Friday 27 June 2003

By Amy Taylor and Alex Dobson.
Home office abused its power on asylum
A senior judge has accused the home office of being guilty of an
“abuse of power” in its action of cutting off asylum seekers’
income support without explanation.
The law lords found that Nadezda Anufrijeva, a Lithuanian Russian,
should not have been deprived of income support during the four
months before her application for asylum had been refused.
Source:- The Times Friday 27 June page 2
Reid admits that poorest are let down by NHS
In his first speech as health secretary, John Reid admitted that
those on the lowest incomes were being let down by the NHS.
He said Labour’s reforms would lead to a greater choice for
everyone, not just pushy middle class patients.
He highlighted how in some parts of the country no-one is waiting
for an operation for more than six months while in others they
are.
Source:- The Times Friday 27 June page 12
Scottish newspapers
Unveiled: plan to target young loiterers
A new measure unveiled by the communities minister Margaret Curran
yesterday, which gives police powers to disperse groups of young
people, could cause greater levels of tension on the streets,
critics claimed last night.
The power of dispersal was one of a group of new measures
introduced to combat anti-social behaviour.
Other measures would include fixed penalties, similar to parking
tickets, for vandalism.
Source:- The Herald Friday 27 June
Men and woman held over girl’s death
A woman and two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder after
the body of a five-year-old girl was found at a house in
Manchester.
Police officers were called to an address in Stretford, Manchester,
in the early hours of the morning following reports of a
disturbance.
It is thought that the girl died of stab wounds.
Source:- The Scotsman Friday 27 June
Welsh newspapers
What A Farce!
A Welsh assembly scheme that gives children free access to
swimming pools is running into problems because council admission
policies differ cross the principality.
Hundreds of parents will not be able to take advantage of the
£2.5 million initiative which is the first of its kind in
Europe, as many councils ask that children under four be
accompanied by an adult on a one to one basis. 
According to parents, many families with more than one child under
four, do not have access to available adults to accompany
them.
A spokesperson for the assembly said that it was up to each council
to interpret how to operate the scheme.
Source:- South Wales Echo Thursday 26 June pages 1 and
4
‘Newport wrong place’
A UK immigration expert said that Newport in south Wales is the
wrong place for an asylum appeals centre, and that it should have
been built in Bristol.
The Immigration Appellates Authority (IAA) is to open a temporary
appeals centre at a magistrates court in Newport following protests
from residents at Langstone on the outskirts of the city, where a
permanent centre had been planned.
Keith Best, chief executive of the Immigration Advisory Service,
said that Bristol would have been a more suitable location for a
number of reasons, and that plans to house the centre outside
Newport would cause logistical problems.
Source:- South Wales Argus Thursday 26 June page 7
Chip in mobile phone enables parents to home in on
children
Parents will be able to keep track of their children using
revolutionary technology being developed by a Welsh company.
Once children are registered on a website, parents can check where
they are by using a chip already in their mobile phones.
The Cardiff based team, ThinkSMS.co.uk, says that it is an opt-in
system and that bullies or criminals could not access details about
children’s locations.
The system is thought to be the first of its kind in the UK.
Source:- Western Mail Friday 27 June page 3