Tories plan new wave of ‘coop’ schools

A Conservative government would create a new generation of cooperative schools that the party claims would increase parental choice in education (Francis Elliott and Alexandra Frean write). Funded by the State and by local and community organisations, the schools would be set up according to demand from parents, although it is unlikely that parents would set them up or run them.

The plan is part of an attempt by the Tories to claim the cooperative movement for the Right. David Cameron said he would launch a new body, the Conservative Cooperative Movement, to help activists to take over the running of schools and other public services. He hailed the cooperative principle as the essence of modern, compassionate Conservativism.

Trial moves to ferry

The trial of a man charged with the deaths of three sailors on a yacht allegedly run down by the ferry Pride of Bilbao in the Channel moved to the ship for a reconstruction. Michael Hubble, officer of the watch when the ferry was said to have sunk the boat, denies manslaughter. The trial continues.

High street ID cards

Post offices and travel agents could take the fingerprints of millions of people as part of plans for identity cards. The disclosure, which could mean an increase in costs for the £5.6 billion scheme, came as it was announced that there would be no more than 70 offices created to handle passport applications.

Cervical cancer risk

The Pill increases women’s risk of cervical cancer but the risk returns to normal ten years after stopping use, a study suggests. Jane Green, of the University of Oxford, reports in The Lancet that ten years’ use from about the age of 20 to 30 increased cases of cervical cancer by age 50 from 3.8 per thousand to 4.5.

Hairdresser sued

The owner of a London hair salon is being sued for refusing to hire Bushra Noah, a Muslim who wears a headscarf, as a stylist. Sarah Desrosiers, 32, said she needed staff to display their hairstyles to show customers at the Wedge salon in King’s Cross. Ms Noah, 19, has been rejected for 25 hairdressing jobs.

Man held over deaths in nursing home

Detectives investigating the deaths of two women at a nursing home are questioning a 19-year-old man on suspicion of murder.

The man was detained shortly after 8.30pm last night and arrested in connection with a double murder at the Hayes Park Nursing Home in Leicester.

The victims, Rashni Badiani, 56, and Radhaben Chauhan, 72, shared a room at the home in Cropthorne Avenue on the Rowlatts Hill estate and were found dead in the early hours of yesterday. Mrs Badiani had been a resident since December 2004 and Mrs Chauhan moved there in August.

Bogus tax website

Fraudsters are obtaining credit card details from self-assessment taxpayers with fake e-mails telling them that they may be due an income tax refund and directing them to a bogus website. The HM Revenue and Customs said it had received 400 messages a month from members of the public telling them about the “phishing” e-mails, which were the “most sophisticated” it had seen.

Homeless numbers

The Government was accused of producing “defective” figures for the number of people sleeping rough. The official nightly “snapshot” figure is 498. Grant Shapps, the Shadow Housing Minister, said the true level was more than 1,300. Department for Communities and Local Government data showed that 271 councils reported 0-10 people but Whitehall rounded each of those estimates down to zero.

Cosmic answer

Monster black holes may explain ultra high-energy cosmic rays, whose origin has eluded scientists for decades. The fast-moving particles that bombard the atmosphere are now believed to be blasted across from black holes at the centre of active galaxies. The Pierre Auger Observatory, in Argentina, said it is producing a new image of the universe based on cosmic rays instead of light.

Mother angry on fine

Jane Palmer, 46, whose son was killed when a reel of newsprint, weighing about three-quarters of a ton, fell on him at Tilbury Docks, Essex, said that she was “disgusted” that the company was fined £100,000 and not more. Croydon Crown Court was told that Harry Palmer, 6, was with his father, a dock worker. The Port of Tilbury London LPD had admitted breaching the Health & Safety at Work Act.

Oldest boss turns 100

Britain’s oldest boss celebrated her 100th birthday yesterday. Phyllis Self is company secretary of the family business, a busy garden centre, based in Lacock, Wiltshire. She employs 200 staff including her son Chris, 70, who is the managing director. Mrs Self said: “When people ask how I’ve got to 100, I say the secret is just being busy all the time, meeting people and dealing with people. That’s what I love.”

Women found dead at care home named

Two women who were found dead at a nursing home in Leicester were named by police yesterday as Rashni Badiani, 56, and Radhaben Chauhan, 72.

Mrs Badiani had been a resident at the Hayes Park home since December 2004 and Mrs Chauhan had lived there since August. Their bodies were found early on Wednesday in the room that they shared.

A man aged 19 was arrested in the city on Wednesday night on suspicion of the two murders.

Detective Superintendent Chris Thomas said: “Our inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the deaths are continuing.”

Financier killed

A City fund manager a year away from retirement has died after a collision with a cyclist on his way to work. Nick Bancroft, 63, who was about to be a grandfather, was crossing the road near his £2 million home in Holland Park, West London, when the accident happened. He suffered head injuries and died in hospital three days later. The cyclist was interviewed by police but not arrested.

Murder charge boy

A 13-year-old boy has been charged with the murder of Stephen Croft, whose body was found on a bonfire early on Tuesday morning, Merseyside Police said. Mr Croft, 34, was found by fire crews in the embers of the fire, close to his home in Birkenhead, Wirral. Last night a 17-year-old youth and a 19-year-old man remained in police custody, having been arrested on suspicion of murder.

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