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Unpaid labour for 'workshy' slammed

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Image Government plans to force the long-term unemployed to do unpaid manual labour have come under fire from Labour, unions, charities and the Archbishop of Canterbury. Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith will this week unveil plans for four-week programmes of compulsory community work, doing jobs like litter-picking or gardening, for jobless people deemed to have lost the work ethic. His Cabinet colleague Danny Alexander said the Work Activity placements will be used as a "sanction" against benefit claimants who fail to take advantage of available support to find employment. But Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said the plan was not fair and could drive vulnerable people into despair, telling BBC WM Radio: "People who are struggling to find work and struggling to find a secure future are, I think, driven further into a sort of downward spiral of uncertainty, even despair, when the pressure is on in that way. "People often are in this starting place, not because they are wicked or stupid or lazy but because circumstances have been against them ... and to drive that spiral deeper does seem a great problem." Under Mr Duncan Smith's plans, job advisers will be able to direct jobseekers who they believe would "benefit from experiencing the habits and routines of working life" to undertake a 30-hours-per-week work placement. The scheme is expected to be targeted at thousands of claimants believed to have opted for a life on benefits or to have an undeclared job on the side. Anyone refusing to take part could have their £65-a-week Jobseekers Allowance stopped for at least three months. Mr Duncan Smith said: "One thing we can do is pull people in to do one or two weeks' manual work - turn up at 9am and leave at 5pm, to give people a sense of work, but also when we think they're doing other work. The message will go across; play ball or it's going to be difficult." But shadow work and pensions secretary Douglas Alexander accused the Government of "focusing on the work-shy but offering nothing to the workless", while TUC senior policy officer Richard Exell said the policy would be "very unfair to unemployed people, especially long-term unemployed people". Richard Hawkes, chief executive of disability charity Scope, said: "Many disabled people would find work experience beneficial, but such schemes are only of use if they are tailored to the individual and are designed to help them develop relevant skills and experience. Using voluntary work as a punishment within the welfare system will do little to help disabled people find sustainable employment and sends a counter-productive message about the benefits of work."

PM pledges to shift power to people

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Image Prime Minister David Cameron will promise a shift in power from Government to the people as Whitehall departments publish business plans setting out what they intend to do and how voters can hold them accountable for it. Mr Cameron said the move will help reverse the trend towards centralisation of power in Whitehall and will encourage ministers and officials to govern for the long term. He will present it as an alternative to Labour's culture of targets, which he argues encouraged short-term thinking, as public sector managers sought immediate results to meet centrally imposed deadlines at the expense of long-term improvements to services. Speaking at the launch of the business plans, Mr Cameron will argue that Labour's targets "bred bureaucracy ... created inefficiency and unintended consequences (and) crushed morale in the public sector". And he is expected to say: "Today we are turning that on its head. Instead of bureaucratic accountability to the Government machine, these business plans bring in a new system of democratic accountability - accountability to the people. "So reform will be driven not by the short-term political calculations of the Government, but by the consistent, long-term pressure of what people want and choose in their public services - and that is the horizon shift we need." The business plans will "bring about a power shift by changing what government does", Mr Cameron will say. "For a long time, government's default position has been to solve problems by hoarding more power to the centre - passing laws, creating regulations, setting up task forces. The result is that Britain is now one of the most centralised countries in the developed world. "We will be the first government in a generation to leave office with much less power in Whitehall than we started with. We are going to take power from government and hand it to people, families and communities - and how we will do that is set out right here in these business plans. In one of the biggest blows for people power, we're shining a bright light of transparency on everything government does." Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander said that the plans will include costings for policies, as well as timescales for progress, such as the dates for the introduction and completion of legislation and the date when changes will take effect.

Freed terrorists 'pose public risk'

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Image Dozens of terrorists freed from prison or due to be released "pose a risk" to the public and need tight controls, a restricted Government document is reported to disclose. The Daily Telegraph claims to have seen a secret paper outlining how a "significant" number of Islamic extremists need to be managed after completing their prison spell. The newspaper states that at least 20 such convicts have already been released this year, with a further 26 eligible for parole over the next two years. Under the same rules as other prisoners, those with terrorist convictions can be released on licence after serving half their sentence A Ministry of Justice paper entitled The Management of Critical Public Protection Cases and Terrorist or Terrorist Related Offences is concerned with how to control offenders once out of prison, it was reported. The "restricted" document is said to state: "There is now a small but significant number of terrorists being held in custody or managed on licence. This instruction ensures that processes to manage offenders who pose a risk of harm to the public or whose cases pose complex management issues are effectively configured to meet the challenges of managing terrorist offenders." The Daily Telegraph also quotes a passage warning that offenders may try to take on work that puts them in contact with vulnerable individuals who could be susceptible to radicalisation. To combat the threat, probation officers have been given the right to impose a number of restrictions on those released on license. According to the newspaper, these include banning released offenders from visiting certain mosques and forbidding them from meeting anyone with a criminal record. A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "It is entirely right and proper that the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) puts in place appropriate and robust licence conditions for those released under probation supervision, particularly serious and violent offenders. "These licence conditions are based on rigorous risk assessments and the use of tight licence conditions is by no means unique to terrorist offenders. All offenders are able to challenge licence conditions imposed, however the NOMS will always seek to ensure that licence conditions are sufficient to manage the individual's offending behaviour."

Concern cuts will hit social care

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Image More than half of local authorities in England fear budget pressures will impact on care services which help elderly people and adults with disabilities to live at home, according to a new survey. The poll found 86 out of 87 councils were currently investing in services to help people live independently for longer. But 46 out of 87 were concerned about funding these intervention services in the future, the research showed. A total of 58% of all of the councils in England replied to the questionnaire commissioned by BBC Local Radio for "Living Longer", a special week of local programming. Michelle Mitchell, charity director at Age UK, said thousands of frail and vulnerable people relied on home care services. She said: "Even seemingly modest cuts could see a quarter of a million older people lose the essential home-based care and support they rely on. It's down to each local authority to protect the most vulnerable and frail in their community by promising to preserve local care funding and spend every penny of the £2 billion earmarked by the Treasury on social care." More than one in three councils said they will not spend more money in real terms on services for older people next year, despite George Osborne promising an extra £2 billion for social care by 2014/15. Paul Burstow, minister for care services, claimed the extra money would mean no council had to cut social care services. He said: "We are investing in re-ablement services that get people back on their feet after a stay in hospital. By using telecare and developing preventative services, councils can cut their costs, reduce pressure on the NHS and improve the quality of life of their residents." But the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) warned care services faced a "tough" future. Richard Jones, president of ADASS, said: "Since adult social care can comprise anything up to 50% of councils' controllable budgets, protecting social care services will be very challenging in face of a 28% reduction in local authority funding from government. We will have to make some very tough decisions given the overall level of resource that will be available. "Inevitably people will have to pay more towards the care they receive; the level of fees councils pay for services will be reviewed and in some places eligibility criteria - which define who is able to get a service - might have to be changed."

Hague slams 'unfair' Burma election

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Image Foreign Secretary William Hague has condemned the "flawed elections" which have taken place in Burma. Voters in the south-east Asian country went to the polls for the first time in 20 years, but Mr Hague said the result was a "foregone conclusion" and that the ballot was not "free, fair or inclusive". And he vowed the UK would "stand by" the people of Burma by keeping up sanctions on the ruling military regime until "real progress" on democracy, governance and human rights could be secured. Candidates linked to the ruling junta are expected to secure a landslide victory in the much-criticised election, with around a quarter of seats reserved for the army. Aung San Suu Kyi's main opposition party, the National League for Democracy, boycotted the poll and other opposition groups have fallen victim to complex election rules. "We know the result of these elections is already a foregone conclusion," Mr Hague said. "They will not be free, fair or inclusive. More than 2,100 political prisoners remain incarcerated, opposition and ethnic parties have been refused the right to stand and a quarter of the seats are already reserved for the military. "Holding flawed elections does not represent progress. For the people of Burma, it will mean the return to power of a brutal regime that has pillaged the nation's resources and overseen widespread human rights abuses, including arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, rape and torture. "The British Government will stand by the people of Burma and will continue to maintain pressure on the regime until we see real progress on democracy, governance and human rights." Earlier, US President Barack Obama said the elections were "anything but free or fair", adding: "For too long the people of Burma have been denied the right to determine their own destiny."

G20 urged to back 'Robin Hood Tax'

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Image An alliance of 183 organisations from 42 countries has issued a plea to world leaders to impose a tax on financial transactions to help meet the costs of the economic crisis and support developing nations. The group amounts to the largest coalition yet to give its backing to an international financial transactions tax, and includes members of the UK-based Robin Hood Tax campaign including the TUC, Friends of the Earth and ActionAid. Their plea comes ahead of the summit of leaders of G20 economic powers in the South Korean capital Seoul on November 11-12, when measures to stabilise the world economy and boost the recovery will be high on the agenda. The letter, addressed to G20 leaders including Prime Minister David Cameron and US President Barack Obama, is signed by development, health, education and environmental charities and unions from 16 of the G20 countries. It says that a financial transaction tax would help meet the costs "of the global financial and economic crisis, including reducing the unacceptably high rate of job loss, and achieve key development, health, education and climate change objectives in developing countries". TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: "Governments around the world are embarking on a sweeping programme of austerity measures that will lead to huge job losses and cuts in services that the most vulnerable in society rely upon. At the same time the banks are back to business as usual with multimillion-pound salaries being paid to the chief executives of bailed-out banks and billions handed out in bonuses. "A Robin Hood Tax would mean the world's banks paying to reduce deficits they helped cause and would remove the need for such swingeing cuts in public spending." Friends of the Earth's head of international climate Asad Rehman said: "Recent floods in Pakistan and droughts in Africa show the devastating reality of climate change on people in developing countries. "A Robin Hood Tax on financial transactions is a crucial measure to help generate the minimum 200 billion US dollars (£125 billion) needed annually to begin tackling the problem." Jenny Ricks, head of campaigns at ActionAid, said: "The G20 must now turn the global economic crisis into an opportunity to help the world's poorest. A tiny tax on the banks could raise hundreds of billions needed for those around the world feeling the effects of a crisis they did the least to create."

6,000 march in support of RAF bases

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Image More than 6,000 people joined a rally and march as part of a campaign to stop two RAF bases being closed. A high-profile campaign was launched to save RAF Lossiemouth in Moray amid fears that its fleet of fast-jet Tornados could be moved to England following the publication of the UK Government's Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) last month. The region has already been struck a blow with the cancellation of the new generation of Nimrods, which is likely to threaten nearby RAF Kinloss. Hollywood star Ewan McGregor has given his support to the campaign and said closing both bases would be "devastating" to the close-knit Moray community with "effects that would be far-reaching". The actor's brother Colin McGregor, a former Tornado pilot who served at RAF Lossiemouth, joined thousands of supporters including ex-servicemen and their families on a march through the streets of Lossiemouth to a rally at Grant Park, home of the local football club. Marchers held placards with the words "Save RAF Lossie" and "Fighting For Moray". A worker at one of the bases in Moray, who wished not to be named and joined the march, said: "They need to keep it open. It needs to stay open otherwise Lossiemouth and Moray will be a ghost town. It will kill the Moray area. It's what everybody is feeling, whether they work in the bases or live in Moray." Colin McGregor, who introduced speakers at the rally, said: "I was based here at RAF Lossiemouth for 11 years and I know the strategic and operational benefits that keeping RAF Lossiemouth open will bring. But I also live here - Moray is my home and I know how devastating the loss of both Kinloss and Lossie would be to our communities. We stand here today united as a community but this issue is one of national importance." Speakers at the rally included Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond, Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray and Scottish Conservative leader Annabel Goldie. Tavish Scott, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Moray Council convener councillor George McIntyre and Richard Lochhead, SNP MSP for Moray, also addressed the crowd. Angus Robertson, SNP MP for Moray and defence spokesman for the SNP, said: "The turnout has exceeded all expectations and sends a clear message from Scotland to Downing Street that Lossiemouth must not close."

PM on 'vital' China trade mission

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Image Prime Minister David Cameron is set to fly to China at the head of the largest UK Government and business delegation ever to visit the Far Eastern giant. Mr Cameron described the visit as a "vitally important trade mission" for the British economy, and aides were hopeful that a number of lucrative deals involving UK firms will be signed. But the Prime Minister also faces the awkward challenge of voicing Britain's human rights concerns with hosts who have shown themselves unwilling to accept criticism on this front. The trip comes shortly after the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to jailed dissident Liu Xiaobo, and days after China warned Western diplomats against attending the award ceremony in Oslo next month. Britain has said its ambassador intends to attend. On top of that, artist Ai Weiwei - who created the current sunflower seed installation in London's Tate Modern as well as Beijing's Bird's Nest Olympic stadium - was placed under house arrest amid a row over the demolition of his Shanghai studio. Aides have said Mr Cameron will raise human rights issues during his talks with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and President Hu Jintao, but it is unclear how forcefully he will press individual cases such as that of Mr Liu. The trip sets the scene for this week's gathering of the G20 in South Korean capital Seoul, at which Mr Cameron will join leaders of the world's other major economies - including US President Barack Obama - in seeking to maintain the global recovery from recession. With its GDP growing by 8.5% even during the last year, China is at the centre of hopes for renewed global economic health, but Beijing will come under pressure at the G20 to ease trade imbalances by allowing a faster appreciation in the value of the yuan. As he prepared to set off for Beijing, there was no doubt that the potential to boost UK-China trade was foremost in the Prime Minister's mind. "Our message is simple," said Mr Cameron. "Britain is now open for business, has a very business-friendly Government, and wants to have a much, much stronger relationship with China. I'm delighted we've got such a wide range of institutions and businesses coming with us. This visit will mark another step to making Britain the successful, open, trading and pro-business country that I want it to be."

Superjumbo engine 'anomalies' found

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Image The Qantas chief executive officer has said engineers discovered issues with three A380 engines that will keep the fleet grounded for a few more days. Australia's national carrier grounded its six double-decker A380s after an engine burst into flames minutes into a flight from Singapore to Sydney last week. The plane made a safe emergency landing in Singapore. Engineers conducted extensive checks over an eight-hour period per engine over the weekend. "On three of the engines what we found are slight anomalies, oil where oil shouldn't be," Alan Joyce said. "We're trying to check what the cause of that could be." Mr Joyce said the A380s will not fly until testing is complete and the airline is certain that the planes can fly safely, though he expected it to take days rather than weeks.

Body that of missing millionairess

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Image Police have confirmed a body found in dense woodland is that of a missing millionairess alleged to have been murdered by her husband. Officers investigating 46-year-old Joanna Brown's disappearance found her body on the Crown Estate near Windsor Great Park, Berkshire, on Friday night. A post-mortem examination conducted at Wexham Park Hospital on Saturday revealed that she died from "severe blunt force trauma to the head and associated complications", a spokesman for Thames Valley Police said. Mrs Brown's husband Robert, also 46, has been charged with her murder. Police spent last week scouring the densely wooded park for Mrs Brown's remains. She was reported missing at 8am last Monday after a family member raised the alarm, concerned at not being able to contact her. Officers forced entry into her sprawling country mansion in Ascot, which was empty at the time, and a subsequent search led them to believe she had been attacked. The couple's marital home, Tun Cottage, was run as an award-winning bed and breakfast by Mrs Brown after they separated. The pair, who married 11 years ago and have two children, were going through divorce proceedings when she went missing. Her family described her as a "very special person", saying she was "loved and admired by everyone". The police spokesman said: "Ms Brown's family are asking to have their privacy respected at this difficult time. There are no plans for a family tribute or interviews at the moment."

Baby P legal battle 'cost £500,000'

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Image Sharon Shoesmith's legal battle to overturn her dismissal after the Baby P tragedy has cost the taxpayer nearly £500,000. Ms Shoesmith was sacked from her job as director of children's services at Haringey Council in December 2008, and claimed she was made a scapegoat after the death of 17-month-old Peter Connelly. She brought a High Court challenge against Haringey Council, regulator Ofsted and former children's secretary Ed Balls, the first round of which she lost in April but was granted leave to appeal in September. In a parliamentary written reply to Tory Charlotte Leslie (Bristol NW), Children's minister Tim Loughton said Ofsted had so far incurred costs of £331,059, including payments to the Treasury Solicitor, counsel's fees and VAT. The Department for Education has so far incurred costs of £92,753 for representation by the Treasury Solicitor and a further £57,425 in respect of counsel. Overall, this came to a total of £481,237. Mr Loughton said there may be further costs to the public purse, including "in-house staffing costs" at Ofsted and "in-house lawyers and policy officials" at the department. He added: "In a ruling published on September 1 2010, the judge indicated that he proposed to order Ms Shoesmith to pay £25,000 (including VAT) towards the Secretary of State's costs. "He also indicated that he would grant Ms Shoesmith permission to appeal his judgment. The position on costs may change depending on the outcome of any appeal." Peter died in August 2007 at the hands of his mother Tracey Connelly, her lover Steven Barker and their lodger, Barker's brother Jason Owen. In September, lawyers for Mr Balls asked for £138,000 in costs to be paid by Ms Shoesmith but Mr Justice Foskett said she should pay only £25,000.

Baby boy for Labour leader Miliband

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Image Labour leader Ed Miliband and his partner Justine Thornton have announced the birth of their second child. The boy arrived late on Sunday night, weighing 8lb 3oz, according to a party spokesman. Both mother and baby were said to be doing well after the birth at University College Hospital in London. Speaking to reporters outside the hospital, the Labour leader said: "We didn't know he would come quite as quickly as he did. Justine did absolutely brilliantly." He said of his new son: "He's really gorgeous, he looks a bit like me. As I say, we are absolutely delighted." Asked if the couple had decided on a name, Mr Miliband joked that he had his own views but "it's still being signed off". He said: "We will be announcing the name in the coming days." A Downing Street spokesman said the Prime Minister had sent his "very best wishes" to Mr Miliband and his partner. Mr Cameron wrote in a card: "Samantha and I would like to send you both our heartfelt congratulations on the birth of your baby boy.This is wonderful news and we could not be more pleased for you and your family." Mr Miliband will take now take two weeks of paternity leave from Parliament, with his duties being covered by Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman. The 40-year-old is expected to ensure he is named on this child's birth certificate, after admitting he was "embarrassed" to have forgotten to register on 18-month-old Daniel's records. Mr Miliband has said he and barrister Ms Thornton, also 40, will "get around to" marrying "at some point".

PM bidding to double UK-China trade

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Image David Cameron has declared his ambition to double bilateral trade between the UK and China to 100 billion US dollars a year by 2015, as he arrived at the head of Britain's largest ever Government and business delegation to the Far Eastern country. Mr Cameron said he expected deals worth billions of pounds to the UK economy to be sealed during his two-day visit, which will feature intensive trade talks. While he accepted that the balance of trade will remain firmly in China's favour in the coming years, he set a target of achieving 30 billion US dollars worth of UK exports within the next five years - up from around 7 billion now Writing in the Wall Street Journal, he said that the trip will provide "a further step forward in UK-China relations, adding momentum to our commercial relationship and cementing an economic and political partnership that can help to deliver strong and sustainable growth and greater security for us all in the years ahead". Trade is very much the focus of Mr Cameron's first visit to Beijing as Prime Minister, which comes ahead of this week's gathering of leaders of the G20 group of economic powers in South Korean capital Seoul. But the PM has said that he will also raise issues including international trade liberalisation, financial market co-operation, climate change, energy, aid, global security, Iranian nuclear programmes, North Korea, the disputed elections in Burma and human rights. Artist Ai Weiwei - who created the current sunflower seed installation in London's Tate Modern as well as Beijing's Bird's Nest Olympic stadium - has urged him to press President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao on human rights when he meets them for face-to-face talks. Aides say that Mr Cameron will raise the issue, but have yet to confirm whether he will discuss specific cases like that of Mr Ai, placed under house arrest amid a row over the demolition of his Shanghai studio, or jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobao. In his article, Mr Cameron said he is ready to address issues on which Beijing takes "a different view" from the UK, including human rights, but would do so "with respect and mutual understanding, acknowledging our different histories". Mr Cameron said that the visit should deliver more than 40 specific agreements dealing with trade, low-carbon growth and cultural and education initiatives.

Recession hits 'stop-smoking' rates

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Image The rate at which people are quitting smoking has slowed down at the same time as economic worries have increased, data suggests. A survey found that the number of smokers has been on the decline, partly fuelled by the smoking ban in 2007. However, the rate of quitting slowed down when the recession hit the UK in the latter half of 2008, and there has been little change since. In 2007, 32% of smokers in England said they had tried to quit within the previous three months. This fell to 23% in 2008, 22% in 2009 and stood at 17% at the end of October 2010. Professor Robert West, director of tobacco studies at the Cancer Research UK health behaviour research centre, said: "As the country tightens its financial belt, we've seen the number of smokers trying to quit slow down. "While no-one can be sure about the cause and effect with data of this kind, this could be another very damaging impact of the financial crisis." Professor West's report also found that fewer than 5% of smokers use NHS stop smoking services, which have been found to be much more effective than quitting alone. Sara Hiom, Cancer Research UK's director of health information, said: "Later this year the Department of Health will issue a White Paper on public health. "This is an opportunity to give a serious shot in the arm to tobacco control. We need to pay close attention to the evidence on what helps smokers to quit if we are to give hope and encouragement to the 70% of smokers who want to stop."

3,000 jobs as hotel chain expands

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Image Hotel firm InterContinental is to create 3,000 jobs over the next four years as part of a multi-million pound investment in the UK. InterContinental Hotel Group (IHG) plans to open 37 new hotels, creating a employment opportunities across the country in a £500 million investment project. The centrepiece of the project will be an IHG hotel in Westminster, due to open in December 2011, as well as two hotels within the Olympic Village in 2012. Other new businesses will be based in Newcastle, Colchester, Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow. Job opportunities will include a range of management work, waiting and bar staff, and all employees will get access to IHG's training and development programmes. Giles Deards, communications director for IHG, said that opening the new hotels was part of the group's long-term strategy. "If we want to see economic growth in the volume we want, this is the type of investment we need to make," he said. "This is important to us because we're a big UK company creating jobs in the UK at a time when people are worried about where jobs in the private sector are going to come from." The vacancies have been announced as IHG, which owns hotel brands including Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza and Hotel Indigo, revealed plans to open over 1,200 hotels worldwide, creating a total of 160,000 new jobs. Andy Cosslett, IHG's chief executive, said: "We are the world's biggest hotel group and investment in new hotels and the people that make them successful is vital to our growth."

Rail overcrowding 'set to increase'

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Image Commuters contending with "already unacceptable" levels of overcrowding on trains face increased rail capacity problems in the next four years and beyond, a report by MPs has warned. The Department for Transport's (DfT) latest plans show that all the relevant targets for increasing the number of passenger places on trains by March 2014 will be missed. There will be 15% fewer extra places delivered in London in the morning peak and 33% fewer into other major cities. This is in comparison with the numbers the DfT said would be needed just to hold overcrowding at current levels, the report from the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee said. The report said it is "not clear to passengers where the money from increased fares has been spent". On some parts of the Southeastern franchise, where high-speed Javelin services operate, "passengers are paying premium fares to support new services which do not stop at their stations and do little to alleviate overcrowding on the trains they use", the MPs said. The committee said the DfT's knowledge of how many people use which parts of the rail network and when is "inadequate and sketchy". The MPs recommended that the DfT should require all new train carriages to be fitted with automatic passenger counting equipment to show how many people are travelling on which trains and when. Rail franchisees should provide "useful and verifiable data" from the counting exercise, the committee said. The report said the current round of planning had relied heavily on buying extra carriages and extending platforms to accommodate longer trains, "but this approach cannot go on indefinitely".

Campaigners welcome hospital probe

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Image The launch of a public inquiry into a "disaster" at an NHS trust has been welcomed by campaigners who have lobbied for three years for an open investigation into how appalling standards of care were allowed to persist. Julie Bailey set up the campaign group Cure The NHS after her mother died at Stafford Hospital, which has been heavily criticised for putting targets and cost-cutting ahead of patient welfare. It has been claimed that hundreds of patients died at the hospital as a result of sub-standard treatment. Mrs Bailey has campaigned for a public inquiry into the care provided by Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust between 2005 and 2009 since her mother died exactly three years ago. Speaking after the opening of the inquiry in Stafford, she said: "It has been very hard and difficult to get this inquiry but here we are today and I think this inquiry will leave no stone unturned. "We're going to have an examination of all of the regulatory bodies, all of those people that we feel failed our relatives. "I feel very proud to be honest, very proud of myself and the group, we need to pat ourselves on the back because we have come an awful long way." The inquiry, chaired by Robert Francis QC, aims to build on the work of an earlier independent investigation which disclosed a catalogue of failings at the trust, which also runs Cannock Chase Hospital. Mr Francis today referred to the situation at the hospital as "the Stafford disaster". The first inquiry, which published its results in February, was held behind closed doors and was accused by relatives of those who died at Stafford Hospital of being secretive and unsatisfactory. Martin Yeates, former chief executive of the trust, did not appear at the first inquiry due to ill health and may not give evidence to the new investigation, his solicitor said. Andrew Hodge, representing Mr Yeates, said: "He hasn't yet had a request to give evidence this time but if and when he is he will have to consult his doctors and they will have to decide whether he is fit to give evidence or not."

Waterboarding saved UK lives - Bush

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Image George Bush has claimed that information obtained from terrorist suspects through "waterboarding" prevented terrorist attacks on London, saving British lives. In his memoirs, serialised in The Times, he said the use of the controversial interrogation technique - which simulates drowning - had helped to break up plots to attack Heathrow Airport and Canary Wharf. In an interview with the newspaper, he confirmed he had authorised the use of waterboarding to extract information from Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the al Qaida mastermind behind the 9/11 attack, telling the paper: "Damn right." Mr Bush said: "Three people were waterboarded and I believe that decision saved lives." In the book, Decision Points, he writes: "Their interrogations helped break up plots to attack American diplomatic facilities abroad, Heathrow Airport and Canary Wharf in London, and multiple targets in the United States." The British Government has long rejected the use of waterboarding, which it regards as torture. In a speech last month, the Chief of MI6 Sir John Sawers insisted that his service had "nothing whatsoever" to do with torture, which he described as "illegal and abhorrent". In the interview, Mr Bush described his close relationship with Tony Blair, but was dismissive of public opinion in Britain about the war in Iraq. "It doesn't matter how people perceive me in England. It just doesn't matter any more. And frankly, at times, it didn't matter then," he said. Mr Bush recalled how when Mr Blair faced a possible vote of no confidence in Parliament on the eve of war, he offered him the chance to opt out of sending British troops into Iraq. He said that "rather than lose the Government, I would much rather have Tony and his wisdom and his strategic thinking as the prime minister of a strong and important ally". However, Mr Blair told him: "I'm in. If it costs the Government, fine."

Anglican bishops join Catholics

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Image Five bishops are to join the Roman Catholic Church under a Vatican scheme for disaffected Anglicans. Three serving bishops and two retired bishops have decided to enter into "full communion" with the Catholic Church through the personal ordinariate, the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales said. The scheme, announced last year by the Vatican, allows Anglicans to join the Roman Catholic Church while maintaining aspects of their spiritual heritage. The bishops are the Rt Rev Andrew Burnham, Bishop of Ebbsfleet, the Rt Rev Keith Newton, Bishop of Richborough and the Bishop of Fulham, the Rt Rev John Broadhurst, the Roman Catholic Church said. They will be joined by the Rt Rev Edwin Barnes, former bishop of Richborough, and the Rt Rev David Silk, former Bishop of Ballarat in Australia. The Bishop of Ebbsfleet said it was a "fresh, new opportunity for the churches to move closer together", but denied it was motivated by divisions over the ordination of women bishops. "Women bishops is a pressing issue, yes, but this is a question of whether the Anglican church is - as it says it is - part of the universal church going back to the time of Jesus, or whether it is going off in its own way and making up its own rules, as we think it is," he said. "We are pioneers. As bishops we have a particular responsibility, but there will be priests and parishes who will follow in good course. I've made this decision in neither sadness nor anger. I've made the decision in joy. I think this is a fresh, new opportunity for the churches to move closer together and I look forward to the opportunities of serving in a wider church." The Bishop of Fulham said: "I'm excited but nervous about entering into full communion with the Catholic Church. I don't know what the future holds and it will either be a huge success or a huge flop, but I have decided now is the time to do it." Bishop Alan Hopes, Roman Catholic auxiliary bishop in the Westminster Diocese, said: "We welcome the decision of bishops Andrew Burnham, Keith Newton, John Broadhurst, Edwin Barnes and David Silk to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church through the ordinariate for England and Wales, which will be established under the provisions of the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus. At our plenary meeting next week, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales will be exploring the establishment of the ordinariate and the warm welcome we will be extending to those who seek to be part of it. Further information will be made known after the meeting." The decision by the five bishops comes after the General Synod of the Church of England decided to press ahead this summer with the ordination of women bishops without safeguards demanded by traditionalists. This was in spite of threats of a walkout by Anglo-Catholic and conservative evangelical groupings within the Church of England over the issue. The Rt Rev Burnham and the Rt Rev Newton are both so-called "flying bishops" who minister to Church of England parishes where congregations have voted not to allow a woman priest to preside at services. The Rt Rev Broadhurst, who is chairman of the Anglo Catholic grouping Forward in Faith, has already announced his intention of converting to Roman Catholicism. It also emerged last month that the parochial church council of St Peter's Church of England parish in Folkestone had voted to join the ordinariate. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, said: "I have today with regret accepted the resignations of Bishops Andrew Burnham and Keith Newton, who have decided that their future in Christian ministry lies in the new structures proposed by the Vatican. We wish them well in this next stage of their service to the Church and I am grateful to them for their faithful and devoted pastoral labours in the Church of England over many years." In a joint statement with the four other bishops joining the Catholic Church, the Bishop of Ebbsfleet thanked "those who agree with our views and those who passionately disagree" for their support. The bishops added: "We remain very grateful for all that the Church of England has meant for us and given to us all these years and we hope to maintain close and warm relationships, praying and working together." The five bishops will officially join the Catholic Church on December 31.

Worst-injured survivor relives 7/7

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Image The most seriously injured survivor of the July 7 2005 bombings has told how he watched the terror plot's ringleader detonate his suicide bomb. Daniel Biddle, 31, lost both legs, his left eye, his spleen and 87 pints of blood as medics fought to save his life after Mohammed Sidique Khan killed himself and six others. The former construction project manager, who was standing a few feet from Khan, described a "big white flash" before he was blown out of the carriage. Mr Biddle described the attack as the inquests into the 52 killed entered its fifth week at the Royal Courts of Justice with details of the Edgware Road atrocity. Moving statements by relatives of the six victims - Michael Brewster, Jonathan Downey, David Foulkes, Colin Morley, Jennifer Nicholson and Laura Webb - were also read out. Mr Biddle spent several weeks in a coma and enduring months of treatment but went on to marry his fiancee and hopes to represent Britain at the 2012 Paralympics. Speaking from the witness box, he said Khan sat close to him before looking down and detonating the bomb with a jerk of his hand, which may have been holding a white cord. Mr Biddle said: "The train entered the Tube tunnel: I looked around. As I looked around, he looked up and I saw a quick movement. Then there was a big white flash. The kind of noise you get when you tune a radio in. It felt like the carriage I was in expanded at a fast rate and then contracted quickly. And with that it blew me off my feet and through the carriage doors into the tunnel." When he woke up on the tracks, pinned down by a piece of carriage door or panel, he said his first thought was that he had "fallen out of the train". "It was when I tried to move and I couldn't, and as the dust and smoke settled and the noises started, that I realised something bad had happened," he said. Mr Biddle added: "I was terrified, seeing what I had seen, and thought I was going to die. So I was screaming just as loud as I could to get help."
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