School lottery system backed by minister
Middle-class families who buy homes near their chosen state schools to
guarantee their children a place suffered a setback yesterday after Jim
Knight, the Schools Minister, backed a lottery system to allocate places.
Brighton and Hove City Council announced in February that it would allocate
places at oversubscribed state schools by lottery from September next year.
The council decided the controversial method would stop affluent families
dominating the most sought-after secondaries.
Last night it was announced that more than 50 objections raised by parents
were rejected, and provisional approval was given to the scheme, subject to
a one-year review. Parents in the city who protested against the scheme,
along with the campaign group Schools 4 Communities, had wanted a delay of a
year for further research. Gill Mitchell, leader of the city council’s
Labour opposition, said: “This is great news and removes any lingering
uncertainty for families. I am especially pleased that the adjudicator has
concluded that a greater degree of social justice is likely to result.”
Madeleine meeting
Friends of the family of Madeleine McCann have confronted the man described by
police as the formal suspect in the girl’s disappearance.
Fiona Payne, Russell O’Brien and Rachael Oldfield were called to police
headquarters in Portimão to face Robert Murat with claims that they saw a
man near the McCanns’ apartment in Praia da Luz on the night she was
abducted. The three flew to Portugal at the request of the police this week.
Mr Murat denies any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance on May 3.
Indefinite jail term comes under review
Jack Straw is to review how a new indefinite jail term is working after
complaints from judges, prison staff and prisoners about the effects of the
sentence (Richard Ford writes).
The Justice Secretary’s move comes as the Government faces a court challenge
from a prisoner who claims that the sentence is arbitrarily detaining
people, in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights. Mr Straw
admitted that there was growing concern about the indeterminate sentence for
public protection. Thousands have been given the sentence since it came into
force in April 2005. Mr Straw said during a visit to Belmarsh prison,
southeast London: “I am aware of concern from the judiciary. And I am
obviously aware of issues from prison staff, officials and now from
prisoners as well.” More than 2,500 criminals have been given the sentence,
which prevents dangerous and violent criminals being freed until the Parole
Board believes that they are no longer a risk to the public. They must serve
a minimum term before being considered for release. Half are given a tariff
of 20 months or less.
Blair eyes mansion as home during new job
Tony Blair wants to live in the palatial former residence of the British High
Commissioner in Palestine when he starts work as negotiator for the Middle
East Quartet (James Bone and James Hider write). Mr Blair, who will
represent the UN, the EU, the US and Russia, requested the space at
Government House, Jerusalem, at a meeting in London on Wednesday with Ban Ki
Moon, the UN Secretary-General, a UN source said. Government House, on the
Hill of Evil Counsel, where Judas is said to have betrayed Jesus, was the
residence of the High Commissioner overseeing Britain’s mandate of Palestine
until 1948.
Treasure hunt ship is run ashore again
The container ship MSC Napoli, which was refloated on Monday, was deliberately
run ashore again yesterday after a salvage team learnt that her back was
broken.
Divers found a tear in her hull three metres wide that effectively prevents
any attempt to tow her away for repairs. If she were to be towed into deeper
water she would break in half and sink.
The beaching of the ship in Branscombe, East Devon, in January prompted a huge
treasure hunt as more than a hundred containers packed with goods including
BMW motorcycles and cosmetics were washed ashore.
Heart attack help
More patients are receiving life-saving treatment quickly after a heart
attack, but there is still variation between hospitals, a report has said. A
national audit by the Royal College of Physicians showed that 64 per cent of
patients in England and 41 per cent in Wales were given “clot-busting” drugs
within an hour of calling for help. This is a rise over a year of 6 per cent
and 11 per cent respectively.
Cancer delays
A growing number of women are waiting too long for breast cancer diagnoses
because of a Government target, doctors say. The Department of Health
introduced a “two-week wait rule” in 1999 for urgent cases of suspected
breast cancer, but doctors in Bristol say this has meant that non-urgent
cases — the group from which a third of cancers are ultimately diagnosed —
are being kept waiting.
The spotless mind
The section of the brain responsible for suppressing bad memories has been
identified by researchers. Two separate regions within the pre-frontal
cortex work in tandem to shut out unpleasant memories. Researchers at the
University of Colorado used brain scans to identify the active regions of
the brain as volunteers were shown horrific pictures. They were then asked
to recall the pictures.
Boris to challenge
Boris Johnson is to challenge Ken Livingstone in next year’s election for the
London mayoralty, it was reported in The Daily Telegraph last night. The
Conservative MP is understood to be on the verge of announcing his
candidacy. Mr Johnson refused to confirm last night that he would stand but
said this month: “Anyone who loves London would want to consider the
possibility very carefully.”
Butterfly sex habits
Male blue moon butterflies (Hypolimnas bolina) mated with 50 females each
because they were so depleted by an infection that killed only males. They
fell to a ratio of one to 99 females. Researchers from University College
London and the University of California, Berkeley, found that in ten
generations, males developed a defence and now form 39 per cent of the
population.
British soldier killed
One British soldier was killed and two others were injured in southern
Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said. The soldier, from the 1st
Battalion The Grenadier Guards, died after being shot while on an operation
near Gereshk in Helmand province. The death brings the number of British
military fatalities in Afghanistan since the start of operations in November
2001 to 64.
Inmates relocated
Up to 20 young offenders have been moved from a privately run jail amid
concern at rising levels of violence and fears that low staffing levels will
trigger disorder, it was disclosed in a written ministerial statement. A
third director in three years has been appointed to try to tackle problems
at the Oakhill Secure Training Centre in Milton Keynes. It can house 80 of
the most dangerous child criminals.
Teacher wins appeal
A teaching assistant who dropped an autistic seven-year-old pupil into a
swimming pool fully clothed when he refused to change into his trunks had
her conviction for assault overturned. Susan Forrest “lost her cool” with
the pupil who was making a noise and refusing to do what he was told at a
school swimming pool in Cheltenham. Her conviction was quashed at Gloucester
Crown Court.
Second ban by BBC
Andrew Marr has become the second BBC broadcaster within days to be banned
from writing for an outside organisation. Marr, who writes for The Daily
Telegraph, has been told that when his current contract ends he should not
sign another. The move comes after Emily Maitlis, the Newsnight presenter,
was stopped by her BBC employers from writing for the weekly magazine The
Spectator.
Temple’s sacred bull
The life of Shambo, a bull that has been exposed to bovine tuberculosis but is
considered sacred by its Hindu keepers in West Wales, is in the hands of a
High Court judge. Lawyers for the Welsh Assembly argue that the bull should
be destroyed. But monks at the Skanda Vale temple say that this would
infringe their religious rights. Judge Gary Hickinbottom, QC, adjourned his
judgment until Monday.
Glyndebourne delay
A decision by Lewes District Council to let Glyndebourne Opera House build a
70m (230ft) wind turbine on the South Downs to supply its electricity and
cut its carbon emissions by 71 per cent has been referred to Hazel Blears,
the Secretary of State for Communities, after protests by groups including
the Council for National Parks. Ms Blears will decide whether to order a
public inquiry.
Mental care concern
Many mental health wards are at best counter-therapeutic and at worst unsafe,
an editorial in The Lancet says today. It adds that access to psychological
treatment is still “pitiful” and argues that the recent Mental Health Bill
may infringe patients’ rights. It also raises concerns over a Department of
Health survey that shows that people are now less tolerant of those with
mental illness than they were in 1994.
No verdict in retrial
A jury at Manchester Crown Court failed to return a verdict in the retrial of
two men with connections to the British National Party accused of plotting
to make bombs intending to endanger life. Robert Cottage, 49, of Colne, and
David Jackson, 62, of Nelson, both Lancashire, denied conspiring to set off
explosions. The Crown indicated that it would not seek another retrial.
Vicar killed birds
A retired vicar has been cautioned by police for killing house martin chicks
that were holding up work on his home. The Rev Bruce Dixon, 65, scraped
three or four nests off the wall of his home at Filleigh, near Barnstaple,
North Devon, with a trowel. The adult birds were away collecting food but
newly hatched chicks were in the nest and police later found at least one
dead bird.
Festival fans ‘too old’
The organiser of the Glastonbury festival has promised to sell more tickets by
phone, to make tickets more accessible to teenagers, after complaints that
last month’s event was too respectable. Parents with children were prominent
among the 135,000 fans. Michael Eavis said: “We’re attracting a lot more
people in their 30s and 40s and need to get the Radio 1 and NME crowd back
in.”
Re 'Vicar killed Birds' story 13.07.07, news in brief. This 'man of God' admitted to police to destroying 14 nests, not three or four as stated. a substantial number of dead chicks were found by police, and the whole colony of some hundred house martins that were in the area have now abandoned the site. This was a far more significant crime than was reported in your paragraph.
jill thompson, eastbourne, uk