Category: news

Fifa president Sepp Blatter expects the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to be held in January because of the country’s intensely hot summers.

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Great Western Ambulance Service staff in Bristol, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and parts of Somerset have voted in favour of industrial action.

Unison held the ballot after a row over pay and conditions with their employer the Great Western Ambulance NHS Trust.

The union claimed some workers could face pay cuts and non-peak cover in areas such as Bristol, Gloucester, Bath and Trowbridge could be “slimmed down”.

Unison said it planned to meet the NHS trust later.

Simon Newell, of Unison, said: “Members have not taken any action up until now, but the results clearly demonstrate that our members feel these changes are detrimental to their working conditions.

“With the help of Acas, we hope to reach an amicable resolution with the trust on Friday.

“However, with over 96% of our members saying ‘yes’ to some form of action, our members have left us no doubt what our next steps should be.”

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Snow in Wrexham town centre on Friday, 0845 GMT

There are some difficult driving conditions in parts of Wales on Friday morning after snow made an anticipated short-lived return in parts of Wales.

About two inches of snow has fallen in the heads of the Valleys, Powys and parts of Monmouthshire.

Heavy snow was forecast to move into Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham.

More than 30 schools in Powys, parts of the south Wales valleys and north Wales have been closed.

Sub-zero temperatures were reported in parts of Powys and Denbighshire.

A band of rain, sleet and snow was pushing up from south Wales after midnight but problems were expected to be temporary.

Some schools confirmed closures on Friday morning, in Powys, Blaenau Gwent, Monmouthshire, Merthyr, Torfaen, Wrexham, Conwy and Denbighshire.

The Met Office warns of between 8 and 12cm (3-5in) in some areas, with snow heaviest in Powys and north of the M4.

Temperatures in many areas will fall close to freezing or below and many will wake up to snow or frost although it is expected to be only temporary.

On Friday morning people in Wrexham, Llangattock, near Crickhowell, and Gilewen and Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, reported that it was snowing heavily.

The Llangynidr mountain road between Crickhowell and Garnlydan had a thick layer of snow and was being used only by 4x4s.

The A465 heads of valleys road between Hirwaun and Glynneath was also experiencing difficult driving conditions.

Heavy snow was reported in Llangollen, Denbighshire, Llandrindod Wells, Powys, Caerphilly, and Usk in Monmouthshire.

Snow was also causing problems on the B4333 and B4299 between Carmarthen and Newcastle Emlyn.

BBC Wales weather forecaster Derek Brockway said: “We’re watching a deep area of low pressure currently out over the Atlantic. This will move towards Britain on Friday pushing a front northwards bringing a mixture of rain, sleet and snow.

“Most of Wales can expect a brief spell of snow but not everywhere, with probably very little in Cardiff, Newport and Swansea.

“Most of the snow will be north of the M4, with 2-5cm (1-2 ins) likely, and 10cm (4 ins) on higher ground. So there is a risk of some disruption in places for a time

“But the snow won’t lie for long with rain and rising temperatures. Tomorrow night will be less cold with heavy rain washing away any snow.”

He said Friday night would turn less cold with some heavy rain in places, with the forecast for next week milder, but wet and windy weather at times.

The weekend forecast is for patchy cloud with occasional showers and dry spells with blustery winds that will ease later on Sunday.

Temperatures will remain cold until at least Monday.

Fresh supplies of salt are being delivered across south Wales ahead of the next wave of wintry weather.

A ship arrived at Newport’s South Dock earlier this week with 12,000 tonnes of salt from north Africa.

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Millions of Pakistanis are frustrated at widespread corruption, power cuts, poverty and rising inflation

The US and the International Monetary Fund have criticised the Pakistani government’s decision to reverse a recent fuel price rise.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she had warned Pakistan’s ambassador on Tuesday that the move would be a mistake.

The climbdown was an apparent concession to the opposition after the government lost its majority.

Pakistan has been struggling to push through tough IMF economic reforms.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is expected to meet Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) party leaders in Karachi on Friday to see if the fuel price reversal can entice the party back into government.

The MQM quit the coalition on Sunday, condemning last month’s 9% rise in the price of petrol and kerosene.

Mrs Clinton said: “We have made it clear, as I did in a meeting with their ambassador, that we think it is a mistake to reverse the progress that was being made to provide a stronger economic base for Pakistan and we will continue to express that opinion.”

The IMF has already put on hold a $3.5bn payment of its $11bn loan to Islamabad, and there are fears Pakistan could be heading for hyper-inflation.

Pakistan’s government has delayed a reformed general sales tax, which the IMF set as a condition for the next tranche of the loan, agreed in 2008.

Together with the loss of an estimated $58m a month in taxes because of the fuel price cut, this means Pakistan is likely to miss its budget targets and could forfeit the rest of the IMF loan, say analysts.

IMF spokeswoman Caroline Atkinson said of the fuel prices: “They’re inefficient and untargeted so that the bulk of the benefit from the energy subsidy goes to higher income individuals and large companies.”

She did not say if the rest of the loan would now be cancelled.

The prime minister had been warned there could be a no-confidence vote if he did not reverse the rise.

In a speech to the National Assembly on Thursday, Mr Gilani said fuel prices would be restored to the levels they were on 31 December.

The price cut had also been demanded by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League when it held emergency talks with Mr Gilani’s Pakistan People’s Party this week.

The prime minister could continue to rule with a minority coalition, but would have to step down if he lost a confidence motion. MPs would then either have to vote on another candidate or request an election.

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JD Sports says retailers face a tough 2011

Retailer JD Sports Fashion said it had shrugged off the winter weather to boost sales during Christmas trading.

The group said like-for-like sales were up by 2.5% in the 5 weeks to 1 January.

And the firm added it now believed it would beat City pre-tax profit forecasts of £75.4m for the current financial year.

But it warned the VAT rise and an inflation-driven increase in costs meant tough conditions in 2011.

Executive chairman Peter Cowgill said Christmas trading had been “pleasing”, praising staff who “ensured that we were largely unaffected over the full five week period by the difficult weather conditions experienced in December”.

While many competitors had been discounting heavily, JD Sport added it had grown sales without reducing its profit margin.

However, Mr Cowgill said: “The trading environment facing all retailers, and perhaps clothing retailers in particular, will provide additional challenges in the year to come.”

The group trades as JD Sports, Chausport, Size, Bank and Scotts from more than 530 stores.

Singer Capital Markets analyst Mark Photiades said the group’s performance was a “superb achievement”.

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Sir Michael Caine received the honour at a ceremony in Paris

Oscar-winning actor Sir Michael Caine has received France’s highest cultural honour in Paris.

The Alfie and Italian Job star was made a Commander of the Arts and Letters by Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand.

Mr Mitterrand praised the 77-year-old, calling him “a giant” of the acting profession.

Sir Michael told The Associated Press he fell in love with France in his youth and getting the award was like being recognised by his “fiancee”.

“It’s fantastic for me because it’s something I’ve never thought of,” he said.

“If you are an actor you think one day I will maybe win an Academy Award or something, but I’ve never in my life thought I would be given the Legion d’honneur.

“It was such a surprise and I am so happy and grateful I cannot tell you,” added Sir Michael.

The actor has starred in more than 100 films during the course of his career, which has so far spanned some five decades.

He won best supporting actor Oscars in 2000 for The Cider House Rules and in 1987 for Hannah and Her Sisters.

The Order of Arts and Letters was established in the 1950s to recognise those who have contributed significantly to the arts in France and throughout the world.

Previous recipients of the honour include singer Stevie Wonder, actors Sir Roger Moore and Dennis Hopper, and punk singer Patti Smith.

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Hundreds of farms had already been banned from selling eggs

Germany has closed more than 4,700 farms after large amounts of animal feed were found to be contaminated with dioxin, a poisonous chemical.

Officials insist the levels of dioxin do not pose a risk to humans, and that the closures are only a precaution.

Most of the affected farms are in Lower Saxony region, north-west Germany.

Meanwhile, the EU has warned that eggs from farms affected by dioxin have entered the UK in processed products destined for human food.

Last week, more than 1,000 farms were banned from selling eggs after dioxin was found in eggs and poultry.

Dioxin is linked to the development of cancer in humans.

It is believed that the poison reached the animal feed after being distributed by a company in northern Germany which supplies additives for animal feed.

The dioxin was discovered in late December, but the extent of the problem was only revealed earlier this week when German officials said 3,000 tonnes of feed had been affected.

Germany’s agriculture ministry said on Thursday that most of the closed farms were ones raising pigs.

The ministry said the farms would not be allowed to make any deliveries until they had been checked and found to be clear of contamination.

And European Commission health spokesman Frederic Vincent told a news conference how the problem had now reached Britain.

“Those eggs were then processed and then exported to the United Kingdom… as a 14-tonne consignment of pasteurised product for consumption,” he said.

“Whether it went into mayonnaise, pastries, I don’t know. So we will probably take a look at this with the UK authorities and see what was done with these eggs.”

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The CPS said the offences related to one child

A nursery worker charged with sexual offences against a child is due in court.

Paul Wilson, 20, of Nechells, Birmingham, a member of staff at the Little Stars Nursery in Nechells, was arrested early on Wednesday.

The Crown Prosecution Service said he has been charged with two offences against a child under 13 years, between 1 January 2009 and 30 July 2010.

Mr Wilson is due at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court.

An application to remand him in custody will be made.

The CPS has said the charges related to one child.

The nursery, in Nechells Park Road, has been temporarily closed.

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Science education has improved in England’s secondary schools in the past three years, Ofsted inspectors say.

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Preliminary research suggests that blood tests could be used to test for Alzheimer’s disease.

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Criminals are less likely to get caught as police numbers are cut over the next few years, a think tank warns.

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Paul Burnham, the founder of the England cricket supporters’ group, the Barmy Army, reacts to England’s Ashes win.

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Eggs from German farms where animal feed has been contaminated by dioxins have found their way into processed products destined for British food.

The EU executive said 14 tonnes of the liquid food had been exported to the UK but stressed there was a very low risk to human health.

The UK’s Food Standards Agency also said there was not thought to be a risk to human health.

This was because the eggs would have been diluted with other products.

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Houses must be boarded up before they can be taken over under new laws

Councils will have to wait two years before seizing empty homes under plans by Communities Secretary Eric Pickles.

Under laws brought in by Labour to tackle housing shortages they can act after six months.

But Mr Pickles claims that was “heavy-handed” and infringed homeowners’ rights – and that some councils were seizing homes without just cause.

Under his plans, properties will have to be boarded up and a proven magnet for vandals before being taken over.

He has also scrapped rules which allow homes on the property market to be seized if councils believe the asking price is “unrealistic” – and the powers will be limited to seizing properties that have attracted squatters and other forms of anti-social behaviour.

“There is a case for action to put boarded-up and blighted properties back into use,” said Mr Pickles.

“But these draconian and heavy-handed state powers have allowed councils to seize private homes in perfect condition, including their fixtures and fittings, just because the homes have been empty for a short while.”

In one case cited by Mr Pickles, a local authority threatened to use an Empty Dwelling Management Order against a woman who was caring for her elderly mother in France.

In another case, action was started against a divorced man who lived in a property at weekends when visiting his children. In a third case an order was issued against the house of a 96-year-old as soon as he died in a nursing home.

“People suffering the loss of a loved one should not have to endure the added indignity of having their home seized because of a delay in them deciding what to do with it,” said Mr Pickles, who is changing the law on the issue through secondary legislation.

But a charity that campaigns for the use of empty homes said the examples quoted by Mr Pickles were “more theoretical problems than actual problems because, in each case, an order wasn’t made”.

David Ireland, chief executive of the Empty Homes Agency, said only 44 Empty Dwelling Management Orders had been made since the law had come into effect in 2006.

“It is disappointing. I would have expected it to be used more,” said Mr Ireland, whose charity received funds from the previous Labour government to help tackle homelessness.

But he said the introduction of the orders had made councils think more seriously about using empty properties to solve housing shortages in parts of England.

And he was “pleased” that the coalition had decided not to scrap Empty Dwelling Management Orders altogether as some Conservatives had threatened when they were in opposition.

There were still about 750,000 empty homes in the UK, he added, and that the powers could be used to seize control of “blocks of flats built speculatively but where none of the properties has been let” rather than run-down or vandalised properties.

Campbell Robb, chief executive of housing charity Shelter, also urged local authorities to use the legislation to bring properties back into use.

“With homelessness on the rise, millions priced out of the housing market and increasing numbers of people forced into an insecure private rented sector, tackling empty homes represents one small step in addressing our chronic lack of affordable housing.

“Local authorities must do all they can to bring long-term empty homes back into use, and the Empty Dwelling Management Order legislation provides them with a vital tool.

“However, this won’t avert the need for a substantial increase in the number new affordable homes we build to meet demand.”

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Anti-US Shia cleric Moqtadr Sadr receives a raucous welcome on his return to Najaf but urges his supporters to show “discipline”.

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