News round-up: Labour – if you want a council house, find a job

Labour: if you want a council house, find a job

Up to a million people in social housing, including those on council estates, should be expected to actively seek work as a condition of their tenancy, the new housing minister, Caroline Flint, proposes today.

Read more on this story in The Guardian today

MMR links to autism dismissed by huge study

There is no evidence to link the MMR vaccination to autism in children, according to a substantial new study published today.

Read more on this story in The Guardian today

Telling off other people’s children is everyone’s duty, says Cameron

It is the social responsibility of all adults to discipline other people’s children, David Cameron, the leader of the Conservative party, said yesterday.

Read more on this story in The Times today

Man ‘tried to kill autistic sons by burning them with diesel’

A troubled father drove his two autistic sons down an isolated track and doused them in diesel after being told that his marriage was over, a court was told yesterday.

Read more on this story in The Times today

Legal flaw in power of attorney revealed

Thousands of people who took steps to protect their affairs or those of elderly relatives if they become incapable could unwittingly be in breach of the law.

Read more on this story in The Times today

Council staff strike

Thousands of home-helps, grave diggers and refuse collectors in Birmingham are holding a 24-hour strike over plans to cut council staff salaries by up to £18,000, in a move towards equal pay.

Read more on this story in The Times today

Pregnancies alert

The Government is set to miss its target to halve the number of teenage pregnancies by 2010, the Commons was told yesterday.

Read more on this story in The Times today

Families frozen out

Nearly one in five families with children cannot afford to heat their homes because of rising energy bills.

Read more on this story in The Times today

Older women ‘more depressed than men’

Older women are more susceptible to depression and more likely to stay depressed for longer than older men, a study suggests.

Read more on this story in The Daily Telegraph today

Manchester named ‘debt capital’ of Britain

Manchester has been named as the “debt capital” of Britain in a study that showed how many people were in severe financial difficulty.

Read more on this story in The Daily Telegraph today

Abuse victims win historic ruling on compensation

Two young women have won a key ruling in their legal battle to secure compensation from the man who sexually abused them when they were children.

Read more on this story in The Independent today

Adult mental illness blamed on stress in early pregnancy

Children born to women who suffer the death of a close relative during the first three months of pregnancy may be at higher risk of schizophrenia, research has shown.

Read more on this story in The Independent today