Friday, January 07, 2011

The Independent - UK RSS Feed

The Independent - UK RSS Feed

Phone hacking: Now Met police are in the dock

Posted: 06 Jan 2011 04:00 PM PST

Britain's largest police force faces growing calls for it to be stripped of its powers in the inquiry into phone hacking at the News of the World, with MPs and public figures demanding that an independent police force take over the case.

Ainsworth sues over pirate claim

Posted: 06 Jan 2011 04:00 PM PST

The former defence secretary Bob Ainsworth is suing the Daily Mail over the newspaper's claims that he "bungled" the case of Paul and Rachel Chandler, who were captured by Somali pirates.

Strict surveillance to replace current system

Posted: 06 Jan 2011 04:00 PM PST

The house arrest of terror suspects will be scrapped and replaced with more rigorous surveillance in an overhaul of the control order system, starting next week. Home curfews, restraints on travel within Britain and limitations on contact with other people would be abandoned. Curbs on access to mobile phones and computers would be eased.

A control order ruined my life – and my respect for Britain

Posted: 06 Jan 2011 04:00 PM PST

An innocent man who spent two years on a control order designed for terrorist suspects told last night how the restrictions had wrecked his life.

School run or school bus? It's all a question of class divide...

Posted: 06 Jan 2011 04:00 PM PST

It's official: the country's laziest (or certainly most cosseted) children live in Windsor.

MPs say bonfire of the quangos is a damp squib

Posted: 06 Jan 2011 04:00 PM PST

The Coalition's much heralded "bonfire of the quangos" was a "botched" operation that will neither increase ministerial accountability nor deliver large financial savings, a Tory-led committee of MPs has concluded.

Cameron out on the stump – but does he really want to win?

Posted: 06 Jan 2011 04:00 PM PST

David Cameron made political history yesterday by being the first Prime Minister to go campaigning in a by-election which, it is widely suspected, he is desperate to lose. The Prime Minister did not say that, of course. He insisted that the Conservative candidate, Kashif Ali, and his helpers are out to win Thursday's contest in Oldham East and Saddleworth.

Reform of libel laws set to open up the right of free speech

Posted: 06 Jan 2011 04:00 PM PST

Sweeping changes to England's much-criticised libel laws will be introduced, Nick Clegg will announce today.

Unmasked: the Briton accused of supplying drugs to US death row

Posted: 06 Jan 2011 04:00 PM PST

At first glance, there appears to be nothing out of the ordinary about the small shop front for a driving school, located on a grey industrial strip in Acton, west London.

Banks to defy ministers over bonus billions

Posted: 06 Jan 2011 04:00 PM PST

Bank chiefs are preparing to defy ministers' pleas for restraint and award billions of pounds in bonuses this year. Although the payouts are expected to be lower than in the previous year, they will still come as an embarrassment to the Government.

Huge oil find under village in West Sussex

Posted: 06 Jan 2011 04:00 PM PST

Residents of a small village in West Sussex have been told they are sitting on a £345m oil reserve.

Convicted in 1989 – killed with British drugs in 2010

Posted: 06 Jan 2011 04:00 PM PST

Arizona has already executed one prisoner using a cocktail of drugs including one purchased from a British supplier.

'Unmarried, disloyal and cold': Miliband feels listeners' wrath

Posted: 06 Jan 2011 04:00 PM PST

Ed Miliband admitted yesterday that he had to improve the way he got his message across to voters as he pleaded for more time during an uncomfortable radio phone-in.

Yeates landlord sure he will be eliminated from police inquiry

Posted: 06 Jan 2011 04:00 PM PST

Chris Jefferies, the landlord arrested on suspicion of murdering Joanna Yeates, has told a friend that he expects to be eliminated from police inquiries soon.

Overnight snow forecast for England and Wales

Posted: 06 Jan 2011 09:29 AM PST

More snow is on the way for the UK overnight with large parts of England and Wales expected to be covered by 6am tomorrow, forecasters have predicted.

Death case council admits dishwasher fluid offence

Posted: 06 Jan 2011 09:02 AM PST

A county council today pleaded guilty to failing to store a hazardous substance correctly after a Down's syndrome sufferer died after accidentally swallowing dishwater fluid at a day centre for adults with learning difficulties.

Number of Met officers could fall by 1,000

Posted: 06 Jan 2011 08:39 AM PST

The number of police officers employed by Britain's largest force could fall by more than 1,000 as it struggles to meet huge cash cuts.

New guidelines issued on 'shaken baby syndrome'

Posted: 06 Jan 2011 08:37 AM PST

Head injuries alone are not likely to be enough to charge someone with homicide, attempted murder or assault in cases of so-called shaken baby syndrome, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said today.

Nursery worker arrested in child abuse probe

Posted: 06 Jan 2011 07:32 AM PST

A 20-year-old nursery worker has been arrested on suspicion of child abuse, police said today.

David Cameron dismisses by-election pact suggestion

Posted: 06 Jan 2011 06:21 AM PST

Prime Minister David Cameron has vowed the Tories would fight hard for votes in next week's by-election and rejected claims it will be a referendum on the coalition Government.

Couple jailed for care home child abuse

Posted: 06 Jan 2011 06:07 AM PST

A married couple were jailed today for a string of physical assaults against vulnerable children at the Haut de la Garenne care home in Jersey in the 1970s and 1980s.

OAP bailed on wife murder charge killed himself

Posted: 06 Jan 2011 04:44 AM PST

A depressed 79-year-old man charged with murder after unlawfully killing his sick wife committed suicide after being granted bail by a court, an inquest heard today.

EuroMillions raffle winners sought

Posted: 06 Jan 2011 04:41 AM PST

A search was under way today for the final two winners of the record- breaking Christmas Eve EuroMillions Millionaire Raffle.

Water chief criticised for missing committee probe

Posted: 06 Jan 2011 04:38 AM PST

Northern Ireland Water was overwhelmed by more than a million contacts from the public at the height of the burst pipes crisis, a Stormont committee was told today.

Painting of footballer Emmanuel Adebayor used to smuggle cannabis

Posted: 06 Jan 2011 03:48 AM PST

Devious drug smugglers tried to conceal cannabis worth almost £3,000 in a painting of footballer Emmanuel Adebayor.

Canal searched in gun murders probe

Posted: 06 Jan 2011 03:40 AM PST

Police divers were dredging a canal today after a tip-off that a gun used to murder two people almost five years ago was dumped there.

Third of Tube stations will be unmanned, says union

Posted: 06 Jan 2011 03:37 AM PST

A fresh row over staffing levels on London Underground broke out today when union leaders claimed almost a third of Tube stations would be left unmanned because of job cuts.

Jade Goody widower Jack Tweed quizzed over nightclub fight

Posted: 06 Jan 2011 03:33 AM PST

Jade Goody's widower Jack Tweed has been questioned by police over a fight outside a nightclub.

Foreign Office in 'how to spend £1m' storm

Posted: 06 Jan 2011 12:06 AM PST

The head of the government department responsible for promoting British business abroad asked officials to think of ways to spend up to £1 million to avoid a budget underspend, it was reported today.

posted by Greg Shaw at Friday, January 07, 2011