No more ministerial cars? That's down to me

While many people dream of a company car and driver, former MP Chris Mullin found it difficult to get rid of his ministerial vehicle. Here, he reflects on how his comic battle inspired David Cameron to cut government cars and encourage ministers onto public transport.Although I cannot claim to have had much influence on the last government, I do appear to have had some influence on the new one. David Cameron remarked to me some months ago that, having read my account of the struggle to shake off a ministerial car, recounted in my diaries View From the Foothills, he was proposing to limit the supply of ministerial limos. And sure enough, he has delivered.One of the perennial embarrassments of being, as I was, a minister in the environment department was that every time a colleague talked of the need to tempt the great British public out of their cars and on to public transport, cameras would appear at the rear entrance filming ministers climbing into their official cars. John Prescott's Jaguar was a particular favourite with mischief-making journalists.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8702883.stm

Schools are promised an academies 'revolution'

Education Secretary Michael Gove has set out his vision for a new era for schools in England. Mr Gove said all schools would be given the opportunity to break away from local authority control and become academies. Academies are state-funded schools which have a high degree of autonomy. Mr Gove said the changes and new freedoms would drive up standards for all schools, with supporters hailing them as a "revolution" in schools. Critics have warned that the changes risk fragmenting state education, with the most disadvantaged children losing out, but the new coalition insists the system will help all pupils. Schools rated as outstanding by inspectors could be fast-tracked into academy status for the autumn. All schools in England - including primaries - will eventually be able to opt to become academies. The proposals could mean thousands of schools leaving local authority control. Mr Gove said: "What I'd like to do is to ensure some of the radicalism that we used to have in education policy returns.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/education/10159448.stm

Kidnapped Chandlers plead for David Cameron to act

A British couple held hostage by Somali pirates have urged UK Prime Minister David Cameron to clarify whether his government will seek their release. Paul Chandler, 60, and Rachel Chandler, 56, from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, were kidnapped while sailing in the Indian Ocean in October. In an interview broadcast on ITV News, Mr Chandler said they "desperately needed" the PM to make a statement. The Foreign Office said it had a policy of not negotiating with kidnappers. The pair spoke to a Somali journalist at the weekend, ITV News reported, adding that the kidnappers had not benefitted financially from the interview. Mr Chandler offered his congratulations to the new prime minister, but urged him to act.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk/10168098.stm

Man arrested over Bradford prostitute murders

A 40-year-old man is being questioned by police on suspicion of murdering three women sex workers in Bradford after body parts were found in a river. Police said the man was arrested on suspicion of killing Suzanne Blamires, 36, who was last seen on Friday. He is also suspected of killing Shelley Armitage, 31, and Susan Rushworth, 43. The BBC understands remains found in the River Aire in Shipley on Tuesday are those of Ms Blamires, although they have not been formally identified. Ms Armitage, from Allerton, Bradford, has been missing since 26 April and Ms Rushworth, from the Manningham area, has not been seen since June 2009. Police are also investigating possible links to the case of Rebecca Hall, 19, who worked as a prostitute in the city and was killed in 2001. Her body was found in the Allerton area of the city, near to where Ms Blamires and Ms Armitage lived.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/england/bradford_and_west_yorkshire/10163998.stm

Fatal Cumbrian bus on correct side of road

Investigations suggested the bus swerved to avoid an oncoming car which had crossed the central line on Monday, Cumbria Police said in a statement. Kieran Goulding, 15, and Chloe Walker, 16, were both killed. Chloe was marking her birthday. Patrick Short, 68, who was driving a Honda Civic car, was also killed. Nine children remain in hospital, two in a serious condition, after the 49-seater taking pupils home from Keswick School to the Cockermouth area, crashed on the A66 on Monday. Police said 25 other people were treated for injuries, most of them children. Their injuries ranged from cuts to fractures and spinal injuries. The coach driver, a 63-year-old man from Egremont who worked for JB Pickthall in Rowrah, west Cumbria, is in a stable condition in hospital. Police said children from the same school who were travelling on a minibus behind the coach rushed to help their classmates. Ch Supt Steve Johnson praised their actions. He said: "They went straight to the aid of their friends and colleagues and did an incredible job." Chloe Walker's brother Jordan died in April 2007 from the degenerative condition sanfilippo, which was diagnosed when he was seven-years-old. Keswick School head teacher Michael Chapman said of the family's double loss: "I cannot begin to describe how I would feel in those circumstances."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cumbria/8704576.stm

Family of murdered Wishaw girl Zoe Nelson 'heartbroken'

The remains of Zoe Nelson, 17, were discovered near Branchalfield Drive in Wishaw on Sunday afternoon. She was last seen by her mother leaving her home in nearby Newmains on Saturday evening. Detectives have launched a murder inquiry and are trying to piece together her last movements. In a statement issued through the police, the teenager's mother Mariann said: "Zoe was a popular girl and a typical 17-year-old who had plenty of friends and was well known in the area.
Zoe, a former Motherwell College student, left home at about 1700 BST on Saturday heading to meet friends. Her body was found in a spot known as "Monkey Hill", which links the areas of Cambusnethan, Newmains and Coltness and is used as a short cut, a cycle track and for walking dogs. Police said local people had reported seeing a fire in that area at about 2320 BST on Saturday.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/10155022.stm

Lancashire curry house bomb hoaxer jailed

A hoaxer who called police to say that she was about to blow up a Lancashire curry house has been jailed for six months.Burnley Crown Court heard that Victoria Hosker, 26, phoned police on 20 May 2009 claiming she had a bomb and would set it off at a Rishton restaurant. Hosker, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty on 24 March to communicating false information about a bomb. Police said they were "delighted" that the judge imposed a prison sentence. Her actions on the night placed a huge demand on police resources which were already stretched Sgt Simon Lynch from Lancashire police
The court heard that Hosker, who made the call at 0124 BST, gave her name to the operator, but not a specific location. Sgt Simon Lynch from Lancashire police said: "What ultimately may have started out as a prank has now resulted in Hosker having to spend some time in jail to reflect on what she has done. "Her actions on the night placed a huge demand on police resources which were already stretched and I am delighted that the judge has seen it appropriate to give Hosker a custodial sentence. "Making hoax calls is extremely irresponsible and members of the public can be confident that the police will thoroughly investigate any such calls and make every effort to track down anyone responsible."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/lancashire/8695737.stm

Cameron faces questions on return to NI

It is only a few days since David Cameron last visited Northern Ireland.On 4 May, he addressed a rally at the La Mon hotel in County Down as a party leader on the campaign trail, backing his local Ulster Unionist allies and emphasising his passion for the union. Now he is prime minister, he has stressed that the hard-won achievements of the peace process will be safe in his hands and that he can work with Stormont politicians from across the green-orange spectrum. Whilst Mr Cameron achieved his aim of taking up residence at Number 10, the Conservative and Unionist candidates who rallied to his cause in Northern Ireland have had to come to terms with a comprehensive defeat at the polls. The Ulster Unionists were once the dominant political force in Northern Ireland. Historically the Conservatives and Ulster Unionists had been linked - those who supported reviving this link argued that it held the key to forging a new kind of unionism, capable of appealing to voters regardless of whether they were Catholic or Protestant Their leader, David Trimble, was the key player in the negotiations which led to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. But unionist grassroots felt uncomfortable about the compromises involved in sharing power with Sinn Fein. They punished the Ulster Unionists by switching to Ian Paisley's DUP, which became the bigger party both at Stormont and at Westminster, reducing the UUP in 2005 to just one MP.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8694201.stm

Naomi Campbell may be subpoenaed by war crimes court

War crimes prosecutors in The Hague say supermodel Naomi Campbell should be subpoenaed to testify at the trial of Liberia's ex-President Charles Taylor. They say Ms Campbell "was given rough diamonds" by Mr Taylor in 1997 at Nelson Mandela's house in South Africa. Mr Taylor is accused of using "blood diamonds" to fuel an insurgency in Sierra Leone that cost tens of thousands of lives. Ms Campbell had previously declined to provide testimony to prosecutors. "Ms Campbell's testimony is necessary as there is evidence that Ms Campbell was given rough diamonds by the accused (Mr Taylor) in September 1997," said a prosecution motion filed with the Special Court for Sierra Leone.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/europe/10133754.stm

Cameron and Clegg set out 'radical' policy programme

David Cameron and Nick Clegg have unveiled the policy programme their coalition will follow to create the "radical" change they say the UK needs.Mr Cameron said the "remarkable" document combines the best of the Lib Dem and Tory manifestos - even though policies on both sides have been axed. He described it as a blueprint for a "radical, reforming government". But Labour said the agreement raised more questions than it answered - and had just "papered over the cracks". Prime Minister Mr Cameron shared a platform with his deputy Mr Clegg to launch the 34-page document, which has been put together in nine days. It builds on the four-page deal produced during negotiations in the immediate aftermath of the UK election which resulted in a hung Parliament.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8693535.stm

Aged 36 and can't get served

At the age of 36, twice as old as the youngest legal drinkers, Kay was surprised to be challenged for proof of age when buying her groceries in a Tesco in east London.
"About two years ago, all of a sudden, every time I went to buy alcohol, a bottle of wine with my shopping, they would ask me for ID."

ID'D IN THEIR 30s

Kay's European health insurance card, with her name and date of birth but no photograph, was not acceptable. So on several occasions, the wine went back on the shelf, until she started taking her passport with her. Others have had a similar experience. Headlines were made when a 72-year-old was unable to buy two bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon at Morrisons in Blackpool because he could not prove his age. Ironically, it's concern about under-age drinking that is responsible. A few years ago, before and after the licensing laws were relaxed, newspapers were full of pictures of "Binge drink Britain" - young people lying prostrate on the street or fighting in town centres on a Saturday night.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8693997.stm

Man guilty of killing jockeys in Malton flat fire

Jamie Kyne, 18, from County Galway, in the Irish Republic, and Jan Wilson, 19, from Forfar in Angus, died in the fire at flats near Malton in September. Peter Brown, 37, of Brotherton, North Yorkshire, was cleared of murder but found guilty of manslaughter. Leeds Crown Court heard Brown started the fire after being refused entry to a party. Sentencing was adjourned. Brown, a labourer originally from the Aberdeen area, denied murder and two alternative charges of manslaughter. He was also acquitted of arson with intent to endanger life. Mrs Justice Nicola Davies adjourned sentencing for the completion of a pre-sentence report, telling Brown it was "so I can have full information about the danger you pose".

Prosecutors told the jury that Brown, who refused to give evidence at his trial, started the fire when he lit rubbish in the communal entrance to the Buckrose Court flats in Norton on 5 September 2009.

The court was told the father-of-one, who lived in a neighbouring block and was a former caretaker for the complex, started the fire as an act of revenge after he was refused entry to a party in one of the flats.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8693997.stm

No proof of mobile cancer risk, major study concludes

Using a mobile phone does not appear to increase the risk of developing certain types of brain cancer, the largest study of its kind has concluded.

Analysis of more than 10,000 people by the International Agency for Research on Cancer found no relationship between years of use and risk.

There is no known biological mechanism by which mobiles could cause cancer, but there has been public concern.

It is hoped this study will allay some anxieties, as research continues.

The overall rate of brain cancer has not risen in countries where use has long been prevalent - like Sweden, and studies have mostly found no evidence of an increased risk. This latest research is consistent with this.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8637466.stm