Bankruptcy becoming a social problem, warns bank chief

Bankruptcy becoming a social problem, warns bank chief
The Bank of England’s governor has issued his starkest warning yet on the state of families’ finances saying record levels of bankruptcy are now “a potentially large social problem.”
Source:- Daily Telegraph, Thursday 11 May 2006, page 7

19 Malaysian women set free in raids on alleged sex traffickers
Nineteen Malaysian women identified as suspected victims of sex trafficking were freed in dawn raids yesterday. It was the largest coordinated police operation against trafficking since the start of a government crackdown this year.
Source:- The Guardian, Thursday 11 May 2006, page 16

Solve child poverty by sending mothers back to work, says minister
Most mothers should have jobs outside the home even if their children are not yet at school, work and pensions secretary John Hutton said yesterday. He is working on a strategy of persuading people they will be “better off in work than on benefit”.
Source:- Daily Mail, Thursday 11 May 2006, page 20

Two found hanged in Leeds jail on same night
Two prisoners have been found hanged in their cells at HMP Leeds in West Yorkshire within hours of each other. A Home Office spokeswoman said the deaths were not linked.
Source:- The Independent, Thursday 11 May 2006, page 4

Spoilt brat bullies new scourge of playgrounds
Middle-class parents who spoil their children have created a new breed of playground bullies, the Commons education select committee was told.
Source:- The Independent, Thursday 11 May 2006, page 24

Rapist murdered woman months after being freed
Dangerous criminal Anthony Rice was released from a life sentence because his human rights were put before protecting the public, an official inquiry said yesterday.
Source:- Daily Telegraph, Thursday 11 May 2006, page 1

Hijackers have a right to live in Britain
Nine Afghan asylum seekers who hijacked a plane at gunpoint to get to Britain should have been admitted to the country as genuine refugees and allowed to live and work here freely, the High Court ruled yesterday.
Source:- Daily Telegraph, Thursday 11 May 2006, page 4

GPs offered payments to send patients private
NHS managers are offering “bribes” to GPs to persuade them to send patients to a private treatment centre instead of local NHS hospitals.
Source:- The Guardian, Thursday 11 May 2006, page 8

Kelly branded hypocrite for attacking nimbys
Ruth Kelly was branded a hypocrite for denouncing nimbyism while opposing a series of housing developments in her constituency. Local planners say the new secretary of state for communities and local government was a regular campaigner against new housing in her Bolton West constituency.
Source:- The Independent, Thursday 11 May 2006, page 4

Nurse who killed for thrills must serve 30 years
Benjamin Geen, the nurse whose search for thrills in an accident and emergency department led hit to kill two patients was jailed for life for murder yesterday.
Source:- Daily Telegraph, Thursday 11 May 2006, page 15

Scottish news

Record spending on schools yields no improvement
A record £2.15 billion investment in Scottish schools has produced no clear evidence of improvements in education or value for money, a report found yesterday.
Scotland’s public sector finance watchdog said the effectiveness of the landmark McCrone deal, which gave teachers a 23% pay rise and better conditions, could not be measured, because no targets were set by ministers.
Source:- The Herald, Thursday 11 May 2006

Special adviser bill mounts for first minister
Jack McConnell was under fire last night after appointing another special adviser to his team, taking the total to an unprecedented 12, and the annual bill to taxpayers to £750,000.
Opposition MSPs claimed the first minister had hired another spin doctor at the public’s expense to bolster Labour’s chances in the 2007 elections.
Mr McConnell was also criticised over his choice of appointment, after he personally chose a former lobbyist for Coca-Cola as his special adviser on health.
Source:- The Herald, Thursday 11 May 2006

Welsh news

Gibbons refuses to give nurses jobs guarantee
Health minister Brian Gibbons has refused to guarantee that nurses in Wales won’t be made redundant due to the funding problems in the NHS. A group of nurses visited the Welsh assembly yesterday and called on Gibbons to tell them that their jobs would be safe but he said that he could not give them an “absolute, definitive guarantee.”
Source:- Western Mail, Thursday 11 May 2006

Asperger’s link not found
There is no direct link between Asperger’s syndrome and criminal behaviour new research has found. The study, carried out in Wales, found no evidence to support recent reports that the syndrome, which is a form of autism, could be responsible for people acting antisocially.
Source:- icWales, Thursday 11 May 2006