Thursday 8 January 2004

Natasha Salari, Clare Jerrom and Alex
Dobson.

Soham inquiry public session
An inquiry into how Ian Huntley was able to get a job as a school
caretaker begins next week.
Huntley, who was last month convicted of murdering schoolgirls
Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, had previous allegations of sex
offences against underage girls against him. The inquiry will hold
its first public session in London next week.
Source:- The Guardian Thursday 8 January page 5
Demise of the stay at home mother
Mothers who stay at home to care for under fives have been
outnumbered for the first time by working women who rely on
nurseries, childminders or relatives.
According to figures released yesterday by the National Statistics
department, 55 per cent of women with children under five have
full-time or part-time jobs.
In the early 1980s, fewer than a third of mothers of young children
had jobs.
Source:- The Daily Mail Thursday 8 January page 1
Cannabis is the biggest cause of mental illness in UK,
warns expert

The drug cannabis is the biggest single cause of serious mental
disorders in the UK, an expert has warned.
Consultant psychiatrist and head of psychiatry at the Institute of
Psychiatry, Professor Robin Murray, said that up to 80 per cent of
new patients at many units have a history of smoking the
drug.
Cannabis will be officially downgraded to a class C drug in three
weeks time.
Source:- The Daily Mail Thursday 8 January page 8
School anger management classes for pupils aged
six

A London primary school has introduced a select group of children
as young as six wearing badges and red caps to diffuse explosive
situations in the playground.
The pupils are trained in “anger management and conflict
resolution” under the “peer mediation scheme”,
and they also stop bullying among other children.
The scheme at St Ann’s Church of England Primary School is
now being introduced to another seven schools in Tottenham, north
London, after its success there.
Source:- The Daily Mail Thursday 8 January page 39
Teacher’s sex abuse inquiries cost
£1m

A teacher suspended on full pay for eight years despite being
cleared repeatedly of allegations of sexual abuse, has left his job
after an inquiry that cost £1 million.
Anthony McNally resigned from Woodhey High School in Bury, Greater
Manchester, after coming to an agreed settlement with the local
education authority.
Source:- The Times Thursday 8 January page 7
Ethnic minorities feel strong sense of identity with
Britain, report reveals

The majority of people from ethnic minorities feel British even if
they were not born in the UK, a report from the National Statistics
department has revealed.
While only 45 per cent of Indian people were born in this country,
75 per cent say that their national identity is now British. Fewer
than two-thirds of black Caribbeans were born in the UK, but 80 per
cent say they feel British. Three-quarters of Bangladeshi people
and 78 per cent of Pakistani people also claimed a British national
identity.
Source:- The Independent Thursday 8 January page 3
Charges for work permits are set to almost
double

The Home Office has announced that the cost of work permits for
foreign nationals employed in the UK will rise sharply in
June.
The cost could almost double to as much as £180 under the new
plans. A further rise could follow if the government went ahead
with plans for “over-cost charging”, with fees of up to
£500 mooted.
Source:- The Financial Times Thursday 8 January page 4
Scottish newspapers
Anger over youth behaviour bill

Ministers admitted last night that the Scottish executive had
failed to win support for measures in the Antisocial Behaviour Bill
to enable police to disperse groups of youths.
Ministers would “reflect” on the criticism of the move
before the controversial bill reaches the statute book, a
spokesperson said. Yet sources denied that the executive was
planning a U-turn by dropping provisions for crowd dispersal.
The comments were made during another day of criticism of the bill
as charities claimed it would alienate young people. Earlier this
week, the Scottish Police Federation told a Holyrood committee that
dispersal powers were unnecessary and may never be used.
Source:- The Scotsman Thursday 8 January
Rape anonymity petition rejected
Calls by campaigners for those accused of sex offences to be
granted anonymity, were yesterday rejected by MSPs.
The UK Men’s Movement had claimed the move would prevent
false accusations from tarnishing reputations.
But members of the cross-party public petitions Committee
unanimously rejected the demand.
Source:- The Scotsman Thursday 8 January
Welsh newspapers
Bitter pill for Gwent homes

Householders in Gwent will pay around £24 a year more on their
council tax because of a Welsh assembly decision to spend a
£22 million windfall on health.
The money from Chancellor Gordon Brown was intended to cushion
council tax increases in Wales, but the assembly has decided to use
the bulk of it to tackle bed-blocking.
Source:- South Wales Argus Wednesday 7 January page 1
‘Sick man of Europe’ needs a
cure

Ten years after Wales was labelled the sick man of Europe, the
principality still dominates a league table of ill health according
to a new study.
Welsh local authorities account for six of the 10 areas in the UK
in England and Wales with the worst health and almost one in four
people across the principality say that they are too ill to work or
carry out everyday activities.
Source:- Western Mail Thursday 8 January page 5

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