Wednesday 19 April

By Maria Ahmed, Simeon Brody, Derren Hayes and Amy Taylor

Millions of refugees are hidden victims of the West’s war on terror, UN warns
Refugees fleeing persecution or civil war are becoming the hidden victims of the West’s obsession with combating terrorism, the United Nations will warn in a report published today.
Source:- The Independent Wednesday 19 April 2006 page 4

Ukrainian woman who graduated from Oxford wins right to stay in UK
A woman who graduated from Oxford and then worked for the NHS – having arrived in Britain without a word of English 11 years ago – has won her battle against the Home Office’s decision to deport her.
Source:- The Independent Wednesday 19 April 2006 page 4

Seven still on hunger strike after asylum centre protests
Seven asylum seekers are continuing to refuse food, 10 days after hundreds of inmates at detention centres in London and Gosport went on hunger strike in protest at their incarceration.
Source:- The Independent Wednesday 19 April 2006 page 4

Mother very likely to have died with son, police say
Detectives believe it is “very likely” that a mother plunged to her death from the Humber Bridge with her son, who had a genetic condition with similar traits to autism.
Source:- The Independent Wednesday 19 April 2006 page 9

Mother who accosted bully is given discharge
A mother charged with assault after grabbing a teenage girl who was bullying her daughter was given an absolute discharge by a court. The 13-year-old girl broke down in court and admitted bullying her daughter.
Source:- The Daily Telegraph Wednesday 19 April 2006 page 10                     

Gipsies’ deal to pay rent
Gipsies are set to pay fixed rent to a council – and get full tenancy rights. The plan by Durham Council for its six sites would be the first of its kind in Britain.
Source:- The Sun Wednesday 19 April 2006 page 18

Big Brother’ scheme axed
A £400 million scheme put forward by chancellor Gordon Brown to create a national population database to be shared across the public sector was finally killed off yesterday.
It was dropped because it largely duplicated information to be gathered for the identity card scheme.
Source:- The Guardian Wednesday 19 April 2006 page 7

Defining moment
Clare Allan was an English graduate with dreams and friends until mental illness was diagnosed. She recounts the decade she spent in a system that robbed her of a sense of self.
Source:- Society Guardian Wednesday 19 April 2006 page 1

Threadbare care
In the final part of his series on looked-after children, David Conn assesses ways the system is failing to provide proper parenting and asks minister Maria Eagle what she plans to do to tackle its problems.
Source:- Society Guardian Wednesday 19 April 2006 page 3

Cybercop crusade
The director of the new Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre tells how he plans to expose sexual predators who are a threat to children and educate young people about the dangers of the net
Source:- Society Guardian Wednesday 19 April 2006 page 5

Open or shut case
The government has delayed a consultation on opening up the family courts by allowing cases to be heard in public. Is more transparency required?
Source:- Society Guardian, Wednesday 19 April 2006, page 6

Neighbourhood watch
A respite scheme for parents in south London highlights the benefits of averting a crisis
Source:- Society Guardian Wednesday 19 April 2006 page 7

Scottish news

Health funding plea for deprived areas
The chief medical officer has called for new health spending to be steered towards areas of greatest deprivation, following evidence that inequalities may be getting worse.
Dr Harry Burns told Holyrood’s health committee that as much as half of the wide inequality in health could be explained by reduced access to care, with the rest due to social, economic, and behavioural conditions that exist in that area”.
Dr Burns, a former director of public health in greater Glasgow, said the emphasis of the past 20 to 30 years on improving housing as a means of improving health had not produced the benefits expected.
Source:- The Herald Wednesday 19 April

Student faces missing degree as family loses asylum appeal
An Albanian third-year student sponsored by Strathclyde University has been arrested in an early morning raid.
She was detained with her father and two younger brothers after their claim for asylum was rejected.
University officials voiced concern at the removal which they said would prevent Ms Hazizi, one of three asylum seeker students currently sponsored by the university, completing her degree this summer.
Source:- The Herald Wednesday 19 April

Mother who grabbed her daughter’s school bully walks free from court
A mother charged with assault for grabbing a 13-year-old girl who was bullying her daughter around the neck has been cleared.
The court heard the daughter’s high school failed to offer protection and the bully also admitted in the witness box to tormenting the girl.
Joanne Eddie was granted an absolute discharge by Falkirk Sheriff Court, which concluded that she had been driven to take action after being frustrated by the lack of response from the school.
Source:- The Scotsman Wednesday 19 April

Welsh news

Doctors chide ministers in row over GPs’ pay
Senior Welsh doctors warned the government that the new GP contract was too expensive more than two years ago it was revealed last night.
The contract is now costing £300 million more in England and Wales than was anticipated.
Some GPs in England are now earning more than £250,000.
Dr Tony Calland, chair of the British Medical Association’s Welsh Council, said that the association had warned the government over the potential cost of the contract when it was putting it together.
Source:- Western Mail Wednesday 19 April 2006