Wednesday 9 November 2005

By Mithran Samuel, Clare Jerrom, Derren Hayes and Amy Taylor 

Asbo extension
All housing managers can now apply for Asbos against nuisance tenants after powers to tackle antisocial behaviour on council estates were extended yesterday.
Source:- The Times  Wednesday 9 November page 2

Asylum ruling
An asylum seeker is today appealing against a ruling that he be returned to Iran in a test case over the government’s policy on Iranian asylum seekers.
He claims he faces torture in Iran should he be sent home.
Source:- The Times  Wednesday 9 November page 5

Mother fights for right to know about teenage abortions
Parents must have the right to be told when their children seek abortions, contraceptives or treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, a court was told yesterday.
Mother of five Susan Axon wants to  overturn government guidelines that instruct doctors to maintain patient confidentiality.
Source:- The Times  Wednesday 9 November page 8

Hunt for girl, 15, and man she met on Net
A 15-year-old girl, who was in the care of social services, is feared to have run off with a man she met on the Internet.
Roxanne Milner, who had been living with foster parents in Willerby, East Yorkshire, has not been seen since Monday and Tony Jones has also disappeared with his children.
Source:- daily Mail  Wednesday 9 November page 35

Alcopops lose sparkle
Alcopops seem to have lost their appeal to teenagers.
Analysts Mintel revealed yesterday that sales had fallen from a peak £1.6 billion in 2002 to £1.2 billion this year.
Source:- Daily Mail  Wednesday 9 November page 35

Anorexia linked to sexual abuse
Girls who are sexually abused are more likely to develop eating disorders, even when pregnant, according to research published in the British Journal of Psychiatry.
Source:- Independent  Wednesday 9 November page 8

Providers fear unfair competition on childcare
The Local Government Association has called for £200 million over the next two years to implement the Childcare Bill, announced yesterday.
Under the proposed legislation, councils would face a new duty to stimulate the childcare market in areas of insufficient provision, but only within funding constraints.
Source:- Financial Times Wednesday 9 November page 3

Subsidies will help to keep nursery fees down for low-income families
Low-income families in London will benefit from lower childcare fees from next week, courtesy of funding from the government and the London Development Agency.
The three-year childcare affordability programme will subsidise providers to keep fees down.
Source:- Financial Times Wednesday 9 November page 3

Public bodies to face extra scrutiny
Voluntary and campaign groups are planning to use Freedom of Information Act to gauge the level of corporate influence on public bodies, according to a National Council for Voluntary Organisations report.
Source:- Financial Times Wednesday 9 November page 4

Unmarried couples need more legal rights, says law lord
A senior judge has called for more rights for cohabiting couples to protect partners caring for children who are left without financial support when a relationship breaks down.
Lady Hale said the lack of rights held by unmarried couples could also be challenged under the European convention on human right, which guarantees respect for family life.
Source:- The Guardian Wednesday 9 November page 4

Scottish news

Chronic poverty ‘can breed disease’
Severe poverty can alter people’s genetic make-up making them more susceptible to diseases such as cancer, according the Scotland’s new chief medical officer.
Dr Harry Burns said that biological factors may be just as important in explaining the gap in health and lifespan amongst rich and poor as lifestyle and diet.
Dr Burns told a World Health Organisation conference that people who are continually exposed to stress as a result of chronic social deprivation are more likely to suffer disease and cell malfunction.
Source:- The Scotsman Wednesday 9 November

Welsh news

Nurse loses attempted murder appeal
A Welsh senior hospital ward sister, serving five years in jail for trying to kill two elderly terminally-ill patients, lost her appeal against her convictions yesterday.
Barbara Sailsbury’s lawyers had argued that that the evidence against her was too “tenuous” and that her conviction should be overturned but three Court of Appeal judges dismissed the argument.
The judges said they would give their reasoning at a later date.
Source:- Western Mail Wednesday 9 November

Carer found with her dead patient
An elderly carer who was found alongside the dead body of a woman she had been caring for was taken to hospital yesterday.
Dyfed-Powys Police have launched an investigation after officers found the women in Saundersfoot on Monday.
Source:- Western Mail Wednesday 9 November