Friday, December 10, 2010

The Independent - UK RSS Feed

The Independent - UK RSS Feed

Parliament ban for Hoon over 'cash for access'

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 05:21 PM PST

Two former Labour cabinet ministers are facing disgrace and the loss of their privileges as ex-MPs after being found guilty of a "particularly serious" breach of parliamentary lobbying rules. Geoff Hoon and Stephen Byers had been in line for peerages until they were caught on camera offering "access for cash" to undercover journalists.

Victory – but at what price?

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 04:00 PM PST

As police clashed with student protesters in violent scenes outside Parliament, the votes of Liberal Democrat MPs ensured the passage of the Coalition Government's plan to allow English universities to charge up to £9,000 a year in tuition fees.

Will we ever learn just to be content?

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 04:00 PM PST

La ricchezza è una ragione tra due persone." "Richness is a relationship between two people." This observation, by the Italian economist Ferdinando Galiani, was first brought to my attention by James Buchan, and it seems to me that it is one of the truest things ever said about money. A lot of the discourse around money is very abstract: it's about numbers that are often so big that it is difficult for us to wrap our minds around them in any useful way. Most of us are never going to encounter a billion of anything visible, so our use for the concept of a billion is, in practice, limited. That goes for a lot of what we read on the financial pages of the newspapers – if we did read them, which, in practice, most of us don't.

Revenge will be served cold at the ballot box

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 04:00 PM PST

Apart from their leader, not a single Liberal Democrat MP representing a university seat voted in favour of raising tuition fees yesterday.

'Violence is OK, if that's what it takes to make our mark'

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 04:00 PM PST

The mood was angrier than it was last time, as thousands of demonstrators seized their final opportunity to persuade MPs to scrap plans for an increase in tuition fees.

Aide's arrest was motivated by World Cup failure, says Russia

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 04:00 PM PST

The arrest of a Westminster MP's female aide on suspicion of spying for Russia was an attempt to sabotage improving relations between London and Moscow, as well as an effort to distract from England's failure to host the World Cup in 2018, according to Russia's most senior diplomat in the UK.

Police chief brands honeymoon murder suspect a 'monkey'

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 04:00 PM PST

South Africa's chief of police yesterday described the British widower of a tourist killed on honeymoon in Cape Town as a "monkey" as he insisted his force was right to consider him a murder suspect.

200 people suspect they have been hacked

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 04:00 PM PST

Nearly two hundred people have contacted the police to find out if their phones were tapped by the News of the World, The Independent has learnt.

Sheridan on trial – but it's Coulson in the dock

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 04:00 PM PST

Shortly after 2.30pm yesterday it was the turn of defence witness 21 to swear the oath at Glasgow High Court in the perjury trail of Tommy Sheridan.

Gascoigne avoids jail for drink-driving

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 04:00 PM PST

Paul Gascoigne has escaped the prospect of spending Christmas behind bars despite being caught driving while more than four times the legal alcohol limit.

Royal couple's shock as students attack their car

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 04:00 PM PST

The Prince of Wales and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, reacted with shock as their car was attacked by rampaging students during last night's tuition fees protest in London.

The horsey set bridles at Earl's Newmarket plan

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 04:00 PM PST

John Gosden's acceptance speech was the customary string of thank-yous as he picked up International Trainer of the Year in front of the racing fraternity this week. But a sudden frisson gripped the audience at the Horserace Writers' and Photographers' Association lunch as the usually mild-mannered trainer launched a barbed attack on a man sitting nearby, the Earl of Derby, the event's patron.

Independent Appeal: Learning to live without mother

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 04:00 PM PST

Last Christmas Cameron Carter took the message he had written to his mother and fastened it to a balloon. Then, watched by his younger brothers and sister, their father released the balloon to float up into the sky sending the message up to their mum. Nine months earlier she had died of a brain haemorrhage.

How many civil servants does it take to put up a tree?

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 04:00 PM PST

It seemed the simplest of announcements when George Osborne declared he would save £875 of taxpayers' money by cancelling the Treasury Christmas tree. But the cash-conscious Chancellor was reckoning without the Whitehall bureaucracy that surrounds any ministerial pronouncement.

Pensioner jailed for killing wife

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 04:00 PM PST

A pensioner who smothered his 75-year-old wife in a "mercy killing" has been jailed for two years.

Fees protesters attack prince's car

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 01:14 PM PST

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were attacked by protesters tonight as tuition fees demonstrations descended into vandalism and violence.

Coalition majority slashed in tuition fees vote

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 11:00 AM PST

The Coalition suffered three resignations and saw its majority slashed tonight as the Liberal Democrats split three ways over moves to hike tuition fees to up to £9,000.

Vandals destroy sacred thorn tree

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 10:16 AM PST

One of the UK's most important symbols of Christianity has been destroyed by vandals.

Marlon King loses appeal over sex attack

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 08:10 AM PST

A Premier League footballer jailed for groping a young woman and then breaking her nose after she spurned his advances lost a Court of Appeal challenge against conviction today.

'Secretly' resolved MP expenses cases revealed

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 07:30 AM PST

Details of dozens of complaints against MPs that have been "secretly" resolved over recent years were finally published today.

Teenager arrested over 'cyber attack' on web game

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 07:28 AM PST

A teenager was arrested today in connection with an alleged cyber attack on a top online computer game, Scotland Yard said.

Prosecutors given new file on MPs' expenses

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 07:26 AM PST

Detectives passed a new file of evidence on the Parliamentary expenses scandal to prosecutors today.

Government increases rate of planned bank tax

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 07:24 AM PST

The Government has upped the rate of its planned tax on Britain's banks, draft legislation revealed today.

Report highlights struggle of disabled people

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 06:05 AM PST

Many disabled people in Britain are living socially isolated, cash-strapped lives and struggle to participate in normal activities, a new report indicated today.

Paramedic tells of 'makeshift mortuary' on bombed train

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 06:03 AM PST

A 7/7 paramedic fought back tears as he told an inquest how colleagues were forced to establish a "makeshift mortuary" on one of the bombed trains today.

Man quizzed over Pakistani politician's murder

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 06:01 AM PST

Detectives investigating the death of Pakistani politician Imran Farooq were today questioning a man on suspicion of murder.

Ex-ministers face Commons ban in lobbying row

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 05:51 AM PST

Three former Labour ministers face being barred from Parliament after being rebuked for breaching lobbying rules.

Honeymoon killing 'unforgivable', says sister

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 05:24 AM PST

A wealthy businessman accused of paying for the murder of his wife on honeymoon committed an "unforgivable" crime if the allegation is true, his sister-in-law has said.

Russian diplomat brands MP aide arrest a 'PR stunt'

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 05:17 AM PST

Russia's top diplomat in the UK hinted today that British officials might have "orchestrated" newspaper stories about the arrest of an MP's assistant for allegedly spying for Moscow.

'Cash theft' from Great Train robber Biggs

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 02:57 AM PST

Great train robber Ronnie Biggs has complained that up to £100 cash has gone missing from his nursing home room.

Paul Gascoigne avoids jail sentence

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 02:54 AM PST

Former England star Paul Gascoigne avoided jail today despite being caught driving while more than four times the legal alcohol limit.

Union urged to end 'pointless' Tube strike threats

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 01:36 AM PST

Union leaders were today urged to end "pointless" strike threats on London Underground after the result of latest ballots for industrial action.

Calm before snowstorm as Big Freeze eases

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 01:25 AM PST

Britain will enjoy some brief respite from the worst December weather in nearly 30 years today, before temperatures plunge again for the rest of the month.

Gunshot sensors target city crime

Posted: 08 Dec 2010 11:27 PM PST

Sensors that can detect gunshots have been installed in one of Britain's biggest cities in a bid to drive down gun crime.

posted by Greg Shaw at Friday, December 10, 2010