Forum to support vulnerable workers
The Government outlined moves aimed at protecting vulnerable workers from
exploitation by “rogue” employers. Alistair Darling, the Trade and Industry
Secretary, announced that he was setting up a forum, including union
officials and business leaders, to study ways of tackling abuses such as low
pay and long hours.
Two pilot projects will start in Birmingham and London to help workers,
including cleaners, security guards, hotel porters, cooks and bar staff,
understand their rights to decent pay and conditions.
Mr Darling said: “Workers deserve decent minimum standards – I want to make
sure that if abuses occur they are dealt with as soon as possible.”
Witness murdered
A 20-year-old man has been jailed for life for stamping to death a witness who
testified against him in court. Lee Barratt wanted revenge after Joe
Mohammed, 37, caused him to be convicted of stealing a car and brandishing a
knife, the Old Bailey was told.
VC Gurkha can stay
A Gurkha who won the Victoria Cross in Burma in 1943 but was denied a visa
will be allowed to settle here after the Home Office reversed its decision.
Tul Bahadur Pun, 84, had been told that he had not demonstrated sufficient
ties to Britain.
Dead soldier named
A Briton killed in Afghanistan while travelling in a Chinook helicopter that
was shot down by the Taleban was named as Corporal Mike Gilyeat, 28, a
photographer with the Royal Military Police. Five Americans and a Canadian
were also killed.
Flag is raised
The Union flag is to fly above Portcullis House, Westminster, for the first
time, the Leader of the Commons confirmed. Jack Straw said it would fly
today. It was not flown above the building, opened in 2001, because of
health and safety fears over rooftop access.
Final curtain
Mary Poppins, the West End musical, is to close after three and a half years.
It recently celebrated its 1,000th performance at the Prince Edward Theatre.
The final curtain will fall on January 12. It is expected to make way for
the musical Jersey Boys.
Correction
In Hugo Rifkind’s People column yesterday, we incorrectly suggested that David
Furnish hired a private jet and flew his father from Canada to the USA when
he was ill. In fact, Mr Furnish's father flew on a commercial Air Canada
flight, and we apologise for any distress or embarrassment caused to Mr
Furnish and his father.
Mother killed on pedestrian crossing
A mother was knocked down and killed by a lorry on a pedestrian crossing
yesterday. Her two children, a boy and a girl, saw her die.
The woman was wheeling a toddler in a pushchair and holding her other child by
the hand moments before she was struck by the 17.5tonne lorry in Portsmouth.
The children were unhurt but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Two
other people were treated for shock and taken to hospital.
A spokeswoman for Hampshire Ambulance said: “This was a dreadful incident. The
woman sustained such bad injuries that there was nothing we could do for
her.”
Andy Hill, 46, told how the woman’s children cried out for their mother in the
moments after the accident. The boy and girl were taken to the shoe shop
where Mr Hill works, close to the scene.
Mr Hill said: “I was out the back and heard a commotion going on. I ran out
into the street. I saw the poor woman under the right rear wheel of the
lorry and it was clear that nothing could be done for her. It was a terrible
thing to see.”
A 57-year-old man from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, has been arrested on
suspicion of careless driving and was being interviewed by police. They have
appealed for witnesses.
Mother accused
A woman was remanded in custody accused of stabbing her son to death. The body
of Andrew Cole, 19, was found at the home he shared with his mother in
Thornton, Lancashire, on Wednesday. Helen Cole, 48, a domestic help,
indicated to Wyre magistrates that she would plead not guilty to murder.
Hospital infection
A hospital trust said that 15 of its patients had contracted Clostridium
difficile, a bacterium that can cause severe inflammation of the bowel and
can be fatal. North Glamorgan NHS Trust in South Wales said it believed that
there had been no new cases since Wednesday, when the patients became
infected.
Glastonbury acts
The Who, the Killers and Arctic Monkeys will headline the Glastonbury
Festival. Lily Allen, Paul Weller, Amy Winehouse and Shirley Bassey also
feature in the lineup of more than 200 acts performing at the event. The
festival, which starts on June 22, will be the largest yet, with capacity
for 177,500 campers.
Five win a million
Five millionaires were created instantly when “Ernie”, the random number
generator, picked their premium bonds in a special 50th anniversary prize
draw. National Savings and Investments said that one winner had held his
bonds for only six months. Usually there are two £1 million winners per
month.
'Child porn viewers need not be jailed’
Paedophiles found viewing child pornography could be cautioned and treated in
the community rather than threatened with prosecution and jail, according to
the police’s child protection chief.
Jim Gamble, chief executive of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection
Centre, said: “We shouldn’t be sending everyone who ever commits an offence
- particularly of the viewing kind - to prison.
“Not everyone does go to prison at the minute. Let's make sure the right
people go to prison and let's manage the rest in a way that protects our
children best.”
But his remarks were attacked by some charities. Michele Elliot, director of
Kidscape, said that people who viewed child pornography should be jailed.
“If they did not view, the child would not be abused. Therefore these people
deserve prison,” she said.
Rapist jailed for life after street attack
A sexual predator who carried out a rape “as bad as could be imagined” was
jailed for life. Hassan Abdi, a Somali refugee from Walworth, southeast
London, dragged his 24-year-old victim by the hair off the street before
raping her repeatedly in a tower block in Southwark in January. Fuelled by
drink and drugs, Abdi left laughing, telling her: “If you tell, I’m going to
come for you.” He was given six concurrent life sentences at Inner London
Crown Court after admitting five counts of rape and one of robbery.
Head teacher jailed
A primary school head teacher convicted of dangerous driving has been
sentenced to 15 months in jail at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court. Paul Davies,
52, of Rhigos, near Aberdare, South Wales, crashed his car after driving at
up to 120mph.
Health tourists
Kishor and Priti Tahiliani, of Bournemouth, are travelling to China so that
their daughter, Vaishnavi, 8, can undergo stem cell treatment after a
hospital in Beijing claimed a breakthrough in treating cerebral palsy. A
hotel donated £18,000 for the trip.
Voyeur policeman
A Special Branch officer caught filming up the skirts of women was sentenced
to a two-year community order at Southwark Crown Court. Peter Allen, 45, a
former detective constable with the Metropolitan Police, filmed the women in
Trafalgar Square, London.
Savings advice
A “Save Christmas” campaign fronted by Charlie Dimmock, the gardener, has been
launched after the collapse of the Farepak club. The Office of Fair Trading
is publicising ways of saving through Citizens Advice Bureaux and community
groups.
Acquitted officer resigns commission
A former commanding officer of The Queen’s Lancashire Regiment who will resign
his commission after being acquitted at a court martial linked to the death
of an Iraqi detainee had hoped to be promoted after his acquittal. Colonel
Jorge Mendonca, 43, holder of the Distinguished Service Order, appeared last
month before a promotions board. His wife said he decided to resign after he
learnt of further inquiries into Baha Musa’s death.
Nut allergy kills boy
A boy aged 9 died after eating a sweet at his family shop that triggered his
nut allergy. Mohsen Hussain, of Brotton, near Middlesbrough, suffered an
immediate reaction and died at East Cleveland Hospital. “We never had an
inkling that something could become so serious in a few minutes,” his
father, Asif, said.
Artist bids farewell
An art student is to auction her possessions as part of a final-year project.
Cara Lockley, 21, has recreated her bedroom and hired auctioneers to sell
642 items. The show, entitled If I Am Not I, Who Will Be? (A Life For Sale .
. .), will take place at Staffordshire University between June 8 and June
16.
BA staff survey
Fewer than half of British Airways’ employees believe that the airline offers
value for money, an employee opinion survey in the staff newspaper, British
Airways News, reveals. Only 49 per cent agreed that the airline offered
value for money, and only 31 per cent were satisfied that they had the tools
to do a good job.
Mini-revolution
Skirts are being banned at Woodhey High School in Ramsbottom, near Bury,
Lancashire, because girls wear them too short. Black trousers will be worn
from September at the mixed college. Governors’ chairwoman Luise Nandy said:
“They are a source of endless battles between staff and children.”
Lucky strike
A 29-year-old man was said to be “extraordinarily lucky” to be alive after he
was struck by lightning and suffered only minor burns and the disintegration
of his shoes. An ambulance spokesman who attended the scene in Crampers
Field, Coventry, said that it was “like nothing we have ever seen before”.
Rosy with cider
Cider has overtaken bitter and ale in a list of the nation’s favourite drinks.
Off-trade sales for the past year – which includes all alcohol sold in
shops, supermarkets and off licences – show a 29 per cent rise for cider
brands, according to statistics from analysts Nielsen. Wine is the most
popular, with lager second.
