Faith schools ‘may reject Christians’

Faith schools ‘may reject Christians’
Children from Christian families may not be able to get into popular Church of England schools under a new quota system.
Under new guidelines, which were outlined by the church yesterday, at least a quarter of places at all new Church of England schools will be set aside for children of other faiths and non-believers.
Source:- The Daily Telegraph, Tuesday October 3 2006, page 2

Tories’ family tax sweetener
The Conservatives look set to offer tax breaks to married couples or those couples in civil partnerships for one partner to stay at home to look after children.
In his speech to the party’s annual conference today, shadow chancellor George Osborne is likely to moot the idea of non-working partners transferring their £5,000 personal tax allowances, which would otherwise be lost, to working partners.
Source:- Daily Mail, Tuesday 3 October 2006, page 18

Why half of our primary pupils can’t talk properly
Over 50 per cent of children in disadvantaged areas may be arriving at primary school without the communication skills they need to learn, research from charity I CAN has shown.
Source:- Daily Mail, Tuesday 3 October 2006, page 6

We’ll build more jails, vows Davis
Shadow home secretary David Davis has vowed a Conservative government would build more jails to cope with the rising prison population, and reverse Labour plans to hand out non-custodial sentences for certain crimes.
Source:- Daily Mail, Tuesday 3 October 2006, page 8

Teen jail hit by riot
Inmates at Stoke Young Offender Institution rioted for nine hours after barricading themselves into a wing yesterday.
Seven were being held in a detention unit last night and police were trying to work out the cause of the unreset.
Source:- The Sun, Tuesday 3 October 2006, page 15

Short shrift for depression drugs
Just one out of 13 alternative medicines recommended by health shops in Leeds to tackle depression has a sound scientific basis, research has found.
The research published in Psychiatric Bulletin found that St John’s Wort was the only effective medicine on offer to treat mild to moderate depression.
Source:- The Financial Times, Tuesday 3 October 2006, page 4

Police launch unit to tackle trade in people
Campaigners have welcomed the opening of the first national unit to tackle people trafficking but called for trafficked people to be treated as victims not perpetrators of crime.
The unit is based at a secret location in Sheffield and includes police, immigration officials and representatives of victim support groups.
Source:-  The Guardian, Tuesday 3 October 2006, page 11

Davis: “I’ll hug hoodies, only harder”
Shadow home secretary David Davis set out plans yesterday to give all prisoners basic education and help to beat drug addiction.
Source: The Independent, Tuesday 3rd October, page 5

New EU homeless
Thousands of migrants from the newest EU member states are homeless in Britain and Ireland, according to a report.
Source: The Times, Tuesday 3rd October, page 4

Osborne’s gibe at ‘autistic’ Brown provokes wrath of campaginers
Shadow chancellor George Osborne was accused of mocking people with learning difficulties after joking that Gordon Brown is autistic.
Source: The Times, Tuesday 3rd October, page 7

Distorted Christianity ‘causing abuse’
Misguided and distorted versions of Christian belief have contributed to domestic abuse in Britain, according to a report for the Church of England.
Source: The Times, Tuesday 3rd October, page 21

Welsh news

Head accused of sexual assault on boy
A headmaster sexually assaulted a boy on a school trip and took him into his bed, it was alleged at Mold Crown Court yesterday.
Christopher Baker, 45, a headteacher in Wrexham, is alleged to have abused the boy on five separate occasions.
Source:- Western Mail, October 3 2006

Warning of £3bn council housing crisis that’s being ignored
An academic has accused councils and the Welsh Assembly Government of ignoring a crisis in social housing in Wales.
Professor Kevin Morgan, of Cardiff University, says tenants are likely to receive poor quality housing unless the homes are transferred from councils to the voluntary sector. Many council houses have fallen into disrepair and local authorities don’t have the money to do them up.
Source:- Western Mail, October 3 2006