In Today's Papers

By Natasha Salari, Clare Jerrom and Alex Dobson.
Author rejects prize from ‘anti-migrant’ newspaper
Promising young novelist Hari Kunzru has refused to accept a literary prize sponsored by the ‘Daily Mail’ and the ‘Mail on Sunday’ because of the papers’ editorial policies of “demonising refugees and asylum seekers”.
Kunzru won the £5,000 John Llewellyn Rhys award for his debut book, ‘The Impressionist’, but rejected it because of what he called the papers’ consistent “hostility towards black and Asian British people”. He has asked for the prize money to be donated to the Refugee Council.

Source:- The Guardian Friday 21 November page 7
Fatalities hit new record
Over 100 people died while in police custody or in accidents involving police cars last year, according to the latest Home Office figures.
The number of people from ethnic minorities who died “during or after contact” with the police also rose from seven in 2001 to 22 last year.
Source:- The Guardian Friday 21 November page 12
Labour scrapes win on hospital and jury plans
The government has finally won parliament’s agreement to its two flagship bills on criminal justice and foundation hospitals.
Opposition peers backed down on the Health and Social Care Bill, as even rebel Labour MPs set against the measure insisted the will of the elected Commons must prevail. The Home Office also stressed that despite concessions it had secured most elements of the Criminal Justice Bill.
Source:- The Guardian Friday 21 November page 14.
Jackson put in handcuffs after arrest for child abuse
Michael Jackson was led away in handcuffs last night after being arrested on charges of child abuse.
He has been wanted for questioning for two days, but had been out of the jurisdiction of California police in Vegas, where he had been filming a promotional video. He was released after his bail was set at $3 million (£1.7million), and he is to have no contact with children.
Source:- The Daily Mail Friday 21 November page 16 and 17
Shut failing schools to help pupils, says Ofsted
The worst schools should be closed to prevent thousands of inner-city children from receiving an abysmal education, the head of Ofsted said yesterday.
Many schools in deprived areas are continuing to struggle despite billions of pounds of extra funding, and the gulf in achievement between pupils from poor and well-off backgrounds is widening, said David Bell.
Source:- The Daily Mail Friday 21 November page 31
Mother jailed after child was left to die in his cot
An 18-month-old boy died after being left by his mother in the cot which became “his home, his feeding place and his toilet”.
Haley Onley, a qualified nursery nurse, left her son Ryan with chips, chocolate and squash for up to 24 hours at a time. He was found dead in his cot in May. Chelmsford crown court was told that he probably died through dehydration. Onley, aged 20, was jailed for six years in a young offenders’ institute.
Source:- The Daily Telegraph Friday 21 November page 9
Raising a child will cost you £140,000
The cost of raising a child from birth to 21 is £140,000 - nearly £3,000 more than the price of the average house.
According to one of the most comprehensive surveys carried out into the financial cost of children, a child in a typical household where the father is in full-time employment and the mother works part-time costs £6,686 a year.
Source:- The Daily Telegraph Friday 21 November page 13
£500 reward to halt graffiti vandals
A sum of £500 is being offered to identify a handful of notorious graffiti artists by ministers determined to curb their vandalism.
‘The Name That Tag’ campaign, co-ordinated by the Home Office and Crimestoppers, is concentrating on 12 offenders who have sprayed hundreds of buildings and trains with their “tags”. Their work will be shown in a series of posters in stations in London, Manchester and Liverpool.
Anyone who recognises one of the graffiti artists, and informs the authorities will receive a £500 reward if it leads to an arrest and conviction.
Source:- The Times Friday 21 November page 14.
Scottish newspapers
School rocked by suicide No3
A school has been shocked by three suicides in two weeks.
Teachers and pupils were still grieving the deaths of two ex-pupils when they were stunned by the news that the headteacher's daughter had also killed herself.
Siblings Nicky and Paul Moscrop, both former pupils at Hawick High School, Roxburghshire died earlier this month. Yesterday it was revealed that Claire Horne, the daughter of the rector Neil Horne, was found dead at her student accommodation in Aberdeen last week.

Source:- Daily Record Friday 21 November page 31
Undercover kids
Teenage spies are being used by the police to crack down on off-licences that sell alcohol to underage children.
The youngsters are paid £5 an hour to buy alcohol from unsuspecting stores. The scheme has proved so successful it is likely to be adopted by forces across Scotland.
Source:- Daily Record Friday 21 November page 36 and 37
£12m to fight winter crisis
Funding of £12 million has been earmarked by health chiefs to combat the winter blues in hospitals.
The cash will fund more hospital beds and increased staffing levels to deal with the likes of the flu epidemic.
The money is on top of an £11 million flu immunisation campaign and the £30 million targeted at bed blocking.
Source:- Daily Record Friday 21 November page 40
Drugs grass shown mercy
A judge showed a heroin dealer mercy yesterday when he blew the whistle on a gang flooding Scotland with drugs.
Lord Drummond Young told Angus Sneddon he would normally face years’ imprisonment for dealing in £360,000 worth of heroin, cocaine and ecstasy.
However, Sneddon was jailed for just 10 months after his information led to convictions against a Liverpool drugs gang.
Source:- Daily Record Friday 21 November page 42
Asylum seekers to get work experience
A second Scots council was given the go-ahead for plans to allow asylum seekers to gain work experience.
Those asylum seekers awaiting a decision on whether they are allowed to stay in the country will be allowed to "shadow" some of South Lanarkshire's 15,000 staff. They will be unpaid, but receive travelling expenses.
Glasgow Council has a similar project offering around 20 asylum seekers work experience.
Source:- The Scotsman Friday 21 November
Watchdog will give councils best value inspection
Seven Scottish councils will face an audit next year to see whether their services are improving.
The country's 25 other local authorities will undergo similar inspections by Audit Commission Scotland over the next three years.
The 20-week audits will examine whether Angus, Dundee, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, Shetland, Stirling and West Lothian are delivering "best value" as demanded by the law.
Source:- The Herald Friday 21 November
Welsh newspapers
Drug centre opens
A project to respond quickly to the needs of heroin addicts is to be launched today.
The Gwent Kaleidoscope Project based in the centre of Newport, will offer prescription methadone, advice and support to substance misusers.
The project that is funded by the Welsh assembly, will offer an alternative to NHS treatment, where there are currently waiting lists for services of up to 18 months.
Source:- South Argus Thursday 20 November page 3
Easing fears of witnesses
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and police in south Wales have been awarded £200,000 to pilot new schemes designed to reduce the numbers of witnesses who fail to attend court.
The money will be split to help separate projects, one that will assist victims of domestic violence and the other to help all witnesses prepare for court appearances.
Source:- South Argus Thursday 20 November page 14
Prevention is far better than cure
A page feature examining the problem of bed-blocking in Welsh hospitals and the measures taken by the Welsh assembly to speed up delayed discharge.
Source:- South Argus Thursday 20 November page 17
£140,398 – the cost of raising a child in Wales today
Raising a child in Wales now costs £140,398 and that heavy financial burden is now putting many families under acute pressure, according to a new survey.
Catriona Williams of Children in Wales said that there was particular concern in the principality about the numbers of children living in poverty, but added that some new Welsh assembly policies like free breakfasts and free swimming for children were aimed at addressing the problem.
Source:- Western Mail Friday 21 November page 3