October 17, 2010, 3:52 am
![Image]( "EuroMillions ticket detail revealed")
Lottery officials will this week announce where Britain's biggest ever jackpot winning ticket was bought.
No-one has come forward to claim the record-breaking £113 million EuroMillions prize following the draw on October 8th.
The ticket-holder could immediately become the 589th wealthiest person in Britain, according to the Sunday Times Rich List 2010.
But with time ticking the winner is still to come forward and claim their prize.
To speed the process up, Camelot will announce on Friday in which region the ticket was bought.
Camelot refused to confirm or deny newspaper reports that the winning ticket had been bought in Coventry.
A National Lottery spokesman said: "Our player services team are on standby waiting for the ticket-holder to call.
"They have great expertise in helping winners embrace life-changing wins and making sure that they are able to start to enjoy their new found wealth as quickly as possible.
"They will be on hand every step of the way to guide players through the winning experience."
The latest winner who picked the winning numbers 9, 30, 35, 39, 46, with lucky stars 6 and 8, defied odds of 76,275,360 to one to guess all seven numbers correctly, or placed their faith in a lucky dip.
↧
↧
October 17, 2010, 9:55 am
![Image]( "Merkel: Multiculturalism has failed")
Attempts to build a multicultural society in Germany have "utterly failed", Chancellor Angela Merkel said.
Ms Merkel told a meeting of young members of her conservative Christian Democratic Union that while immigrants were welcome in Germany, they must learn the language and accept the country's cultural norms.
"This multicultural approach, saying that we simply live side by side and live happily with each other has failed. Utterly failed," Ms Merkel said.
Her comments were met with applause by the more conservative members of her Christian Democratic party, but some Germans in cosmopolitan Berlin argued she was out of touch with the country's daily life.
"I think her statement is very black and white and does not reflect honestly the lifestyle people are living here," said Daniela Jonas, a German setting up a flea market in the city's diverse Kreuzberg district.
Germany and other European countries have grappled with the idea of themselves as immigration nations and Ms Merkel has long been sceptical of the country's attempts to build a multicultural society that includes its estimated five million Muslims. Many immigrants speak little or no German, work in low paying jobs or live off of government handouts at the same time the country faces an ageing population and a shortage of highly skilled workers.
"Germany needs more qualified immigration to maintain its economic advantage and deal with the demographic developments," Volker Beck, a politician with the opposition Greens party.
Ms Merkel acknowledged in her comments that then-West Germany in the 1960s opened its doors to Turkish labourers who helped the nation rebuild from the ruins of the Second World War. Yet German politicians believed those labourers would eventually return home. Instead, many have stayed and their children's children are now starting families in Germany.
A European Championship football qualifier between Germany and Turkey last week reflected built-up tensions. Star Germany player Mesut Oezil, who is of Turkish heritage, was whistled and booed throughout the game by Turkey fans - who outnumbered German supporters in Berlin's Olympic stadium. The 22-year-old has become Ms Merkel's poster child for successful integration, and Turkish President Abdullah Gul said in an interview that he supported Oezil's decision to play for Germany instead of his parents' native Turkey.
Mr Gul also called on Turks living in Germany to learn to speak German "fluently and without an accent," but insisted it was up to German politicians to create the opportunities for its Turkish citizens to learn the language and integrate into society.
↧
October 17, 2010, 10:38 am
![Image]( "Abducted Briton 'in good spirits'")
A Briton abducted by masked gunmen in Somalia is "well" and "in good spirits", Save the Children has said.
The aid worker was taken from a guesthouse compound in Adado, a small town close to the border with Ethiopia, on Thursday night.
Anna Ford, Save the Children's spokeswoman in Nairobi, said: "We can confirm that he is well. He is being looked after and is in good spirits. We are still extremely concerned about him and call upon whoever is holding him to release him."
A Somali national who was also taken from the compound was released unharmed hours later.
The two men were working with Save the Children while the agency carried out a feasibility assessment into setting up a programme to help sick and malnourished children and their families in the area.
Tensions are running high in the lawless region, where armed forces include pirate gangs and factions of militias allied to the government.
Kidnapping for ransom is not uncommon in the area, though hostages are usually released unharmed.
The stricken Horn of Africa nation has been beset by famine and years of fighting between rival warlords leading to thousands of deaths.
It has had no functioning central government for nearly 20 years. But the western part of the country had been considered one of its safer areas.
Though most aid agencies have pulled out of the region, some had recently considered a return.
↧
October 17, 2010, 10:49 am
![Image]( "Man quizzed on farmer death bailed")
A man arrested on suspicion of murdering a farmer believed to have died in a botched robbery has been released on bail.
Julian Gardner, 53, suffered multiple injuries after apparently disturbing crooks at isolated Bush Barn Farm in Robertsbridge, East Sussex.
A Sussex Police spokesman said the 40-year-old man from Ashford, Kent, was arrested in the town and taken to a custody centre in Eastbourne to be interviewed before being released. He has been bailed until November 25.
Police believe Mr Gardner may have disturbed somebody who was trying to break into outbuildings at the farm, where he ran an agricultural and car repair business.
One theory is that his compression-type injuries were sustained when he was crushed between two vehicles.
His business partner found his body last Monday morning and detectives believe the murder took place some time after 11pm the previous day.
On Thursday, police began searching a pond in Sandhurst, Kent, a few miles from the farm, where a burned-out Cherokee Jeep was found hours after the killing.
The Jeep had been in for repair at Mr Gardner's business and has been forensically examined and removed from the site. Forensic searches were also being carried out at the farm.
A second 4x4, a Land Rover Defender owned by Mr Gardner, was also discovered burned-out at a different location, at Cripps Corner, near Battle, and it too was being examined.
His death came just days after a campaign to keep locals safe, with police, crime prevention officers, locksmiths and alarm firms offering tips to prevent burglaries.
↧
October 17, 2010, 10:49 am
![Image]( "Europe warned of new terror threat")
France has received new warnings of a terror threat in Europe from Saudi intelligence services, French interior minister Brice Hortefeux said
The minister said that the warning of a potential attack by al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula was received "in the last few hours, few days".
Europeans were informed that "al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula was doubtless active or envisioned being active" on the "European continent, notably France," Mr Hortefeux said on French TV.
"The threat is real," he said.
The word of a potential attack by Islamist radicals is the latest in a series of warnings after alerts from the international police organisation Interpol and the United States.
The US State Department advised American citizens living or travelling in Europe earlier this month to take more precautions following reports that terrorists may be plotting attacks on a European city, possibly a shooting spree or other type of attack similar to the deadly 2008 Mumbai attacks in India.
France had already boosted security at busy tourist sites like Notre Dame Cathedral and the Eiffel Tower, which was twice evacuated after false claims of an attack.
French authorities recorded nine bomb alerts in the capital in September, including the two at the Eiffel Tower - a threefold increase from a year earlier. No explosives were found.
Speculation on the source of a potential terror threat centred on al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, another al Qaida offshoot, which took five French citizens hostage in Niger in September.
↧
↧
October 17, 2010, 10:49 am
![Image]( "Hatfield priest warns over cuts")
The priest who presided over a service to mark the 10th anniversary of the Hatfield rail crash has warned against any funding cuts that could jeopardise safety.
Just days before the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) takes place, the Reverend Richard Pyke warned against measures that could affect safety in the future.
Four passengers were killed when an express train derailed on October 17 2000. They were remembered in a service at St Etheldreda's Church in the Hertfordshire town and Mr Pyke, who performed the service, said afterwards: "As a salutary warning to anyone in authority at this particular time, in no way should future safety be jeopardised."
Following the service, survivors and families of those who died visited the scene of the accident near Hatfield station for another service. This included a period of silence at the exact moment of the crash - 12.23pm.
Mr Pyke explained: "It was quite poignant as a train went through at the very moment. The driver obviously knew we would be there and the train gave a signal. Today was a day to speak about what had happened and to pray that it doesn't happen again."
The family of one of those killed - pilot Steve Arthur, 46, a father-of-two from Pease Pottage, West Sussex - attended the services. Also in attendance were railway staff, the Mayor of Hatfield Linda Clark, and the Archdeacon of Hertford, the Venerable Trevor Jones.
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.
A Health and Safety Executive inquiry report said the train had passed over a section of track which was in a poor condition and which should have either have been replaced or a temporary speed restriction should have been brought in.
Rail Minister Theresa Villiers said: "The impact of the tragedy at Hatfield still resonates today and my thoughts are with the friends and relatives of those killed and injured as they mark the 10th anniversary. The rail industry is working hard to ensure that disasters like this don't happen again. Rail travel has never been safer than it is today, and the memories of those who lost their lives will see us continue to prioritise the safety of passengers as we expand and improve our network in the future."
↧
October 17, 2010, 1:17 pm
![Image]( "Whitehall 'muddles through' - MPs")
The UK's national interest is threatened by a lack of strategic thinking at the heart of government, a committee of MPs has warned.
The cross-party Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) identified a tendency for Whitehall to "muddle through" and pointed to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars as examples where there has been a lack of over-arching strategy.
They called for the remit of David Cameron's National Security Council and National Security Adviser Sir Peter Ricketts to be expanded to include a central co-ordinating role on national strategy.
The committee's report comes on the day when Sir Peter unveils the National Security Review, which is expected to identify terrorism and cyber-attacks as the two biggest threats facing the UK.
But respected foreign affairs think-tank Chatham House warned that the review - commissioned by Mr Cameron in May - had been conducted too quickly, with "limited time for strategic reflection and ideas".
The PASC report welcomed Foreign Secretary William Hague's promise earlier this year that the new coalition Government would "develop a national strategy for advancing our goals in the world".
But the report warned that the UK's capacity to think strategically had been undermined by long-standing assumptions that national interests are best served by the special relationship with the USA and economic links within the European Union.
"Uncritical acceptance of these assumptions has led to a waning of our interests in, and ability to make, national strategy," said the committee.
"Recent events such as 9/11, climate change and the banking crisis are making us think differently about the world, but require us to find the means by which we can anticipate and understand these challenges and devise an appropriate response to them.
"If we now have a renewed need for National Strategy, we have all but lost the capacity to think strategically. We have simply fallen out of the habit, and have lost the culture of strategy making."
↧
October 17, 2010, 3:51 pm
![Image]( "Call over booze 'plague' of illness")
Health groups have called for the Government to act to tackle the "plague" of illness caused by cheap alcohol after it was revealed that youngsters could get drunk for half the price of a bar of chocolate.
A study on alcohol pricing found that strong cider was available in city centre supermarkets and off-licences for as little as 10p a unit, while lager could be bought for little more than 26p a pint.
The research revealed that three-litre bottles of strong cider - containing more alcohol than doctors recommend a man should drink in a week - were on sale for £2.25.
Unbranded lager was found priced at 92p for a bottle containing 1.76 litres - around three-and-a-half pints - or 26p a pint.
The pricing means a woman could drink more than her daily recommended allowance for just 30p - half the price of a standard bar of chocolate.
Deborah Evans, chairwoman of the Core Cities Health Improvement Collaborative which carried out the research, said: "Despite inflation, increases in duty on alcohol and commitments to curb below-cost selling, we have seen the price of the cheapest alcohol largely unaffected over the past 12 months. As a result, young men and women can still buy their maximum recommended weekly allowance of alcohol for the price of a small latte or a cheap magazine.
"Meanwhile, the true cost of alcohol is picked up by taxpayers in the form of soaring hospital admissions, crime and anti-social behaviour."
The Core Cities group - which represents health professionals working in England's eight biggest cities outside London - looked at the prices of a number of drinks over the past three weeks.
Ms Evans added: "Despite all the encouraging noises we've heard in the past 12 months about tackling the damage caused by cheap booze, the grand talk in Parliament has had no effect on prices being paid at the checkout.
"The time for tough talking is over; what we need now is strong and decisive action if we have any hope of tackling the plague of illness and injury caused by selling alcohol more cheaply than water."
↧
October 17, 2010, 3:51 pm
![Image]( "Bid to keep divorces out of court")
A shake-up of the divorce system could see couples urged to seek mediation rather than face a courtroom battle.
The recommendation from the Family Justice Review is intended to cut the strain on the system, as an increasing number of parents become involved in legal wrangles over children and money.
Family mediation is expected to save millions of pounds in legal aid, with more complicated cases dealt with in the courts, but in shorter and simpler hearings.
David Norgrove, chairing the Whitehall review, said there was currently a "tremendous strain" on the system which was "really intolerable" for children and their parents.
He told The Times: "The family justice system as a whole we estimate to cost just over £1.6 billion - much higher than anyone else has previously estimated.
"There is a general sense that more cases can and should be devolved from the court-based process."
About 137,000 such cases were dealt with last year, a rise of 16%, The Times said.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman stressed that the review, due to publish its findings next year, was continuing.
He said: "Family mediation can be quicker, cheaper, less stressful, and provide better outcomes than contested court proceedings. It is a voluntary and confidential process enabling people to explain their concerns and needs to each other in the presence of a qualified family mediator.
"This gives them the opportunity to communicate directly with each other, rather than via solicitors or across a courtroom. It is then they, rather than a judge, that decide an outcome that is mutually acceptable to them."
↧
↧
October 17, 2010, 3:51 pm
![Image]( "Public sector morale low - study")
Morale among public sector workers has hit an all-time low ahead of this week's Comprehensive Spending Review, with many fearing huge job losses, according to a study.
A survey of 1,000 workers by recruitment consultant Badenoch & Clark showed that one in five had no idea what to expect in Wednesday's announcement, while a quarter voiced concern that cuts would leave their department under-resourced.
Central government employees were most apprehensive, many fearing redundancies as a result of the expected cuts in spending.
Nicola Linkleter of Badenoch & Clark said: "The Comprehensive Spending Review has been looming for a number of months, with considerable speculation regarding the impact on jobs. It is, therefore, little wonder that there is a huge amount of trepidation within the sector.
"It is clear that many feel that, due to recruitment freezes, they are already under-resourced and this is only going to get worse."
↧
October 17, 2010, 3:51 pm
![Image]( "'Four jobless chasing every job'")
More than four unemployed people are chasing every job vacancy on average across the UK, rising to 31 in some areas, according to a new study.
Unison said its research spelt "danger" for the economy and undermined hopes for a recovery, even before this week's comprehensive spending review (CSR), which is expected to lead to huge job losses.
Private firms and the public sector were already being "poisoned" by spending cuts, which Unison warned would swell dole queues and lead to mass, long-term unemployment.
London was one of the hardest hit regions, with 31 unemployed people for every advertised job in Hackney and 18 in Lewisham, while in the South East, the most prosperous region of the UK, the figure was 16, said Unison.
General secretary Dave Prentis said: "The coalition has got it wrong. By only having a strategy for cuts, it has no plans for growth and recovery. Their public spending cuts are poisoning the private sector and condemning the country to widespread, long-term unemployment and low growth.
"This means misery for millions of families and for taxpayers who will be left to pick up the long-term bill.
"Even now, before the drastic spending cuts have hit home, there are not enough jobs to go around. On average, there are more than four unemployed people for every vacant job across the country.
"No sector is safe from the Chancellor's axe. Despite his claims, there will be no refuge in the private sector for the 725,000 public service workers who face losing their jobs. Private industry will be suffering too, with more than half a million jobs set to go because of the cuts."
↧
October 17, 2010, 6:51 pm
![Image]( "Drug addict has vasectomy for cash")
A drug addict has become the first man in Britain to take part in a controversial project which saw him get cash to be sterilised.
The 38-year-old, who wishes to be known to only as John, was given £200 in exchange for a vasectomy.
John - who has been addicted to opiates for 15 years and has been involved with drugs since he was 11 or 12 - said the cash incentive spurred him into going ahead with the procedure.
The addict, who is featured in BBC London's Inside Out programme on Monday night, said: "It was kind of what spurred me into doing it in a way. It was something that I'd been thinking about for a long time and something that I'd already made my mind up that I wanted to do. Just hadn't got round to it."
John, who admitted he had stolen things in the past and dabbled in dealing drugs, said that he was going to spend the money on overdue rent and shopping.
The controversial American charity - Project Prevention - was set up by Barbara Harris, from North Carolina, who adopted four children born of a crack addict mother. She watched the children struggle with the addiction passed on to them by their mother.
"I got very angry about the damage that these drugs do to these children," she said on the programme. "It was unbelievable. Isaiah could not sleep, he couldn't eat, his eyes were big, noise bothered him, light bothered him. It broke my heart. I was angry at the mum, And then my anger turned a little bit to where why did we allow her to do that?"
The charity, which has already paid more than 3,500 American men and women addicted to drugs or alcohol not to have children, is offering the service to addicts in the UK and has set up a helpline for those interested. The project also pays addicts to get long-term birth control including intrauterine contraceptive devices or a contraceptive implant.
When John called the helpline he had 30 days to think about his decision. He underwent the procedure on the NHS in mid-September.
He added: "It came as a bit of a shock to me knowing I was the first in Britain. I would have thought people would be snapping up the offer as soon as it came apparent as it was there. I won't be able to support a kid. I can just about manage to support myself. Just about got it together to do that."
↧
October 17, 2010, 8:15 pm
![Image]( "Strikers 'risk public sympathy'")
Strikes by public sector workers would quickly lose sympathy if they caused disruption to the general public, according to a survey of employees.
The study of 2,000 workers showed that six out of 10 public sector staff believed they would lose the support of the public if any industrial action hit services.
Two-thirds of those questioned - a mixture of public and private sector employees - agreed that the economic deficit needs to be reduced through cuts in public spending.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) said its study, ahead of Wednesday's Comprehensive Spending Review, found that half of workers were more concerned about damage caused by strikes than by spending cuts.
One in two of those questioned said most people were not willing to lose pay to go on strike and more than a third said industrial action in essential services should be banned.
Mike Emmott, the CIPD's employee relations adviser, said: "These findings show that it is not just the Government that has to tread softly in terms of how spending cuts are implemented. The survey trade unions too must understand that many private sector employees have already suffered pay freezes or cuts, job losses and cuts to pension entitlement and will be sensitive to any rhetoric by union leaders threatening strike action which does not appear to appreciate the sacrifices already made by those in the private sector.
"However, the Government too must understand that it also has a key role to help prevent major public sector disputes though the language it uses and how information and messages are timed and communicated.
"The Comprehensive Spending Review announcement will create a lot of anxiety and uncertainty and it is essential that, as the details of job cuts and any changes to pay or pension provision are announced over the next few months, public sector employers are allowed the necessary time to communicate and consult on what changes are being planned, and just as crucially - why."
Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unison, said: "No one takes strike action lightly, let alone public sector workers who know how much people rely on them. For a dinner lady, nurse or teaching assistant, losing a day's pay can bring real hardship to their families, so going on strike is always going to be a last resort.
"However, I am sure that it is the Government who will lose sympathy and the public will lose patience when they see the devastating impact of the cuts on the services that they rely on."
↧
↧
October 17, 2010, 8:20 pm
![Image]( "Labour sets out rival deficit plans")
Shadow chancellor Alan Johnson is to accuse the Government of taking a "huge gamble with growth and jobs" as he sets out Labour's alternative to the Treasury's £83 billion cuts package.
In his first major speech in his new role two days ahead of the comprehensive spending review, Mr Johnson is expected to reject Chancellor George Osborne's argument that Britain's structural deficit must be eliminated within four years, and insist: "There is another way."
The shadow chancellor is expected to unveil plans to make the banks contribute towards investment in infrastructure as part of a £7 billion "push for growth".
On Sunday Mr Johnson accused the coalition Government of "economic masochism", warning that by cutting "too deeply and too quickly" it risks pushing Britain into an L-shaped recession in which the economy fails to recover momentum and "bumps along the bottom" for a period of years. Unless growth is supported, Britain could repeat Japan's "lost decade" of economic stagnation, he suggested.
Mr Johnson has made clear he backs the broad economic policy set out by then Chancellor Alistair Darling ahead of the election, under which only half of the structural deficit would be paid off in the coming four years - leaving £40 billion more in the economy than Mr Osborne plans.
It is understood that Labour is considering moving away from Mr Darling's preferred 66:33 split between spending cuts and tax rises and towards a 50:50 share - compared with the 80:20 ratio adopted by Mr Osborne.
Speaking in the City of London, Mr Johnson will say: "We are constantly told that there is no alternative to the current economic strategy pursued by the Government. But there is another way. A balanced approach that gets the deficit down, but recognises that growth and jobs are not a sideshow to an economic strategy. They are what it is for. And that approach requires thinking again about the role that capital investment plays and prioritising it.
"Without growth, attempts to cut the deficit will be self-defeating. A rising dole queue means a bigger dole bill. And less tax coming in. The Tory plan, for all its Liberal Democrat cheerleaders, is a huge gamble with growth and jobs."
In a TV interview on Sunday, Mr Johnson said he wanted a higher levy on the banks to pay for infrastructure investment, but acknowledged that Britain would have to seek international agreement for it to succeed. Taxes on banks should "play a bigger role" than envisaged by the Government, said the shadow chancellor, arguing that it was "perverse" that more money would be raised from child benefit cuts than from the banks.
The Tories said Mr Johnson had "failed the first test of economic credibility". Michael Fallon, deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, said: "Alan Johnson clearly hasn't got beyond page one of his economics primer. The only thing he has suggested so far to deal with the deficit is a tax on banks. Now he says he can't do that without international agreement. And even if he does raise taxes, the money will go on more spending rather than paying off Labour's debts. Labour has failed the first test of economic credibility."
↧
October 17, 2010, 8:20 pm
![Image]( "Cyber-attacks 'key security threat'")
Britain's new National Security Strategy is expected to name terrorism and cyber-attacks on vital computer networks as the biggest threats to the UK in the immediate future.
The strategy, to be announced by David Cameron in a written statement to MPs, has been drawn up by the Prime Minister's new National Security Council as part of an assessment of Britain's defence needs which he ordered in May.
It will set the scene for Tuesday's Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), which will sketch out the shape of Britain's future armed forces and explain what equipment and manpower will have to be sacrificed to achieve the 7%-8% savings demanded by the Treasury.
A leaked draft of the national security document suggested that military conflict with another state will come only fourth in a list of potential threats to the UK, behind terror outrages by groups like al Qaida, cyber-attacks and natural disasters.
The launch comes just days after the head of the Government's GCHQ eavesdropping centre, Iain Lobban, warned of the very real danger of cyber-terrorism directed at the UK's critical computer infrastructure.
He said that there were 20,000 malicious emails on Government networks every month, and significant disruption had been caused to official systems by electronic "worms". Cyberspace had "lowered the bar for entry to the espionage game for states and criminals."
Reports suggest that cyber-warfare could receive a £500 million boost in Tuesday's SDSR.
The expected focus of the document on terrorism will underpin moves towards mobile military units, intelligence-gathering and special forces and away from the tank brigades and jet fighters which dominated defence thinking in the Cold War.
This strategic shift is certain to be reflected in the SDSR, which is expected to pave the way for manpower cuts in all three services, the closure of RAF bases and the withdrawal of Army tanks and RAF jets.
A personal intervention by Mr Cameron spared the MoD the 10%-20% cuts demanded by the Treasury, and a £5 billion project to build two new aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy will go ahead.
↧
October 17, 2010, 8:20 pm
![Image]( "Alcohol 'cheaper than chocolate'")
Health groups have called for the Government to act to tackle the "plague" of illness caused by cheap alcohol after it was revealed that youngsters could get drunk for half the price of a bar of chocolate.
A study on alcohol pricing found that strong cider was available in city centre supermarkets and off-licences for as little as 10p a unit, while lager could be bought for little more than 26p a pint.
The research revealed that three-litre bottles of strong cider - containing more alcohol than doctors recommend a man should drink in a week - were on sale for £2.25.
Unbranded lager was found priced at 92p for a bottle containing 1.76 litres - around three-and-a-half pints - or 26p a pint.
The pricing means a woman could drink more than her daily recommended allowance for just 30p - half the price of a standard bar of chocolate.
Deborah Evans, chairwoman of the Core Cities Health Improvement Collaborative which carried out the research, said: "Despite inflation, increases in duty on alcohol and commitments to curb below-cost selling, we have seen the price of the cheapest alcohol largely unaffected over the past 12 months. As a result, young men and women can still buy their maximum recommended weekly allowance of alcohol for the price of a small latte or a cheap magazine.
"Meanwhile, the true cost of alcohol is picked up by taxpayers in the form of soaring hospital admissions, crime and anti-social behaviour."
The Core Cities group - which represents health professionals working in England's eight biggest cities outside London - looked at the prices of a number of drinks over the past three weeks.
Ms Evans added: "Despite all the encouraging noises we've heard in the past 12 months about tackling the damage caused by cheap booze, the grand talk in Parliament has had no effect on prices being paid at the checkout.
"The time for tough talking is over; what we need now is strong and decisive action if we have any hope of tackling the plague of illness and injury caused by selling alcohol more cheaply than water."
↧
October 17, 2010, 9:07 pm
![Image]( "Test could prevent early menopause")
A simple genetic test could in future help women predict their reproductive lifespan.
Scientists have identified four genes that affect menopausal age.
In combination they have a larger impact, leading some women to reach "the change" unusually early.
Study leader Anna Murray, from the University of Exeter Peninsula Medical School, said: "It is estimated that a woman's ability to conceive decreases on average 10 years before she starts the menopause. Therefore, those who are destined to have an early menopause and delay childbearing until their 30s are more likely to have problems conceiving.
"These findings are the first stage in developing an easy and relatively inexpensive genetic test which could help the one in 20 UK women who may be affected by early menopause."
On average women hit the menopause around the age of 51, but some experience their last period in their 40s.
Women taking part in the research were participants in the Breakthrough Generations Study, an investigation into the causes of breast cancer. A total of 2,000 women who had experienced early menopause were compared with a matched number who had not.
DNA tests identified the four genes that each raise the risk of an early menopause.
The findings were published in the journal Human Molecular Genetics.
Professor Anthony Swerdlow, from the Institute of Cancer Research, principal investigator of the Breakthrough Generations Study, said: "We have made a valuable step towards helping women across the country identify and predict whether they are at risk of early menopause. This may in turn allow them to make informed decisions about their future fertility."
↧
↧
October 17, 2010, 9:22 pm
![Image]( "Severn barrage 'due to be rejected'")
Plans for a massive electricity-generating barrage across the Severn estuary are expected to be given the thumbs-down by Energy Secretary Chris Huhne.
Mr Huhne will announce the results of a feasibility study into proposals for the tidal energy scheme, amid reports suggesting that it has been judged economically unviable.
In a statement to Parliament on the future of Britain's energy supplies, Mr Huhne is also expected to name locations for eight new nuclear power plants near existing sites in England and Wales.
And he is thought likely to give the green light to wind power and clean coal schemes designed to lower the UK's carbon footprint and give it a head-start in a potentially lucrative technology export market of the future.
Supporters of the barrage say it could use "green" power to light up one in 20 British homes. But it appears it may have fallen victim to the Government's drive to cut public spending in order to pay down the structural deficit.
Mr Huhne's Department for Energy and Climate Change declined to discuss details of what he will tell MPs. But the Independent on Sunday reported that he will say that a feasibility study has concluded the barrage would not be economically viable.
Mr Huhne will set out plans to keep the lights on while cutting the UK's greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050, said the paper, quoting an unnamed Whitehall source as saying: "We need to turn our grid from being one of the dirtiest in Europe to being one of the cleanest."
The Department of Energy and Climate Change is also making announcements on new nuclear power stations, including suitable sites where they could be built.
The coalition Government plans to allow companies to create a new generation of nuclear plants on the condition they are built without any public subsidy. But under the coalition agreement the Liberal Democrats are able to abstain in parliamentary votes on the issue, having opposed the building of new nuclear plants in their election manifesto.
Sites around the UK have been identified as potential locations for nuclear plants, generally close to existing ageing nuclear power stations.
↧
October 17, 2010, 9:58 pm
![Image]( "Four accused of severed hand murder")
A husband and three men are due to face trial at the Old Bailey accused of killing a young mother in a machete attack which left her with a severed hand.
Geeta Aulakh, 28, was found bleeding in Braund Avenue, Greenford, west London, in November last year,
Mrs Aulakh was attacked after leaving work at Sunrise Radio where she was a receptionist.
Her husband Harpreet Aulakh, 32, of Chesterton Close, Greenford, and Sher Singh, 19, of Wren Avenue, Southall, Harpreet Singh, 20, of Elmwood Road, Slough, and Jaswant Dhillon, 30, of High Road, Ilford, east London, deny murder.
Jurors are expected to be chosen for the four week trial.
↧
October 17, 2010, 9:58 pm
![Image]( "Business chiefs back deficit plans")
Chancellor George Osborne's deficit reduction strategy has won backing from the private sector with a letter of support signed by 35 business leaders.
The letter - signed by Marks & Spencer chairman Sir Stuart Rose, BT chief executive Ian Livingston and Asda chairman Andy Bond among others - said there was "no reason to believe" that Mr Osborne's plan to eliminate the £109 billion structural deficit within four years will undermine the recovery.
And it warned that Labour's plan to spread deficit reduction over more than one Parliament would be a "mistake" which would leave the UK almost £100 billion deeper in debt by 2014/15 and increase the risk of interest rate hikes.
The letter to the Daily Telegraph comes as a boost for the Chancellor just two days ahead of Wednesday's crucial comprehensive spending review, in which he will spell out plans for £83 billion of public spending cuts over four years.
Mr Osborne and Prime Minister David Cameron finalised the package in a series of meetings with Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander at Chequers over the weekend, after completing lengthy and sometimes tortured negotiations with Cabinet colleagues.
The CSR is expected to see deeply controversial reductions in areas of public spending such as the police, prisons and social housing.
The Chancellor on Sunday declined opportunities to deny that police numbers could fall by thousands and Child Benefit be withdrawn from 16-19 year-olds. And reports suggested that Ministry of Justice could lose one-third of its £9 billion budget, forcing Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke to close prisons and slash more than £2 billion from legal aid. And there was speculation that the £8 billion social housing budget could be all but obliterated.
Shadow chancellor Alan Johnson on Sunday accused the coalition Government of "economic masochism" and warned that the pace of cuts risked destroying jobs and growth. Mr Johnson said the coalition's plans depend on an extra 2.5 million private jobs being created to take up the slack from reduced public sector activity. He argued there was "absolutely no sign of that momentum developing in the private sector".
But the 35 businessmen insisted that "the private sector should be more than capable of generating additional jobs to replace those lost in the public sector, and the redeployment of people to more productive activities will improve economic performance, so generating more employment opportunities."
The letter - also signed by Next chief executive Simon Wolfson, GlaxoSmithKline chairman Sir Christopher Gent and Microsoft UK managing director Gordon Frazer - stated: "It has been suggested that the deficit reduction programme set out by George Osborne in his emergency budget should be watered down and spread over more than one Parliament. We believe that this would be a mistake. Addressing the debt problem in a decisive way will improve business and consumer confidence. Reducing the deficit more slowly would mean additional borrowing every year, higher national debt, and therefore higher spending on interest payments."
↧
Lottery officials will this week announce where Britain's biggest ever jackpot winning ticket was bought.
No-one has come forward to claim the record-breaking £113 million EuroMillions prize following the draw on October 8th.
The ticket-holder could immediately become the 589th wealthiest person in Britain, according to the Sunday Times Rich List 2010.
But with time ticking the winner is still to come forward and claim their prize.
To speed the process up, Camelot will announce on Friday in which region the ticket was bought.
Camelot refused to confirm or deny newspaper reports that the winning ticket had been bought in Coventry.
A National Lottery spokesman said: "Our player services team are on standby waiting for the ticket-holder to call.
"They have great expertise in helping winners embrace life-changing wins and making sure that they are able to start to enjoy their new found wealth as quickly as possible.
"They will be on hand every step of the way to guide players through the winning experience."
The latest winner who picked the winning numbers 9, 30, 35, 39, 46, with lucky stars 6 and 8, defied odds of 76,275,360 to one to guess all seven numbers correctly, or placed their faith in a lucky dip.
Attempts to build a multicultural society in Germany have "utterly failed", Chancellor Angela Merkel said.
Ms Merkel told a meeting of young members of her conservative Christian Democratic Union that while immigrants were welcome in Germany, they must learn the language and accept the country's cultural norms.
"This multicultural approach, saying that we simply live side by side and live happily with each other has failed. Utterly failed," Ms Merkel said.
Her comments were met with applause by the more conservative members of her Christian Democratic party, but some Germans in cosmopolitan Berlin argued she was out of touch with the country's daily life.
"I think her statement is very black and white and does not reflect honestly the lifestyle people are living here," said Daniela Jonas, a German setting up a flea market in the city's diverse Kreuzberg district.
Germany and other European countries have grappled with the idea of themselves as immigration nations and Ms Merkel has long been sceptical of the country's attempts to build a multicultural society that includes its estimated five million Muslims. Many immigrants speak little or no German, work in low paying jobs or live off of government handouts at the same time the country faces an ageing population and a shortage of highly skilled workers.
"Germany needs more qualified immigration to maintain its economic advantage and deal with the demographic developments," Volker Beck, a politician with the opposition Greens party.
Ms Merkel acknowledged in her comments that then-West Germany in the 1960s opened its doors to Turkish labourers who helped the nation rebuild from the ruins of the Second World War. Yet German politicians believed those labourers would eventually return home. Instead, many have stayed and their children's children are now starting families in Germany.
A European Championship football qualifier between Germany and Turkey last week reflected built-up tensions. Star Germany player Mesut Oezil, who is of Turkish heritage, was whistled and booed throughout the game by Turkey fans - who outnumbered German supporters in Berlin's Olympic stadium. The 22-year-old has become Ms Merkel's poster child for successful integration, and Turkish President Abdullah Gul said in an interview that he supported Oezil's decision to play for Germany instead of his parents' native Turkey.
Mr Gul also called on Turks living in Germany to learn to speak German "fluently and without an accent," but insisted it was up to German politicians to create the opportunities for its Turkish citizens to learn the language and integrate into society.
A Briton abducted by masked gunmen in Somalia is "well" and "in good spirits", Save the Children has said.
The aid worker was taken from a guesthouse compound in Adado, a small town close to the border with Ethiopia, on Thursday night.
Anna Ford, Save the Children's spokeswoman in Nairobi, said: "We can confirm that he is well. He is being looked after and is in good spirits. We are still extremely concerned about him and call upon whoever is holding him to release him."
A Somali national who was also taken from the compound was released unharmed hours later.
The two men were working with Save the Children while the agency carried out a feasibility assessment into setting up a programme to help sick and malnourished children and their families in the area.
Tensions are running high in the lawless region, where armed forces include pirate gangs and factions of militias allied to the government.
Kidnapping for ransom is not uncommon in the area, though hostages are usually released unharmed.
The stricken Horn of Africa nation has been beset by famine and years of fighting between rival warlords leading to thousands of deaths.
It has had no functioning central government for nearly 20 years. But the western part of the country had been considered one of its safer areas.
Though most aid agencies have pulled out of the region, some had recently considered a return.
A man arrested on suspicion of murdering a farmer believed to have died in a botched robbery has been released on bail.
Julian Gardner, 53, suffered multiple injuries after apparently disturbing crooks at isolated Bush Barn Farm in Robertsbridge, East Sussex.
A Sussex Police spokesman said the 40-year-old man from Ashford, Kent, was arrested in the town and taken to a custody centre in Eastbourne to be interviewed before being released. He has been bailed until November 25.
Police believe Mr Gardner may have disturbed somebody who was trying to break into outbuildings at the farm, where he ran an agricultural and car repair business.
One theory is that his compression-type injuries were sustained when he was crushed between two vehicles.
His business partner found his body last Monday morning and detectives believe the murder took place some time after 11pm the previous day.
On Thursday, police began searching a pond in Sandhurst, Kent, a few miles from the farm, where a burned-out Cherokee Jeep was found hours after the killing.
The Jeep had been in for repair at Mr Gardner's business and has been forensically examined and removed from the site. Forensic searches were also being carried out at the farm.
A second 4x4, a Land Rover Defender owned by Mr Gardner, was also discovered burned-out at a different location, at Cripps Corner, near Battle, and it too was being examined.
His death came just days after a campaign to keep locals safe, with police, crime prevention officers, locksmiths and alarm firms offering tips to prevent burglaries.
France has received new warnings of a terror threat in Europe from Saudi intelligence services, French interior minister Brice Hortefeux said
The minister said that the warning of a potential attack by al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula was received "in the last few hours, few days".
Europeans were informed that "al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula was doubtless active or envisioned being active" on the "European continent, notably France," Mr Hortefeux said on French TV.
"The threat is real," he said.
The word of a potential attack by Islamist radicals is the latest in a series of warnings after alerts from the international police organisation Interpol and the United States.
The US State Department advised American citizens living or travelling in Europe earlier this month to take more precautions following reports that terrorists may be plotting attacks on a European city, possibly a shooting spree or other type of attack similar to the deadly 2008 Mumbai attacks in India.
France had already boosted security at busy tourist sites like Notre Dame Cathedral and the Eiffel Tower, which was twice evacuated after false claims of an attack.
French authorities recorded nine bomb alerts in the capital in September, including the two at the Eiffel Tower - a threefold increase from a year earlier. No explosives were found.
Speculation on the source of a potential terror threat centred on al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, another al Qaida offshoot, which took five French citizens hostage in Niger in September.
The priest who presided over a service to mark the 10th anniversary of the Hatfield rail crash has warned against any funding cuts that could jeopardise safety.
Just days before the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) takes place, the Reverend Richard Pyke warned against measures that could affect safety in the future.
Four passengers were killed when an express train derailed on October 17 2000. They were remembered in a service at St Etheldreda's Church in the Hertfordshire town and Mr Pyke, who performed the service, said afterwards: "As a salutary warning to anyone in authority at this particular time, in no way should future safety be jeopardised."
Following the service, survivors and families of those who died visited the scene of the accident near Hatfield station for another service. This included a period of silence at the exact moment of the crash - 12.23pm.
Mr Pyke explained: "It was quite poignant as a train went through at the very moment. The driver obviously knew we would be there and the train gave a signal. Today was a day to speak about what had happened and to pray that it doesn't happen again."
The family of one of those killed - pilot Steve Arthur, 46, a father-of-two from Pease Pottage, West Sussex - attended the services. Also in attendance were railway staff, the Mayor of Hatfield Linda Clark, and the Archdeacon of Hertford, the Venerable Trevor Jones.
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.
A Health and Safety Executive inquiry report said the train had passed over a section of track which was in a poor condition and which should have either have been replaced or a temporary speed restriction should have been brought in.
Rail Minister Theresa Villiers said: "The impact of the tragedy at Hatfield still resonates today and my thoughts are with the friends and relatives of those killed and injured as they mark the 10th anniversary. The rail industry is working hard to ensure that disasters like this don't happen again. Rail travel has never been safer than it is today, and the memories of those who lost their lives will see us continue to prioritise the safety of passengers as we expand and improve our network in the future."
The UK's national interest is threatened by a lack of strategic thinking at the heart of government, a committee of MPs has warned.
The cross-party Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) identified a tendency for Whitehall to "muddle through" and pointed to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars as examples where there has been a lack of over-arching strategy.
They called for the remit of David Cameron's National Security Council and National Security Adviser Sir Peter Ricketts to be expanded to include a central co-ordinating role on national strategy.
The committee's report comes on the day when Sir Peter unveils the National Security Review, which is expected to identify terrorism and cyber-attacks as the two biggest threats facing the UK.
But respected foreign affairs think-tank Chatham House warned that the review - commissioned by Mr Cameron in May - had been conducted too quickly, with "limited time for strategic reflection and ideas".
The PASC report welcomed Foreign Secretary William Hague's promise earlier this year that the new coalition Government would "develop a national strategy for advancing our goals in the world".
But the report warned that the UK's capacity to think strategically had been undermined by long-standing assumptions that national interests are best served by the special relationship with the USA and economic links within the European Union.
"Uncritical acceptance of these assumptions has led to a waning of our interests in, and ability to make, national strategy," said the committee.
"Recent events such as 9/11, climate change and the banking crisis are making us think differently about the world, but require us to find the means by which we can anticipate and understand these challenges and devise an appropriate response to them.
"If we now have a renewed need for National Strategy, we have all but lost the capacity to think strategically. We have simply fallen out of the habit, and have lost the culture of strategy making."
Health groups have called for the Government to act to tackle the "plague" of illness caused by cheap alcohol after it was revealed that youngsters could get drunk for half the price of a bar of chocolate.
A study on alcohol pricing found that strong cider was available in city centre supermarkets and off-licences for as little as 10p a unit, while lager could be bought for little more than 26p a pint.
The research revealed that three-litre bottles of strong cider - containing more alcohol than doctors recommend a man should drink in a week - were on sale for £2.25.
Unbranded lager was found priced at 92p for a bottle containing 1.76 litres - around three-and-a-half pints - or 26p a pint.
The pricing means a woman could drink more than her daily recommended allowance for just 30p - half the price of a standard bar of chocolate.
Deborah Evans, chairwoman of the Core Cities Health Improvement Collaborative which carried out the research, said: "Despite inflation, increases in duty on alcohol and commitments to curb below-cost selling, we have seen the price of the cheapest alcohol largely unaffected over the past 12 months. As a result, young men and women can still buy their maximum recommended weekly allowance of alcohol for the price of a small latte or a cheap magazine.
"Meanwhile, the true cost of alcohol is picked up by taxpayers in the form of soaring hospital admissions, crime and anti-social behaviour."
The Core Cities group - which represents health professionals working in England's eight biggest cities outside London - looked at the prices of a number of drinks over the past three weeks.
Ms Evans added: "Despite all the encouraging noises we've heard in the past 12 months about tackling the damage caused by cheap booze, the grand talk in Parliament has had no effect on prices being paid at the checkout.
"The time for tough talking is over; what we need now is strong and decisive action if we have any hope of tackling the plague of illness and injury caused by selling alcohol more cheaply than water."
A shake-up of the divorce system could see couples urged to seek mediation rather than face a courtroom battle.
The recommendation from the Family Justice Review is intended to cut the strain on the system, as an increasing number of parents become involved in legal wrangles over children and money.
Family mediation is expected to save millions of pounds in legal aid, with more complicated cases dealt with in the courts, but in shorter and simpler hearings.
David Norgrove, chairing the Whitehall review, said there was currently a "tremendous strain" on the system which was "really intolerable" for children and their parents.
He told The Times: "The family justice system as a whole we estimate to cost just over £1.6 billion - much higher than anyone else has previously estimated.
"There is a general sense that more cases can and should be devolved from the court-based process."
About 137,000 such cases were dealt with last year, a rise of 16%, The Times said.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman stressed that the review, due to publish its findings next year, was continuing.
He said: "Family mediation can be quicker, cheaper, less stressful, and provide better outcomes than contested court proceedings. It is a voluntary and confidential process enabling people to explain their concerns and needs to each other in the presence of a qualified family mediator.
"This gives them the opportunity to communicate directly with each other, rather than via solicitors or across a courtroom. It is then they, rather than a judge, that decide an outcome that is mutually acceptable to them."
Morale among public sector workers has hit an all-time low ahead of this week's Comprehensive Spending Review, with many fearing huge job losses, according to a study.
A survey of 1,000 workers by recruitment consultant Badenoch & Clark showed that one in five had no idea what to expect in Wednesday's announcement, while a quarter voiced concern that cuts would leave their department under-resourced.
Central government employees were most apprehensive, many fearing redundancies as a result of the expected cuts in spending.
Nicola Linkleter of Badenoch & Clark said: "The Comprehensive Spending Review has been looming for a number of months, with considerable speculation regarding the impact on jobs. It is, therefore, little wonder that there is a huge amount of trepidation within the sector.
"It is clear that many feel that, due to recruitment freezes, they are already under-resourced and this is only going to get worse."
More than four unemployed people are chasing every job vacancy on average across the UK, rising to 31 in some areas, according to a new study.
Unison said its research spelt "danger" for the economy and undermined hopes for a recovery, even before this week's comprehensive spending review (CSR), which is expected to lead to huge job losses.
Private firms and the public sector were already being "poisoned" by spending cuts, which Unison warned would swell dole queues and lead to mass, long-term unemployment.
London was one of the hardest hit regions, with 31 unemployed people for every advertised job in Hackney and 18 in Lewisham, while in the South East, the most prosperous region of the UK, the figure was 16, said Unison.
General secretary Dave Prentis said: "The coalition has got it wrong. By only having a strategy for cuts, it has no plans for growth and recovery. Their public spending cuts are poisoning the private sector and condemning the country to widespread, long-term unemployment and low growth.
"This means misery for millions of families and for taxpayers who will be left to pick up the long-term bill.
"Even now, before the drastic spending cuts have hit home, there are not enough jobs to go around. On average, there are more than four unemployed people for every vacant job across the country.
"No sector is safe from the Chancellor's axe. Despite his claims, there will be no refuge in the private sector for the 725,000 public service workers who face losing their jobs. Private industry will be suffering too, with more than half a million jobs set to go because of the cuts."
A drug addict has become the first man in Britain to take part in a controversial project which saw him get cash to be sterilised.
The 38-year-old, who wishes to be known to only as John, was given £200 in exchange for a vasectomy.
John - who has been addicted to opiates for 15 years and has been involved with drugs since he was 11 or 12 - said the cash incentive spurred him into going ahead with the procedure.
The addict, who is featured in BBC London's Inside Out programme on Monday night, said: "It was kind of what spurred me into doing it in a way. It was something that I'd been thinking about for a long time and something that I'd already made my mind up that I wanted to do. Just hadn't got round to it."
John, who admitted he had stolen things in the past and dabbled in dealing drugs, said that he was going to spend the money on overdue rent and shopping.
The controversial American charity - Project Prevention - was set up by Barbara Harris, from North Carolina, who adopted four children born of a crack addict mother. She watched the children struggle with the addiction passed on to them by their mother.
"I got very angry about the damage that these drugs do to these children," she said on the programme. "It was unbelievable. Isaiah could not sleep, he couldn't eat, his eyes were big, noise bothered him, light bothered him. It broke my heart. I was angry at the mum, And then my anger turned a little bit to where why did we allow her to do that?"
The charity, which has already paid more than 3,500 American men and women addicted to drugs or alcohol not to have children, is offering the service to addicts in the UK and has set up a helpline for those interested. The project also pays addicts to get long-term birth control including intrauterine contraceptive devices or a contraceptive implant.
When John called the helpline he had 30 days to think about his decision. He underwent the procedure on the NHS in mid-September.
He added: "It came as a bit of a shock to me knowing I was the first in Britain. I would have thought people would be snapping up the offer as soon as it came apparent as it was there. I won't be able to support a kid. I can just about manage to support myself. Just about got it together to do that."
Strikes by public sector workers would quickly lose sympathy if they caused disruption to the general public, according to a survey of employees.
The study of 2,000 workers showed that six out of 10 public sector staff believed they would lose the support of the public if any industrial action hit services.
Two-thirds of those questioned - a mixture of public and private sector employees - agreed that the economic deficit needs to be reduced through cuts in public spending.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) said its study, ahead of Wednesday's Comprehensive Spending Review, found that half of workers were more concerned about damage caused by strikes than by spending cuts.
One in two of those questioned said most people were not willing to lose pay to go on strike and more than a third said industrial action in essential services should be banned.
Mike Emmott, the CIPD's employee relations adviser, said: "These findings show that it is not just the Government that has to tread softly in terms of how spending cuts are implemented. The survey trade unions too must understand that many private sector employees have already suffered pay freezes or cuts, job losses and cuts to pension entitlement and will be sensitive to any rhetoric by union leaders threatening strike action which does not appear to appreciate the sacrifices already made by those in the private sector.
"However, the Government too must understand that it also has a key role to help prevent major public sector disputes though the language it uses and how information and messages are timed and communicated.
"The Comprehensive Spending Review announcement will create a lot of anxiety and uncertainty and it is essential that, as the details of job cuts and any changes to pay or pension provision are announced over the next few months, public sector employers are allowed the necessary time to communicate and consult on what changes are being planned, and just as crucially - why."
Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unison, said: "No one takes strike action lightly, let alone public sector workers who know how much people rely on them. For a dinner lady, nurse or teaching assistant, losing a day's pay can bring real hardship to their families, so going on strike is always going to be a last resort.
"However, I am sure that it is the Government who will lose sympathy and the public will lose patience when they see the devastating impact of the cuts on the services that they rely on."
Shadow chancellor Alan Johnson is to accuse the Government of taking a "huge gamble with growth and jobs" as he sets out Labour's alternative to the Treasury's £83 billion cuts package.
In his first major speech in his new role two days ahead of the comprehensive spending review, Mr Johnson is expected to reject Chancellor George Osborne's argument that Britain's structural deficit must be eliminated within four years, and insist: "There is another way."
The shadow chancellor is expected to unveil plans to make the banks contribute towards investment in infrastructure as part of a £7 billion "push for growth".
On Sunday Mr Johnson accused the coalition Government of "economic masochism", warning that by cutting "too deeply and too quickly" it risks pushing Britain into an L-shaped recession in which the economy fails to recover momentum and "bumps along the bottom" for a period of years. Unless growth is supported, Britain could repeat Japan's "lost decade" of economic stagnation, he suggested.
Mr Johnson has made clear he backs the broad economic policy set out by then Chancellor Alistair Darling ahead of the election, under which only half of the structural deficit would be paid off in the coming four years - leaving £40 billion more in the economy than Mr Osborne plans.
It is understood that Labour is considering moving away from Mr Darling's preferred 66:33 split between spending cuts and tax rises and towards a 50:50 share - compared with the 80:20 ratio adopted by Mr Osborne.
Speaking in the City of London, Mr Johnson will say: "We are constantly told that there is no alternative to the current economic strategy pursued by the Government. But there is another way. A balanced approach that gets the deficit down, but recognises that growth and jobs are not a sideshow to an economic strategy. They are what it is for. And that approach requires thinking again about the role that capital investment plays and prioritising it.
"Without growth, attempts to cut the deficit will be self-defeating. A rising dole queue means a bigger dole bill. And less tax coming in. The Tory plan, for all its Liberal Democrat cheerleaders, is a huge gamble with growth and jobs."
In a TV interview on Sunday, Mr Johnson said he wanted a higher levy on the banks to pay for infrastructure investment, but acknowledged that Britain would have to seek international agreement for it to succeed. Taxes on banks should "play a bigger role" than envisaged by the Government, said the shadow chancellor, arguing that it was "perverse" that more money would be raised from child benefit cuts than from the banks.
The Tories said Mr Johnson had "failed the first test of economic credibility". Michael Fallon, deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, said: "Alan Johnson clearly hasn't got beyond page one of his economics primer. The only thing he has suggested so far to deal with the deficit is a tax on banks. Now he says he can't do that without international agreement. And even if he does raise taxes, the money will go on more spending rather than paying off Labour's debts. Labour has failed the first test of economic credibility."
Britain's new National Security Strategy is expected to name terrorism and cyber-attacks on vital computer networks as the biggest threats to the UK in the immediate future.
The strategy, to be announced by David Cameron in a written statement to MPs, has been drawn up by the Prime Minister's new National Security Council as part of an assessment of Britain's defence needs which he ordered in May.
It will set the scene for Tuesday's Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), which will sketch out the shape of Britain's future armed forces and explain what equipment and manpower will have to be sacrificed to achieve the 7%-8% savings demanded by the Treasury.
A leaked draft of the national security document suggested that military conflict with another state will come only fourth in a list of potential threats to the UK, behind terror outrages by groups like al Qaida, cyber-attacks and natural disasters.
The launch comes just days after the head of the Government's GCHQ eavesdropping centre, Iain Lobban, warned of the very real danger of cyber-terrorism directed at the UK's critical computer infrastructure.
He said that there were 20,000 malicious emails on Government networks every month, and significant disruption had been caused to official systems by electronic "worms". Cyberspace had "lowered the bar for entry to the espionage game for states and criminals."
Reports suggest that cyber-warfare could receive a £500 million boost in Tuesday's SDSR.
The expected focus of the document on terrorism will underpin moves towards mobile military units, intelligence-gathering and special forces and away from the tank brigades and jet fighters which dominated defence thinking in the Cold War.
This strategic shift is certain to be reflected in the SDSR, which is expected to pave the way for manpower cuts in all three services, the closure of RAF bases and the withdrawal of Army tanks and RAF jets.
A personal intervention by Mr Cameron spared the MoD the 10%-20% cuts demanded by the Treasury, and a £5 billion project to build two new aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy will go ahead.
Health groups have called for the Government to act to tackle the "plague" of illness caused by cheap alcohol after it was revealed that youngsters could get drunk for half the price of a bar of chocolate.
A study on alcohol pricing found that strong cider was available in city centre supermarkets and off-licences for as little as 10p a unit, while lager could be bought for little more than 26p a pint.
The research revealed that three-litre bottles of strong cider - containing more alcohol than doctors recommend a man should drink in a week - were on sale for £2.25.
Unbranded lager was found priced at 92p for a bottle containing 1.76 litres - around three-and-a-half pints - or 26p a pint.
The pricing means a woman could drink more than her daily recommended allowance for just 30p - half the price of a standard bar of chocolate.
Deborah Evans, chairwoman of the Core Cities Health Improvement Collaborative which carried out the research, said: "Despite inflation, increases in duty on alcohol and commitments to curb below-cost selling, we have seen the price of the cheapest alcohol largely unaffected over the past 12 months. As a result, young men and women can still buy their maximum recommended weekly allowance of alcohol for the price of a small latte or a cheap magazine.
"Meanwhile, the true cost of alcohol is picked up by taxpayers in the form of soaring hospital admissions, crime and anti-social behaviour."
The Core Cities group - which represents health professionals working in England's eight biggest cities outside London - looked at the prices of a number of drinks over the past three weeks.
Ms Evans added: "Despite all the encouraging noises we've heard in the past 12 months about tackling the damage caused by cheap booze, the grand talk in Parliament has had no effect on prices being paid at the checkout.
"The time for tough talking is over; what we need now is strong and decisive action if we have any hope of tackling the plague of illness and injury caused by selling alcohol more cheaply than water."
A simple genetic test could in future help women predict their reproductive lifespan.
Scientists have identified four genes that affect menopausal age.
In combination they have a larger impact, leading some women to reach "the change" unusually early.
Study leader Anna Murray, from the University of Exeter Peninsula Medical School, said: "It is estimated that a woman's ability to conceive decreases on average 10 years before she starts the menopause. Therefore, those who are destined to have an early menopause and delay childbearing until their 30s are more likely to have problems conceiving.
"These findings are the first stage in developing an easy and relatively inexpensive genetic test which could help the one in 20 UK women who may be affected by early menopause."
On average women hit the menopause around the age of 51, but some experience their last period in their 40s.
Women taking part in the research were participants in the Breakthrough Generations Study, an investigation into the causes of breast cancer. A total of 2,000 women who had experienced early menopause were compared with a matched number who had not.
DNA tests identified the four genes that each raise the risk of an early menopause.
The findings were published in the journal Human Molecular Genetics.
Professor Anthony Swerdlow, from the Institute of Cancer Research, principal investigator of the Breakthrough Generations Study, said: "We have made a valuable step towards helping women across the country identify and predict whether they are at risk of early menopause. This may in turn allow them to make informed decisions about their future fertility."
Plans for a massive electricity-generating barrage across the Severn estuary are expected to be given the thumbs-down by Energy Secretary Chris Huhne.
Mr Huhne will announce the results of a feasibility study into proposals for the tidal energy scheme, amid reports suggesting that it has been judged economically unviable.
In a statement to Parliament on the future of Britain's energy supplies, Mr Huhne is also expected to name locations for eight new nuclear power plants near existing sites in England and Wales.
And he is thought likely to give the green light to wind power and clean coal schemes designed to lower the UK's carbon footprint and give it a head-start in a potentially lucrative technology export market of the future.
Supporters of the barrage say it could use "green" power to light up one in 20 British homes. But it appears it may have fallen victim to the Government's drive to cut public spending in order to pay down the structural deficit.
Mr Huhne's Department for Energy and Climate Change declined to discuss details of what he will tell MPs. But the Independent on Sunday reported that he will say that a feasibility study has concluded the barrage would not be economically viable.
Mr Huhne will set out plans to keep the lights on while cutting the UK's greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050, said the paper, quoting an unnamed Whitehall source as saying: "We need to turn our grid from being one of the dirtiest in Europe to being one of the cleanest."
The Department of Energy and Climate Change is also making announcements on new nuclear power stations, including suitable sites where they could be built.
The coalition Government plans to allow companies to create a new generation of nuclear plants on the condition they are built without any public subsidy. But under the coalition agreement the Liberal Democrats are able to abstain in parliamentary votes on the issue, having opposed the building of new nuclear plants in their election manifesto.
Sites around the UK have been identified as potential locations for nuclear plants, generally close to existing ageing nuclear power stations.
A husband and three men are due to face trial at the Old Bailey accused of killing a young mother in a machete attack which left her with a severed hand.
Geeta Aulakh, 28, was found bleeding in Braund Avenue, Greenford, west London, in November last year,
Mrs Aulakh was attacked after leaving work at Sunrise Radio where she was a receptionist.
Her husband Harpreet Aulakh, 32, of Chesterton Close, Greenford, and Sher Singh, 19, of Wren Avenue, Southall, Harpreet Singh, 20, of Elmwood Road, Slough, and Jaswant Dhillon, 30, of High Road, Ilford, east London, deny murder.
Jurors are expected to be chosen for the four week trial.
Chancellor George Osborne's deficit reduction strategy has won backing from the private sector with a letter of support signed by 35 business leaders.
The letter - signed by Marks & Spencer chairman Sir Stuart Rose, BT chief executive Ian Livingston and Asda chairman Andy Bond among others - said there was "no reason to believe" that Mr Osborne's plan to eliminate the £109 billion structural deficit within four years will undermine the recovery.
And it warned that Labour's plan to spread deficit reduction over more than one Parliament would be a "mistake" which would leave the UK almost £100 billion deeper in debt by 2014/15 and increase the risk of interest rate hikes.
The letter to the Daily Telegraph comes as a boost for the Chancellor just two days ahead of Wednesday's crucial comprehensive spending review, in which he will spell out plans for £83 billion of public spending cuts over four years.
Mr Osborne and Prime Minister David Cameron finalised the package in a series of meetings with Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander at Chequers over the weekend, after completing lengthy and sometimes tortured negotiations with Cabinet colleagues.
The CSR is expected to see deeply controversial reductions in areas of public spending such as the police, prisons and social housing.
The Chancellor on Sunday declined opportunities to deny that police numbers could fall by thousands and Child Benefit be withdrawn from 16-19 year-olds. And reports suggested that Ministry of Justice could lose one-third of its £9 billion budget, forcing Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke to close prisons and slash more than £2 billion from legal aid. And there was speculation that the £8 billion social housing budget could be all but obliterated.
Shadow chancellor Alan Johnson on Sunday accused the coalition Government of "economic masochism" and warned that the pace of cuts risked destroying jobs and growth. Mr Johnson said the coalition's plans depend on an extra 2.5 million private jobs being created to take up the slack from reduced public sector activity. He argued there was "absolutely no sign of that momentum developing in the private sector".
But the 35 businessmen insisted that "the private sector should be more than capable of generating additional jobs to replace those lost in the public sector, and the redeployment of people to more productive activities will improve economic performance, so generating more employment opportunities."
The letter - also signed by Next chief executive Simon Wolfson, GlaxoSmithKline chairman Sir Christopher Gent and Microsoft UK managing director Gordon Frazer - stated: "It has been suggested that the deficit reduction programme set out by George Osborne in his emergency budget should be watered down and spread over more than one Parliament. We believe that this would be a mistake. Addressing the debt problem in a decisive way will improve business and consumer confidence. Reducing the deficit more slowly would mean additional borrowing every year, higher national debt, and therefore higher spending on interest payments."
