it also will result in long-term uncertainty for the fans, players and everyone who loves this sport because all legal recourses will be pursued.
"Mr Hicks and Mr Gillett pledged to pay the debt to RBS so that the club could avoid administration that was threatened by RBS. That offer was rejected.
"It is a tragic development that others will claim as a victory. This means it won't be resolved the way it should be resolved."
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October 15, 2010, 5:47 am
![Image]( "Date set for firefighters' strike")
Firefighters are to stage two eight-hour strikes in the capital in a row over new contracts, it has been announced.
Members of the Fire Brigades Union in London will walk out from 10am on October 23 and November 1 after voting by 79% in favour of a campaign of strikes.
The union had given London Fire Brigade until Friday to withdraw letters it said effectively sacked firefighters, to be re-employed on worse terms.
FBU general secretary Matt Wrack said: "Firefighters hate going on strike, but they hate being bullied even more. The London Fire Brigade needs to lift the sacking notices and start negotiating properly."
London firefighters have been taking action short of a strike, including an overtime ban, since last month. The fire brigade is proposing to change the start and finish times of duty for its frontline firefighters by reducing the current 15-hour night shift to 12 hours, and increasing the current nine-hour day shift to 12 hours, providing a longer day shift.
The brigade insists firefighters will continue to work two day shifts followed by two night shifts and then have four days off.
A spokesman said: "The current start and finish times have been in place since 1979 and the work we do today has changed dramatically. We don't just respond to fires any more. Firefighters train for and attend a much wider range of incidents such as flooding, collapsed buildings, chemical incidents etc, and work harder than ever before to prevent fires from happening in the first place.
"The current start and finish times also result in a change of shift during both the morning and evening rush-hours when fire brigade incident demand is at its highest.
"The changes would significantly increase the productive time available during the day shift for essential training and community fire safety work to be arranged. For instance, firefighters now prevent fires by visiting Londoners in their homes, fitting free smoke alarms and offering advice on preventing fires.
"The new start and finish times would also mean less disruption to services during a crucially busy period of the day. The current shift change takes place during morning and evening rush-hour."
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October 15, 2010, 10:33 am
![Image]( "'No Scientology aid', Pickles urges")
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has urged councils not to give special tax breaks running into hundreds of thousands of pounds to the Church of Scientology.
Mr Pickles said he did not believe the majority of voters would want their councils to give favoured tax treatment to the organisation, whose celebrity members include actor Tom Cruise.
He said local authorities should take account of the rulings of the Charity Commission, which in 1999 rejected an application for registration as a charity after finding that Scientology was not a religion.
According to The Guardian, at least four authorities - the City of London, Westminster, Birmingham and Sunderland - have given rate or tax relief to the church in relation to buildings in their areas.
In a statement on Friday night, Mr Pickles said: "Tolerance and freedom of expression are important British values, but this does not mean that the likes of Church of Scientology deserve favoured tax treatment over and above other business premises.
"The Church of Scientology is not a registered charity, since the Charity Commission has ruled that it does not provide a public benefit. Nor are its premises a recognised place of worship.
"Councils may award charitable relief. They should take into consideration the Charity Commission's rulings when weighing up whether to do so.
"I do not believe the majority of the public would want their own council to be giving special tax breaks to such a controversial organisation."
A Church of Scientology spokesman told The Guardian: "Scientology is very popular with those who have visited our churches, met with Scientologists and observed or utilised our numerous community activities that effectively address drug abuse, illiteracy, declining moral values, human rights violations, criminality and more.
"Local council authorities, Government bodies in this country and many others, and the European Court of Human Rights have all recognised the religious nature of Scientology or the fact that Scientologists are actively helping those in their communities as a direct reflection of their religious beliefs."
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October 15, 2010, 1:16 pm
![Image]( "Figures reveal long-term jobless")
Nearly 200,000 people have been claiming Jobseeker's Allowance for three out of the past five years, according to "staggering" new figures.
The Government said the information revealed the extent of the problem of long-term unemployment across the UK it had inherited from Labour.
The official figures showed that 76,000 people had been out of work for five out of the past seven years and 54,000 for seven out of the last nine years.
The figures took into account people who found a job or training for a short period of time, then left to re-join the dole queue, said the Government.
Employment Minister Chris Grayling said: "These figures explode the myth that long term unemployment was effectively cracked by the previous Government and that it's only the recession which is responsible for people struggling to get into work.
"For years people have been shuffled from one benefit roll to another, with an all too brief stint in employment in between helping to make the figures look better.
"We are calling time on this short term approach. I am really pleased with the response we have had from so many organisations that want to be part of the Work Programme, which will offer personalised support tailored to the needs of the individual, ending the one size fits all approach dictated by Whitehall.
"Along with this, our new Work Clubs will bring businesses and unemployed people together in the areas worst affected by the recession and our New Enterprise Allowance will help the unemployed start up a new generation of small businesses."
The new research showed that many jobseekers had been through the benefits system several times, said Mr Grayling.
"In some cases people are given endless support to get back to work at the taxpayers' expense, without tackling the reasons why they keep returning to benefits," he added.
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October 15, 2010, 1:16 pm
![Image]( "Liverpool FC takeover completed")
Liverpool managing director Christian Purslow believes New England Sports Ventures' conduct in their takeover of the club shows they will be good owners.
NESV, owners of the Boston Red Sox baseball franchise, completed a £300million takeover after overcoming legal hurdles put in the way by the departing Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
Mr Purslow said the way in which NESV had remained patient through several days of legal action and their non-leveraged takeover - in contrast to Mr Hicks and Mr Gillett's buy-out in 2007 - was a pointer for the future.
"The most important thing is that NESV have cleared us of all the debts which, frankly, shouldn't have been on the club in the first place," he said.
"They've done so in a way which leads me to believe that they will learn the lessons of the past and approach the challenge of owning Liverpool Football Club in a way which I think our fans will judge over time and which I'm optimistic will prove to be a very positive improvement on what we've been through recently."
Mr Purslow said finally getting the deal done, in the face of threatened legal action against him and fellow directors chairman Martin Broughton and commercial director Ian Ayre by Hicks and Gillett, filled him with pride.
"Given how this is right up against a deadline which could have had very serious implications for our football club, I'm hugely relieved, hugely pleased to have got over the finishing line" he added, referring to the Royal Bank of Scotland loan which had to be repaid by Friday.
"I wish it hadn't taken as long and I wish it hadn't had the twists and turns along the way, but it's very pleasing to get the job done."
The former co-owners dropped their £1billion Texas lawsuit against Royal Bank of Scotland and the club's directors, but could still launch action in England.
The American duo dropped the 1.6billion US dollar claim initially lodged in a Dallas court. However, they are considering their next move and a statement from their lawyers suggests they may bring the fight to England - where they lost a High Court battle to retain control of the club this week.
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October 15, 2010, 1:16 pm
![Image]( "PM steps in to limit defence cuts")
Prime Minister David Cameron has personally intervened to limit cuts to the defence budget in next week's comprehensive spending review.
Chancellor George Osborne had ordered the Ministry of Defence to find cuts of at least 10% as part of his drive to eliminate the UK's structural budget by the end of the Parliament, but Defence Secretary Liam Fox has fought a tough rearguard action to protect the military in the hardest-fought battle of the spending round.
MoD sources confirmed on Friday night that a deal had been reached, describing it as "a settlement we can work with". And it emerged that Mr Cameron spoke up personally for the Armed Forces, insisting that they had to be given a budget which allowed them to do the job.
It is now understood that the MoD is now facing a reduction of less than 10% to its £37 billion annual budget on Wednesday, when Mr Osborne unveils a CSR which will usher in the deepest cuts in public spending of modern times.
The Daily Telegraph reported that Mr Cameron stepped in after the new head of the Army, General Sir Peter Wall, warned him that excessive cuts would threaten Britain's mission in Afghanistan. The Chief of General Staff was reported to have told Downing Street he would not accept cuts in Army numbers and training which would hamper the Afghan operation.
Official sources would not give any figures for the settlement finally reached between Mr Osborne and Dr Fox. Some senior military officers feared that they would be asked to absorb reductions in their budgets of as much as 20%.
BBC Two's Newsnight reported on Friday that the Royal Navy will get its two new aircraft carriers, which were widely seen to be at risk from the cuts. But the number of Joint Strike Fighter F-35 jet planes which the new ships will carry is to be cut from 138 to 40, said the programme.
Meanwhile, the Navy's fleet of larger ships, such as frigates, will be cut from 24 to 16. And the Army will face a 7,000 cut in manpower and a reorganisation into five combat brigades of 6,000 troops each, down from the current eight. The reorganisation will be made possible by the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and remaining bases in Germany.
According to Newsnight, a late draft of the National Security Review - due for publication on Monday - identifies the greatest threats facing the United Kingdom as terrorist attacks from groups such as al Qaida and cyber-attacks on vital computer networks.
Military conflict with another state is listed only fourth, behind natural disasters, and the document states that the UK's future strategy will be to seek to prevent conventional wars, while retaining the ability to respond to military threats.
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October 15, 2010, 8:53 pm
![Image]( "Tests due on blaze death woman")
Detectives investigating the death of a young woman found on fire behind a house are expecting the results of a post-mortem examination.
The 23 year old, thought to have been pregnant, was found with serious burns at the property in Cloudsdale Avenue, Bradford, at 7.15pm on Thursday and was pronounced dead at the scene.
West Yorkshire Police said it was still trying to establish the circumstances of the death in the quiet cul-de-sac.
Neighbours said the area was usually quiet and peaceful and a close community, but some mystery surrounded the woman who died.
Aziza Kahn, who lives nearby, said she believed the woman was pregnant and lived at the property with her husband, mother-in-law and two sisters-in-law.
She said: "We never saw her. There was a time we were quite close to that family but not now. We didn't know her, we never got to talk to her.
"You never saw her with her husband, never ever saw them together.
"She was a young girl, we thought she was about 17 or 18, and she was pregnant."
Miss Kahn also said some neighbours had told her that a group of around five men were seen coming out of the house around the same time as the incident happened but said she did not see anything herself.
Another neighbour, Rahana Kosar, said she believed the woman was Asian and had been in the UK for less than a year but said she rarely came out of the house. She said she was "shocked" to hear the details of the woman's death.
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October 15, 2010, 8:53 pm
![Image]( "Fixing botched gas jobs costs £100m")
Rectifying botched illegal gas jobs is costing customers £100 million a year, the Gas Safe Register has said.
The register, which replaced the Corgi registration scheme in April 2009, said illegal gas fitters were not just costing money but also putting people's lives and homes at risk.
It claimed 250,000 illegal gas jobs were carried out every year, with many carried out by fitters recommended by family and friends but with no official qualifications.
Phill Brewster, national investigations manager at the Gas Safe Register, said: "If you have a boiler fitted by a gas engineer who isn't registered to do the work, then you may end up paying to have it ripped out and start again which may cost you thousands of pounds. It may also put your life in danger."
Research carried out by the register revealed that one in three people would trust a tradesman on recommendation alone.
Mr Brewster urged people to check fitters were registered to work legally and have the correct qualifications.
He added: "Money may be tight so it's understandable that people ask around for recommendations in the hope of getting a good job done.
"But with 250,000 illegal gas jobs done every year by cowboys, it's shocking that five times as many people would hire a gas engineer simply on trust rather than checking they're safe, legal and Gas Safe registered."
Gas fitters are legally required to be on the register, which can be accessed at www.gassaferegister.co.uk.
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October 15, 2010, 8:53 pm
![Image]( "Service remembers Hatfield crash")
Survivors of the Hatfield rail crash will join those bereaved by the tragedy to mark the 10th anniversary of the disaster on Sunday.
The four passengers killed when an express train derailed on October 17 2000 will be remembered in a service at St Etheldreda's Church in the Hertfordshire town.
Then, survivors and families of those who died will go to the scene of the accident near Hatfield station for another service.
This will include a period of silence at the exact moment of the crash - 12.23pm.
Both services will be conducted by the Rector of Hatfield, the Rev Richard Pyke, who comforted survivors and the bereaved after the crash.
The family of one of those killed - pilot Steve Arthur, 46, a father-of-two from Pease Pottage, West Sussex - are expected to attend the services.
Also due to attend the church service are railway staff, Mayor of Hatfield Linda Clark, other local councillors and the Archdeacon of Hertford, the Venerable Trevor Jones.
Mr Jones said: "I hope that the service will allow relatives and others a chance to know that their grief is not forgotten and also help them to receive comfort from the service. Those who lost their lives or whose lives were changed by the crash, as well as the rail staff who were deeply affected by the tragedy, are all in our prayers at present."
The crash involved a Great North Eastern Railway (GNER) express train from London to Leeds. The train, travelling at more than 100mph, derailed after passing over a section of rail which then fractured.
Twelve GNER staff and 170 passengers were on the Intercity 225 service. As well as the deaths, there were 70 injuries - four of them serious. A phenomenon known as gauge corner cracking, or rolling contact fatigue, was blamed for the crash.
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October 15, 2010, 8:53 pm
![Image]( "'Bigger Equitable payout expected'")
Victims of the near-collapse of insurer Equitable Life look set for a more generous payout than expected.
Chancellor George Osborne will use Wednesday's Comprehensive Spending Review to announce compensation amounting to around £1.5 billion to policyholders who lost pensions and savings, according to the Daily Mail.
The sum is more than three times the maximum £400-£500 million payment recommended by former Appeal court judge Sir John Chadwick, who was appointed by the last government to determine compensation.
More than one million policyholders lost out when Equitable Life came close to going bust in 2000 and they have fought over the past decade for recompense.
Many have died waiting for compensation and it is understood their relatives will benefit from the payout to be announced next week.
According to the Mail, Mr Osborne will announce up-front payments of around £1 billion in next week's spending review, while a further £500 million will be made available in annual payments to with-profit annuity holders until their death.
Liz Kwantes, of the Equitable Life Members Support Group, said that policy-holders had not yet been informed of any compensation settlement.
And she said that, even if the £1.5 billion figure was confirmed, it would fall well short of the £4 billion-plus lost by Equitable Life customers. The sum proposed by Sir John Chadwick had been "derisory", she said.
Ms Kwantes told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We are still being asked for a cut of nearly 70%, which is a lot more than anybody else is being asked to make.
"It was absolutely laughable, the derisory amount they offered originally. I don't know if they believed anybody would accept what they were suggesting."
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October 15, 2010, 8:53 pm
![Image]( "Stop and search guidance condemned")
Civil rights campaigners have accused the Government of forgetting the lessons of the Macpherson Inquiry as draft guidance for police said a person's race could be used as a basis for officers to carry out a stop and search.
Liberty said the draft proposal "flies in the face of recommendations in Sir William Macpherson's Inquiry" into the 1993 murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence.
The guideline would also mean police no longer have to record when a person is stopped by an officer and asked to account for their presence or actions.
The requirement was recommended by the 1999 inquiry in a bid to improve accountability and safeguard minority ethnic communities from institutionalised racism.
Under Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, a police officer can stop and search anyone without suspicion in a designated area for a 24-hour period.
Isabella Sankey, Liberty's policy director, said: "Stopping and searching individuals without suspicion is divisive enough without telling police they can directly discriminate on the grounds of race. Significant progress has been made since the Lawrence Inquiry but the Home Office's planned changes will set the clock back and jeopardise race relations in the UK."
The Macpherson Inquiry severely criticised police in 1999 for their handling of the murder of Mr Lawrence, who was killed in an unprovoked racist knife attack by a gang of white youths in April 1993.
The proposed changes to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (Pace) guidance, which governs the exercise of police powers, said that while officers must take particular care not to discriminate on the grounds of race, it may be appropriate "in response to a specific threat or incident".
It read: "Officers must also take particular care not to discriminate against members of minority ethnic groups in exercising the powers. There may be circumstances, however, where it is appropriate for officers to take account of an individual's ethnic origin in selecting persons and vehicles to be stopped in response to a specific threat or incident, but this must not be the sole reason for the stop."
A Home Office spokesman said: "The proposed new guidelines make clear that ethnicity may not be used as the sole basis for stopping and searching anyone under section 60. The previous guidance does not place any explicit restrictions on who may be stopped and this change is intended to protect civil liberties."
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October 15, 2010, 8:53 pm
![Image]( "Warning over debt write-off firms")
Consumers have been warned not to be taken in by firms which claim they can use a legal loophole to get their debts written off.
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) warned people against using companies that misleadingly promised consumers they could use sections of the Consumer Credit Act to wipe out their debts.
The firms offer to "buy" consumers' debts from them, claiming they can get them written off, but charge people an "administration fee", often of several hundred pounds.
The scam relates to Sections 77, 78 and 79 of the Consumer Credit Act, under which consumers can request a copy of their credit or hire agreement. If the lender fails to provide the requested information, the debt becomes unenforceable, meaning the lender cannot get a court judgment against the borrower, take back hired items or things bought on credit or anything that was used as a security, such as a car.
But the OFT, which has produced a consumer guide on the issue, warned that even if the debt was unenforceable, people would still owe any outstanding money to the lender. The lender could also continue to add interest to the loan or hire agreement, as well as default charges, while consumers' credit records could also be impacted if they did not repay the money.
The OFT also warned that the debt became enforceable again as soon as the lender produced a copy of the credit agreement.
The High Court recently ruled that for a debt to be enforceable, lenders did not have to produce the original credit agreement or a photocopy of it. Instead it said a reconstituted version was acceptable, as long as it was accurate and contained all of the original information.
The OFT added that consumers could not sell their debts, as they belonged to the lender, not the individual.
Ray Watson, director of the OFT's consumer credit group, said: "Consumers have a right to information on debts they owe, but it is important that they realise that these sections of the Act cannot be used to write off legitimately owed debts.
"Although the debt can be classified as unenforceable until the right paperwork is provided, people are encouraged to seek advice and help on how they can continue to repay the money they owe. Consumers can get free advice on debt by contacting Citizens Advice or the Consumer Credit Counselling Service."
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October 15, 2010, 8:53 pm
![Image]( "SNP: Prescription charges to be cut")
Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon is due to confirm that the Scottish Government is to axe prescription charges - despite looming cuts in public spending.
The Nationalist administration has been gradually reducing the cost people pay for their medicines, with a view to axing the charge altogether.
Ms Sturgeon will tell the SNP annual conference in Perth that prescription charges are to be abolished "as promised" next April.
Finance Secretary John Swinney has already said he expects Scotland`s budget to drop by about £1.1 billion next year.
And the Tories have criticised the SNP's plans to get rid of prescription charges.
Meanwhile, the Independent Budget Review Group - which was set up by the Scottish Government - called on ministers to consider suspending the the final stage of the abolition of the charge.
However, in her speech to the conference this afternoon the Health Secretary will say: "I want to make another very important announcement, one that is of huge importance to thousands of people across the country, to those with long term conditions and to the 600,000 people on low incomes.
"For the last three years we have been reducing the cost of prescriptions. Under Labour charges went up to nearly £7. Under the SNP they have come down to £3."
Ms Sturgeon will acknowledge: "Some have argued that in this financial climate we shouldn`t go ahead with our plans to abolish prescription charges."
But she will add: "I believe, and this Government believes, the last people who should be paying for the price of Labour's economic mess are the sick. So I can confirm today the Government has decided that in April next year, as promised, prescription charges will be abolished."
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October 16, 2010, 4:32 am
![Image]( "Prescriptions disparity sparks fury")
The Scottish Government's decision to press ahead with free prescriptions has sparked anger south of the border over disparities with treatment for English patients.
Scottish National Party Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon confirmed that all prescription charges will be abolished in Scotland as planned in April next year.
The move came despite Finance Secretary John Swinney's admission earlier this week that the Holyrood executive's budget is expected to fall by £1.1 billion as a result of the cuts being announced in Chancellor George Osborne's comprehensive spending review (CSR) on Wednesday.
Mr Osborne has protected NHS spending in the CSR, which is expected to usher in cuts totalling £83 billion elsewhere in the public sector. But it is thought unlikely that the CSR settlement will permit the introduction of free prescriptions for English patients with long-term conditions, initially promised by Gordon Brown in 2008.
In a statement ahead of her speech to the SNP conference on Saturday, Ms Sturgeon said: "The prescription charge is a tax on ill health that Scotland's poorest families can ill afford. Some have argued that in this financial climate, we should not go ahead with our plan to abolish prescription charges. Well, times are tight and we believe that the last people who should be paying the price of the current economic mess are the sick."
Since coming into power in 2007, the SNP administration has already reduced the cost of a single-item prescription from £6.85 to £3. Removing the charge altogether is expected to cost around £40 million. By contrast, patients in England pay £7.20 for each prescription, or £104 for a 12-month pre-payment scheme for those with chronic conditions. Benefit claimants, pensioners, pregnant women, children and sufferers from certain conditions do not have to pay.
TaxPayers' Alliance campaign manager Fiona McEvoy said the measure was the latest in a series of moves which disadvantaged English taxpayers compared to their Scottish counterparts.
She blamed the Barnett Formula mechanism for allocating central Government funds to the different parts of the UK, which has long attracted criticism because it gives Scotland around £1,500 more per head of population than England.
Ms McEvoy said: "This ill-timed move will just place more financial strain on English taxpayers who are already paying for free university education and free care for the elderly in Scotland.
"Many will see this as another example of the unfairness caused by the Barnett formula. The SNP should have to raise the money to fund these prescriptions within Scotland to avoid them making vote-winning decisions at the expense of the rest of us."
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October 16, 2010, 4:43 am
![Image]( "Dizaei 'paid just £750 trial costs'")
Disgraced former police officer Ali Dizaei paid just £750 towards the five-figure cost of putting him on trial, it can be disclosed.
Prosecutors originally demanded £64,500 after the former Scotland Yard commander was jailed for four years after being found guilty of corruption in February.
But court officials confirmed his legal team successfully reduced the substantial bill and negotiated four months to pay.
It is understood they argued Dizaei, 47, could not meet the bill and outlined his apparently limited assets in a behind-the-scenes exchange of letters.
Dizaei, who earned about £90,000 until his dismissal, also faced a considerable bill from his defence, headed by Michael Mansfield QC.
Mr Mansfield, who can command up to £1,900 a day for his services, came out of retirement for the four-week trial.
Jailing Dizaei on February 8, Mr Justice Simon was told there would be a "substantial application for costs".
But Mr Mansfield replied: "As far as this defendant is concerned, his career in the police service is at an end.
"What means of support he will be able to continue in the future is highly speculative."
Dizaei was convicted of attempting to frame an Iraqi businessman when they fell out over money, after a jury was told he acted like a gangster.
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October 16, 2010, 4:43 am
![Image]( "Tests on Angolan man 'inconclusive'")
Tests to find out how an Angolan man died while being deported from the UK have proved inconclusive, police said.
Jimy Mubenga, 46, collapsed on a plane at Heathrow airport as he waited to be taken back to his homeland earlier this week.
Eyewitnesses told the Guardian newspaper that he was held down by security guards on the aircraft and had complained of breathing difficulties.
The Met police today confirmed their homicide unit had taken command of the investigation after it was initially dealt with by officers from Heathrow CID.
The Home Office said they couldn't comment on claims that Mr Mubenga had been restrained before his death.
Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee Labour MP Keith Vaz has said he will write to Home Secretary Theresa May about the incident.
He told the Guardian: "The use of excessive force in deportations is dangerous and unacceptable.
"If as eyewitness reports suggest, Mr Mubenga was complaining of breathing difficulties, questions must be asked as to why help was not called for sooner."
Mr Mubenga became unwell while under the escort of three civilian security guards on a British Airways flight that was preparing to leave Heathrow for Angola shortly before 8.30pm on Tuesday.
He was taken to Hillingdon Hospital, in Uxbridge, but was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
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A former city mayor is ruing an expensive slip-up after his failure to vault a giant human tomato cost his council £24,000.
Jim Rodgers accidentally kicked Belfast City Council employee Lorraine Mallon in the head in a publicity stunt which went spectacularly wrong.
Ms Mallon, who was dressed up as the huge fruit for a photo shoot to promote a gourmet food fair, suffered a slipped disc in the ill-fated leap.
She brought a negligence case against the council and a settlement was reached this week in Belfast High Court.
She has been paid £24,021.75 with the council also agreeing to cover the cost of the action.
Egged on by press photographers, Mr Rodgers tried to jump over her but he slipped on wet grass on his run up and ended up kneeing her in the back of the head.
The Ulster Unionist councillor said it would not be appropriate for him to comment on the outcome of the case. But at the time of the incident in September 2007 the red-faced first citizen apologised for his stumble.
"I have been absolutely devastated over what has happened," he said. "There had been three false runs and I think Lorraine thought this was just another one. I just caught the top of her head and unfortunately I injured her."
Mr Rodgers said he was confident he would have been able to make the jump if he hadn't slipped, adding: "I'm very fit and look after myself, but it was just one of those unfortunate things."
A council spokeswoman confirmed a settlement had been reached.
University bosses have been warned their budgets could be slashed by £4.2 billion in the Government's spending review, it has been disclosed.
In a leaked email to vice-chancellors, Steve Smith, president of the umbrella group Universities UK (UUK), said that figures of potential cuts have been getting "worse and worse".
Figures set out in Lord Browne's review of student funding, published on Tuesday, "confirm our worst fears", said Professor Smith.
His review suggests that the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), which distributes public funding to universities, will have funding of £700 million for teaching - this would be a cut of £3.2 billion from the current sum of £3.9 billion.
Prof Smith's email said: "Browne's figures confirm our worst fears."
It added that cuts to research grants of £1 billion have been proposed, bringing the total cut to £4.2 billion.
Figures of this magnitude have already been mooted in UUK's submission to the spending review, which is due next week.
The submission noted that the Treasury has asked government departments to look at cuts of between 25% and 40% by 2015.
If this is the case, universities could see their overall income fall by between £4.1 billion and £6.6 billion in cash terms.
Prof Smith's email, first seen by BBC Online, says: "There remains a terrible danger of the valley of death becoming a reality for all institutions, and avoiding that is our core concern."
The man who controversially freed the Lockerbie bomber has insisted he is accountable to the Scottish Parliament and "no other".
US senators had wanted to question Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill on his decision to grant compassionate release to Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi.
But Mr MacAskill turned down the request to appear before the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee.
On Friday, he told delegates at the SNP annual conference in Perth that he answered to Holyrood and no-one else, "irrespective of their size, status or power".
The Libyan remains the only person convicted of the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland, in which 270 people died - most of them Americans.
Mr MacAskill did not explicitly mention the Lockerbie case or Megrahi in his address to the SNP conference. But he told delegates it was a "great privilege" to be both a member of the Scottish Parliament and the country's Justice Secretary.
To loud applause, Mr MacAskill stated: "It is those electors that I am accountable and to that institution that I am answerable. To no other, irrespective of their size, status or power."
Mr MacAskill released the Libyan, who has prostate cancer, on compassionate grounds almost 14 months ago after the bomber was given three months to live. But Megrahi remains alive.
The decision sparked fury in America and was condemned by President Barack Obama's administration.
Mr MacAskill said he believed he had "upheld the laws and followed the values of Scotland".
A British consultant working for Save the Children in Somalia was abducted by masked gunmen on Thursday night along with his native colleague, the aid agency has said.
The pair were taken from a guest house compound in Adado, a small town close to the border with Ethiopia.
The Somali man was later released.
Anna Ford, a spokesman for the aid agency, said: "Save the Children can confirm that a British national and a Somali national working with the agency were taken by armed gunmen on Thursday night from a guesthouse compound in Adado, a Somali town near the Ethiopian border.
"Save the Children was assessing the feasibility of starting up a humanitarian programme to help malnourished and sick children and their families in the area.
"We are extremely concerned about the welfare of those being held and urgently call upon whoever is holding them captive to release them unconditionally."
A friend of the kidnapped Briton described him as an avid skier and mountaineer who once lived in Canada and had worked for humanitarian organisations for several years.
Several forces have gunmen in the area, including pirate gangs and factions of militias allied to the government.
A spokesman for the British Foreign Office said officials were "urgently investigating" the kidnapping.
New England Sports Ventures has completed the £300million takeover of Liverpool.
The owner of the Boston Red Sox has taken control of the club after Tom Hicks and George Gillett were defeated in their legal battle to stop the takeover.
An NESV source told Press Association Sport: "The deal has been done."
New owner John W Henry said he was "proud and humble" after New England Sports Ventures completed their takeover of the club on Friday, adding: "We're here to win."
The purchase of Liverpool brings an end to Hicks and Gillett's three-and-a-half years at the club but almost certainly not an end to the saga. Hicks and Gillett have promised to sue for £1billion in damages, claiming the sale to NESV was "illegal", and have threatened to launch another destabilising legal action.
A statement from Hicks' and Gillett's New York representatives announced they were suing over "an extraordinary swindle" but appeared to accept that they will have to relinquish ownership of the club.
Steve Stodghill, the Texas lawyer representing the duo, said: "This outcome not only devalues the club but it also will result in long-term uncertainty for the fans, players and everyone who loves this sport because all legal recourses will be pursued.
"Mr Hicks and Mr Gillett pledged to pay the debt to RBS so that the club could avoid administration that was threatened by RBS. That offer was rejected.
"It is a tragic development that others will claim as a victory. This means it won't be resolved the way it should be resolved."
Firefighters are to stage two eight-hour strikes in the capital in a row over new contracts, it has been announced.
Members of the Fire Brigades Union in London will walk out from 10am on October 23 and November 1 after voting by 79% in favour of a campaign of strikes.
The union had given London Fire Brigade until Friday to withdraw letters it said effectively sacked firefighters, to be re-employed on worse terms.
FBU general secretary Matt Wrack said: "Firefighters hate going on strike, but they hate being bullied even more. The London Fire Brigade needs to lift the sacking notices and start negotiating properly."
London firefighters have been taking action short of a strike, including an overtime ban, since last month. The fire brigade is proposing to change the start and finish times of duty for its frontline firefighters by reducing the current 15-hour night shift to 12 hours, and increasing the current nine-hour day shift to 12 hours, providing a longer day shift.
The brigade insists firefighters will continue to work two day shifts followed by two night shifts and then have four days off.
A spokesman said: "The current start and finish times have been in place since 1979 and the work we do today has changed dramatically. We don't just respond to fires any more. Firefighters train for and attend a much wider range of incidents such as flooding, collapsed buildings, chemical incidents etc, and work harder than ever before to prevent fires from happening in the first place.
"The current start and finish times also result in a change of shift during both the morning and evening rush-hours when fire brigade incident demand is at its highest.
"The changes would significantly increase the productive time available during the day shift for essential training and community fire safety work to be arranged. For instance, firefighters now prevent fires by visiting Londoners in their homes, fitting free smoke alarms and offering advice on preventing fires.
"The new start and finish times would also mean less disruption to services during a crucially busy period of the day. The current shift change takes place during morning and evening rush-hour."
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has urged councils not to give special tax breaks running into hundreds of thousands of pounds to the Church of Scientology.
Mr Pickles said he did not believe the majority of voters would want their councils to give favoured tax treatment to the organisation, whose celebrity members include actor Tom Cruise.
He said local authorities should take account of the rulings of the Charity Commission, which in 1999 rejected an application for registration as a charity after finding that Scientology was not a religion.
According to The Guardian, at least four authorities - the City of London, Westminster, Birmingham and Sunderland - have given rate or tax relief to the church in relation to buildings in their areas.
In a statement on Friday night, Mr Pickles said: "Tolerance and freedom of expression are important British values, but this does not mean that the likes of Church of Scientology deserve favoured tax treatment over and above other business premises.
"The Church of Scientology is not a registered charity, since the Charity Commission has ruled that it does not provide a public benefit. Nor are its premises a recognised place of worship.
"Councils may award charitable relief. They should take into consideration the Charity Commission's rulings when weighing up whether to do so.
"I do not believe the majority of the public would want their own council to be giving special tax breaks to such a controversial organisation."
A Church of Scientology spokesman told The Guardian: "Scientology is very popular with those who have visited our churches, met with Scientologists and observed or utilised our numerous community activities that effectively address drug abuse, illiteracy, declining moral values, human rights violations, criminality and more.
"Local council authorities, Government bodies in this country and many others, and the European Court of Human Rights have all recognised the religious nature of Scientology or the fact that Scientologists are actively helping those in their communities as a direct reflection of their religious beliefs."
Nearly 200,000 people have been claiming Jobseeker's Allowance for three out of the past five years, according to "staggering" new figures.
The Government said the information revealed the extent of the problem of long-term unemployment across the UK it had inherited from Labour.
The official figures showed that 76,000 people had been out of work for five out of the past seven years and 54,000 for seven out of the last nine years.
The figures took into account people who found a job or training for a short period of time, then left to re-join the dole queue, said the Government.
Employment Minister Chris Grayling said: "These figures explode the myth that long term unemployment was effectively cracked by the previous Government and that it's only the recession which is responsible for people struggling to get into work.
"For years people have been shuffled from one benefit roll to another, with an all too brief stint in employment in between helping to make the figures look better.
"We are calling time on this short term approach. I am really pleased with the response we have had from so many organisations that want to be part of the Work Programme, which will offer personalised support tailored to the needs of the individual, ending the one size fits all approach dictated by Whitehall.
"Along with this, our new Work Clubs will bring businesses and unemployed people together in the areas worst affected by the recession and our New Enterprise Allowance will help the unemployed start up a new generation of small businesses."
The new research showed that many jobseekers had been through the benefits system several times, said Mr Grayling.
"In some cases people are given endless support to get back to work at the taxpayers' expense, without tackling the reasons why they keep returning to benefits," he added.
Liverpool managing director Christian Purslow believes New England Sports Ventures' conduct in their takeover of the club shows they will be good owners.
NESV, owners of the Boston Red Sox baseball franchise, completed a £300million takeover after overcoming legal hurdles put in the way by the departing Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
Mr Purslow said the way in which NESV had remained patient through several days of legal action and their non-leveraged takeover - in contrast to Mr Hicks and Mr Gillett's buy-out in 2007 - was a pointer for the future.
"The most important thing is that NESV have cleared us of all the debts which, frankly, shouldn't have been on the club in the first place," he said.
"They've done so in a way which leads me to believe that they will learn the lessons of the past and approach the challenge of owning Liverpool Football Club in a way which I think our fans will judge over time and which I'm optimistic will prove to be a very positive improvement on what we've been through recently."
Mr Purslow said finally getting the deal done, in the face of threatened legal action against him and fellow directors chairman Martin Broughton and commercial director Ian Ayre by Hicks and Gillett, filled him with pride.
"Given how this is right up against a deadline which could have had very serious implications for our football club, I'm hugely relieved, hugely pleased to have got over the finishing line" he added, referring to the Royal Bank of Scotland loan which had to be repaid by Friday.
"I wish it hadn't taken as long and I wish it hadn't had the twists and turns along the way, but it's very pleasing to get the job done."
The former co-owners dropped their £1billion Texas lawsuit against Royal Bank of Scotland and the club's directors, but could still launch action in England.
The American duo dropped the 1.6billion US dollar claim initially lodged in a Dallas court. However, they are considering their next move and a statement from their lawyers suggests they may bring the fight to England - where they lost a High Court battle to retain control of the club this week.
Prime Minister David Cameron has personally intervened to limit cuts to the defence budget in next week's comprehensive spending review.
Chancellor George Osborne had ordered the Ministry of Defence to find cuts of at least 10% as part of his drive to eliminate the UK's structural budget by the end of the Parliament, but Defence Secretary Liam Fox has fought a tough rearguard action to protect the military in the hardest-fought battle of the spending round.
MoD sources confirmed on Friday night that a deal had been reached, describing it as "a settlement we can work with". And it emerged that Mr Cameron spoke up personally for the Armed Forces, insisting that they had to be given a budget which allowed them to do the job.
It is now understood that the MoD is now facing a reduction of less than 10% to its £37 billion annual budget on Wednesday, when Mr Osborne unveils a CSR which will usher in the deepest cuts in public spending of modern times.
The Daily Telegraph reported that Mr Cameron stepped in after the new head of the Army, General Sir Peter Wall, warned him that excessive cuts would threaten Britain's mission in Afghanistan. The Chief of General Staff was reported to have told Downing Street he would not accept cuts in Army numbers and training which would hamper the Afghan operation.
Official sources would not give any figures for the settlement finally reached between Mr Osborne and Dr Fox. Some senior military officers feared that they would be asked to absorb reductions in their budgets of as much as 20%.
BBC Two's Newsnight reported on Friday that the Royal Navy will get its two new aircraft carriers, which were widely seen to be at risk from the cuts. But the number of Joint Strike Fighter F-35 jet planes which the new ships will carry is to be cut from 138 to 40, said the programme.
Meanwhile, the Navy's fleet of larger ships, such as frigates, will be cut from 24 to 16. And the Army will face a 7,000 cut in manpower and a reorganisation into five combat brigades of 6,000 troops each, down from the current eight. The reorganisation will be made possible by the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and remaining bases in Germany.
According to Newsnight, a late draft of the National Security Review - due for publication on Monday - identifies the greatest threats facing the United Kingdom as terrorist attacks from groups such as al Qaida and cyber-attacks on vital computer networks.
Military conflict with another state is listed only fourth, behind natural disasters, and the document states that the UK's future strategy will be to seek to prevent conventional wars, while retaining the ability to respond to military threats.
Detectives investigating the death of a young woman found on fire behind a house are expecting the results of a post-mortem examination.
The 23 year old, thought to have been pregnant, was found with serious burns at the property in Cloudsdale Avenue, Bradford, at 7.15pm on Thursday and was pronounced dead at the scene.
West Yorkshire Police said it was still trying to establish the circumstances of the death in the quiet cul-de-sac.
Neighbours said the area was usually quiet and peaceful and a close community, but some mystery surrounded the woman who died.
Aziza Kahn, who lives nearby, said she believed the woman was pregnant and lived at the property with her husband, mother-in-law and two sisters-in-law.
She said: "We never saw her. There was a time we were quite close to that family but not now. We didn't know her, we never got to talk to her.
"You never saw her with her husband, never ever saw them together.
"She was a young girl, we thought she was about 17 or 18, and she was pregnant."
Miss Kahn also said some neighbours had told her that a group of around five men were seen coming out of the house around the same time as the incident happened but said she did not see anything herself.
Another neighbour, Rahana Kosar, said she believed the woman was Asian and had been in the UK for less than a year but said she rarely came out of the house. She said she was "shocked" to hear the details of the woman's death.
Rectifying botched illegal gas jobs is costing customers £100 million a year, the Gas Safe Register has said.
The register, which replaced the Corgi registration scheme in April 2009, said illegal gas fitters were not just costing money but also putting people's lives and homes at risk.
It claimed 250,000 illegal gas jobs were carried out every year, with many carried out by fitters recommended by family and friends but with no official qualifications.
Phill Brewster, national investigations manager at the Gas Safe Register, said: "If you have a boiler fitted by a gas engineer who isn't registered to do the work, then you may end up paying to have it ripped out and start again which may cost you thousands of pounds. It may also put your life in danger."
Research carried out by the register revealed that one in three people would trust a tradesman on recommendation alone.
Mr Brewster urged people to check fitters were registered to work legally and have the correct qualifications.
He added: "Money may be tight so it's understandable that people ask around for recommendations in the hope of getting a good job done.
"But with 250,000 illegal gas jobs done every year by cowboys, it's shocking that five times as many people would hire a gas engineer simply on trust rather than checking they're safe, legal and Gas Safe registered."
Gas fitters are legally required to be on the register, which can be accessed at www.gassaferegister.co.uk.
Survivors of the Hatfield rail crash will join those bereaved by the tragedy to mark the 10th anniversary of the disaster on Sunday.
The four passengers killed when an express train derailed on October 17 2000 will be remembered in a service at St Etheldreda's Church in the Hertfordshire town.
Then, survivors and families of those who died will go to the scene of the accident near Hatfield station for another service.
This will include a period of silence at the exact moment of the crash - 12.23pm.
Both services will be conducted by the Rector of Hatfield, the Rev Richard Pyke, who comforted survivors and the bereaved after the crash.
The family of one of those killed - pilot Steve Arthur, 46, a father-of-two from Pease Pottage, West Sussex - are expected to attend the services.
Also due to attend the church service are railway staff, Mayor of Hatfield Linda Clark, other local councillors and the Archdeacon of Hertford, the Venerable Trevor Jones.
Mr Jones said: "I hope that the service will allow relatives and others a chance to know that their grief is not forgotten and also help them to receive comfort from the service. Those who lost their lives or whose lives were changed by the crash, as well as the rail staff who were deeply affected by the tragedy, are all in our prayers at present."
The crash involved a Great North Eastern Railway (GNER) express train from London to Leeds. The train, travelling at more than 100mph, derailed after passing over a section of rail which then fractured.
Twelve GNER staff and 170 passengers were on the Intercity 225 service. As well as the deaths, there were 70 injuries - four of them serious. A phenomenon known as gauge corner cracking, or rolling contact fatigue, was blamed for the crash.
Victims of the near-collapse of insurer Equitable Life look set for a more generous payout than expected.
Chancellor George Osborne will use Wednesday's Comprehensive Spending Review to announce compensation amounting to around £1.5 billion to policyholders who lost pensions and savings, according to the Daily Mail.
The sum is more than three times the maximum £400-£500 million payment recommended by former Appeal court judge Sir John Chadwick, who was appointed by the last government to determine compensation.
More than one million policyholders lost out when Equitable Life came close to going bust in 2000 and they have fought over the past decade for recompense.
Many have died waiting for compensation and it is understood their relatives will benefit from the payout to be announced next week.
According to the Mail, Mr Osborne will announce up-front payments of around £1 billion in next week's spending review, while a further £500 million will be made available in annual payments to with-profit annuity holders until their death.
Liz Kwantes, of the Equitable Life Members Support Group, said that policy-holders had not yet been informed of any compensation settlement.
And she said that, even if the £1.5 billion figure was confirmed, it would fall well short of the £4 billion-plus lost by Equitable Life customers. The sum proposed by Sir John Chadwick had been "derisory", she said.
Ms Kwantes told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We are still being asked for a cut of nearly 70%, which is a lot more than anybody else is being asked to make.
"It was absolutely laughable, the derisory amount they offered originally. I don't know if they believed anybody would accept what they were suggesting."
Civil rights campaigners have accused the Government of forgetting the lessons of the Macpherson Inquiry as draft guidance for police said a person's race could be used as a basis for officers to carry out a stop and search.
Liberty said the draft proposal "flies in the face of recommendations in Sir William Macpherson's Inquiry" into the 1993 murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence.
The guideline would also mean police no longer have to record when a person is stopped by an officer and asked to account for their presence or actions.
The requirement was recommended by the 1999 inquiry in a bid to improve accountability and safeguard minority ethnic communities from institutionalised racism.
Under Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, a police officer can stop and search anyone without suspicion in a designated area for a 24-hour period.
Isabella Sankey, Liberty's policy director, said: "Stopping and searching individuals without suspicion is divisive enough without telling police they can directly discriminate on the grounds of race. Significant progress has been made since the Lawrence Inquiry but the Home Office's planned changes will set the clock back and jeopardise race relations in the UK."
The Macpherson Inquiry severely criticised police in 1999 for their handling of the murder of Mr Lawrence, who was killed in an unprovoked racist knife attack by a gang of white youths in April 1993.
The proposed changes to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (Pace) guidance, which governs the exercise of police powers, said that while officers must take particular care not to discriminate on the grounds of race, it may be appropriate "in response to a specific threat or incident".
It read: "Officers must also take particular care not to discriminate against members of minority ethnic groups in exercising the powers. There may be circumstances, however, where it is appropriate for officers to take account of an individual's ethnic origin in selecting persons and vehicles to be stopped in response to a specific threat or incident, but this must not be the sole reason for the stop."
A Home Office spokesman said: "The proposed new guidelines make clear that ethnicity may not be used as the sole basis for stopping and searching anyone under section 60. The previous guidance does not place any explicit restrictions on who may be stopped and this change is intended to protect civil liberties."
Consumers have been warned not to be taken in by firms which claim they can use a legal loophole to get their debts written off.
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) warned people against using companies that misleadingly promised consumers they could use sections of the Consumer Credit Act to wipe out their debts.
The firms offer to "buy" consumers' debts from them, claiming they can get them written off, but charge people an "administration fee", often of several hundred pounds.
The scam relates to Sections 77, 78 and 79 of the Consumer Credit Act, under which consumers can request a copy of their credit or hire agreement. If the lender fails to provide the requested information, the debt becomes unenforceable, meaning the lender cannot get a court judgment against the borrower, take back hired items or things bought on credit or anything that was used as a security, such as a car.
But the OFT, which has produced a consumer guide on the issue, warned that even if the debt was unenforceable, people would still owe any outstanding money to the lender. The lender could also continue to add interest to the loan or hire agreement, as well as default charges, while consumers' credit records could also be impacted if they did not repay the money.
The OFT also warned that the debt became enforceable again as soon as the lender produced a copy of the credit agreement.
The High Court recently ruled that for a debt to be enforceable, lenders did not have to produce the original credit agreement or a photocopy of it. Instead it said a reconstituted version was acceptable, as long as it was accurate and contained all of the original information.
The OFT added that consumers could not sell their debts, as they belonged to the lender, not the individual.
Ray Watson, director of the OFT's consumer credit group, said: "Consumers have a right to information on debts they owe, but it is important that they realise that these sections of the Act cannot be used to write off legitimately owed debts.
"Although the debt can be classified as unenforceable until the right paperwork is provided, people are encouraged to seek advice and help on how they can continue to repay the money they owe. Consumers can get free advice on debt by contacting Citizens Advice or the Consumer Credit Counselling Service."
Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon is due to confirm that the Scottish Government is to axe prescription charges - despite looming cuts in public spending.
The Nationalist administration has been gradually reducing the cost people pay for their medicines, with a view to axing the charge altogether.
Ms Sturgeon will tell the SNP annual conference in Perth that prescription charges are to be abolished "as promised" next April.
Finance Secretary John Swinney has already said he expects Scotland`s budget to drop by about £1.1 billion next year.
And the Tories have criticised the SNP's plans to get rid of prescription charges.
Meanwhile, the Independent Budget Review Group - which was set up by the Scottish Government - called on ministers to consider suspending the the final stage of the abolition of the charge.
However, in her speech to the conference this afternoon the Health Secretary will say: "I want to make another very important announcement, one that is of huge importance to thousands of people across the country, to those with long term conditions and to the 600,000 people on low incomes.
"For the last three years we have been reducing the cost of prescriptions. Under Labour charges went up to nearly £7. Under the SNP they have come down to £3."
Ms Sturgeon will acknowledge: "Some have argued that in this financial climate we shouldn`t go ahead with our plans to abolish prescription charges."
But she will add: "I believe, and this Government believes, the last people who should be paying for the price of Labour's economic mess are the sick. So I can confirm today the Government has decided that in April next year, as promised, prescription charges will be abolished."
Disgraced former police officer Ali Dizaei paid just £750 towards the five-figure cost of putting him on trial, it can be disclosed.
Prosecutors originally demanded £64,500 after the former Scotland Yard commander was jailed for four years after being found guilty of corruption in February.
But court officials confirmed his legal team successfully reduced the substantial bill and negotiated four months to pay.
It is understood they argued Dizaei, 47, could not meet the bill and outlined his apparently limited assets in a behind-the-scenes exchange of letters.
Dizaei, who earned about £90,000 until his dismissal, also faced a considerable bill from his defence, headed by Michael Mansfield QC.
Mr Mansfield, who can command up to £1,900 a day for his services, came out of retirement for the four-week trial.
Jailing Dizaei on February 8, Mr Justice Simon was told there would be a "substantial application for costs".
But Mr Mansfield replied: "As far as this defendant is concerned, his career in the police service is at an end.
"What means of support he will be able to continue in the future is highly speculative."
Dizaei was convicted of attempting to frame an Iraqi businessman when they fell out over money, after a jury was told he acted like a gangster.
Tests to find out how an Angolan man died while being deported from the UK have proved inconclusive, police said.
Jimy Mubenga, 46, collapsed on a plane at Heathrow airport as he waited to be taken back to his homeland earlier this week.
Eyewitnesses told the Guardian newspaper that he was held down by security guards on the aircraft and had complained of breathing difficulties.
The Met police today confirmed their homicide unit had taken command of the investigation after it was initially dealt with by officers from Heathrow CID.
The Home Office said they couldn't comment on claims that Mr Mubenga had been restrained before his death.
Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee Labour MP Keith Vaz has said he will write to Home Secretary Theresa May about the incident.
He told the Guardian: "The use of excessive force in deportations is dangerous and unacceptable.
"If as eyewitness reports suggest, Mr Mubenga was complaining of breathing difficulties, questions must be asked as to why help was not called for sooner."
Mr Mubenga became unwell while under the escort of three civilian security guards on a British Airways flight that was preparing to leave Heathrow for Angola shortly before 8.30pm on Tuesday.
He was taken to Hillingdon Hospital, in Uxbridge, but was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
