Category: news

world news,online new,us news,uk news

Protest to save MS respite care

Nurse caring for patientThe centres offer round-the-clock nursing care

Protesters have gathered outside the AGM of a multiple sclerosis (MS) charity to protest over the closure of respite care centres.

The residential centres in York, Surrey, Warwickshire and East Lothian face closure if they are not taken over by other organisations.

The MS Society says its reviews aims to give patients and carers “more choice and control”.

A vote of no confidence in its board has been tabled at the AGM.

The centres offer day-care and holidays for MS sufferers.

Guests can take part in group activities and outings, while carers are reassured by the presence of round-the-clock nursing.

The MS Society says 1,385 people stayed at the centres in 2008/9 – but it estimates about 30,000 people need respite care.

It says more than 20 organisations have expressed an interest in taking over the centres.

But campaigners fear closure is more likely, because the centres have equipment – such as ceiling-mounted hoists – which is highly specialised for MS patients.

Sue Tilley, who has had MS for 36 years, and is a former MS Society Trustee, said the homes were worth the money.

“It really is extremely important. For many it’s the specialised care that they get. Our homes only cater for people with MS so they’re with staff that understand exactly what their problems are, they don’t have to explain what the problems are to any of the other guests,” she said.

“They are expensive. It costs the society £2.7m a year in the subsidy, but we’ve known this for years. Respite homes are different to long-stay homes and they do cost money, but that’s what people give money to the society for.”

The MS Society has praised the professionalism and dedication of staff and volunteers at the centres.

But it says a more flexible approach is needed as the current service only helps around 4% of members. It wants to offer more personalised forms of treatment and give money to members to arrange their own holidays.

It also says because the locations of the centre, they’re hardly ever accessed by patients from Wales and Northern Ireland.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Woman arrested after stab attack

police vehicle

An 18-year-old woman has been arrested after a stabbing incident near Belfast city centre on Saturday.

Police said a man was injured during the attack in the Donegal Pass area at about 0030 BST.

The victim, who is in his early 30s, is being treated in hospital for a number of stab wounds to his thighs and buttocks.

The man remains in hospital where police have described his condition as serious.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Cash sought to combat dissidents

Real IRA graffiti in west BelfastThreat levels in Northern Ireland remain ‘severe’

The First and Deputy First Ministers are to discuss republican dissident activity with the Chancellor of the Exchequer next week.

Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness want to ensure that enough money is being made available for the fight against the dissidents.

Home Secretary Theresa May said on Friday that a dissident attack in the UK was now a “strong possibility”.

Richard English of QUB said the threat needed to be seen in context.

“Although it’s a much much lower threat than used to be from the Provisional IRA say, in the 70s, 80s and early 90s, it’s clear that there is an episodic and occasionally lethal threat from those who are still unreconciled to the current arrangement,” Professor English said.

“Over the last five years they have killed nine people, which is an awful thing but nothing like enough to derail the current option of political progress through peace rather than violence.”

The threat level to Britain from Irish-related terrorism has been raised from moderate to substantial.

Home Secretary Theresa May said the threat level to Britain from Irish-related terrorism has been raised from moderate to substantial.

She said this meant an attack was a “strong possibility”.

It was the first time this threat level had been published, the Home Office confirmed.

The head of security service MI5 warned last week that dissident republicans opposed to British rule in Northern Ireland could strike mainland Britain.

The threat from Irish-related terrorism to Britain is still lower than the overall threat from international terrorism, which remains unchanged at “severe”.

The new category of threat from Ireland applies to England, Wales and Scotland but not Northern Ireland, where the level also remains “severe”.

BBC Belfast correspondent Andy Martin said: “There is no indication that there is a specific target or indeed that there is capability of dissident republicans to mount an attack, but there is no doubt a desire to mount an attack on Britain.”

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Concerts thank repatriation town

British Legion members lower their standards as the coffins of Trooper Andrew Howarth and Sergeant Andrew Jones are driven through Wootton BassettBritish Legion members lower their standards as coffins are driven through Wootton Bassett

A Flintshire businessman has organised two concerts in Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire, to thank local people for honouring soldiers killed in conflict.

Residents paying their respects as coffins of servicemen are driven through the town have become a regular sight.

Esmor Davies, 65, from Buckley, said the concerts were in gratitude for their support.

Mr Davies has paid £6,500 for the Cor y Gogledd choir to stay overnight.

“I think about the people who still have sons [in Afghanistan] on the edge wondering when the next telephone call is coming in”

Esmor Davies

“As a Welshman I just want to say thank you to the people who stand in the streets for six or seven hours at a time as the bodies of the soldiers are repatriated,” he said.

He said up to 400 people were expected at the second concert at St Bartholomew’s Church in Wootton Bassett on Saturday evening.

In the afternoon, an open air concert will be staged at the town’s cenotaph.

Both events are free, with a collection going to the charities Help for Heroes and the Royal British Legion.

The choir, which attracts members from across north Wales, will be accompanied by soloists including 13-year-old Lucy Kelly, tenor Aled Wyn Davies, former musical director of the Fron choir Ann Atkinson, and Elin Mair from Caernarfon.

Charity ventures

Mr Davies will sing, at the request of one bereaved family, the traditional Welsh hymn Calon Lan (Pure Heart).

The construction company owner has previously helped in a number of charity ventures around the world, but he said he had been determined to thank the people of Wootton Bassett by organising the concerts.

He started organising Saturday’s events in January after watching a repatriation ceremony and the subsequent drive through Wootton Basset on television.

He said: “I have a son, but I don’t have anybody in the Army.

“I think about the people who still have sons [in Afghanistan] on the edge wondering when the next telephone call is coming in.”

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Sex trade officer role criticised

Pete ClarkPete Clark of Terence Higgins Trust Cymru wants help for those already working in the sex industry

The head of a sexual health charity has criticised a Welsh Assembly Government decision to appoint an anti-human trafficking officer.

Pete Clark of Terence Higgins Trust Cymru said the money would be better spent helping existing sex workers.

It comes as a senior police officer rejected suggestions that sex trafficking was on the rise in Wales.

The assembly government defended the decision, and said the post would uncover the true scale of trafficking.

Related stories

At least 2,600 women are working as prostitutes in Wales and England after having been trafficked from abroad, research for the police suggests.

The new post was announced on 9 September by Social Justice Minister Carl Sargeant in response to a cross-party assembly report which found Wales’ 22 local authorities put the number of “proven” or “suspected” cases of human trafficking at 15 in the past year.

However, the group’s chair, Joyce Watson, said more women and children were being enslaved in the industry than official figures suggested and the number could surge around the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor, Newport in early October.

“Trafficking is a modern-day slavery which is happening near us now, and not just in our big cities”

Joyce Watson AM

Mid and West Wales AM Ms Watson felt there was a danger of people ignoring the real issue – that of the involvement of minors in the sex trade.

She said: “All those identified in our report as being subject to human trafficking are children.

“Although we approached 22 local authorities, I know these are not the true figures. One of the authorities who did not respond in time told me it had 19 cases alone and another told me they had regular incidents involving children and trafficking, either for sex or forced labour.

“I’m delighted Mr Sargeant agreed to appoint the co-ordinator. I’m hoping the post will pull all the different agencies together so that people feel more empowered to report suspected incidents of trafficking.

“Trafficking is a modern-day slavery which is happening near us now, and not just in our big cities.”

Disagreeing, Mr Clark told BBC Wales’ Eye on Wales programme: “The figures have been thrown about, wild ‘guess-timates’ of the number of women who are trafficked into sex work, but there’s very little evidence to support this either in England or Wales.

Anonymous young women working as prostitutes - library photoPolice say at least 2,600 women working as prostitutes in Wales and England were trafficked

“What we do know is there’s a considerable number of economic migrants, young women who have come from other areas of the world to sell sex in Wales because they can earn 10 times what they can from selling sex in their own country.

“There’s a massive difference between somebody being trafficked and somebody making an economic choice to move to a different country.”

He said he would be watching how the new assembly post evolved with interest, but the money could have been put to better use.

“I think that money would be much better spent addressing the issue of sex workers and ensuring the safety of sex workers regardless of whether they are working on streets, in brothels or from private apartments,” he said.

“There is not much evidence of human trafficking, but forced labour is occurring”

Jeff Farrar Assistant chief constable, Gwent Police

“We seem to be spending an awful lot of time, money and effort looking for another population on top of these when those people who are already visible do not have the services they need.”

Assistant chief constable Jeff Farrar of Gwent Police, who leads on protecting vulnerable people and human trafficking for the Association of Chief Police Officers Cymru, welcomed the new post.

He said the report had enabled an improvement in intelligence gathering on the trafficking situation by the police, the voluntary sector and government agencies.

Citing police figures which are separate from those the assembly gathered from local authorities, he said: “There is not much evidence of human trafficking, but forced labour is occurring.

“In the past 12 months we have had 22 referrals through the national referral mechanism from across the whole of Wales.

“Of those we have sent through, nine have been male and 13 women, 13 adult and nine children.”

Of the children referred, seven were exploited through labour, one was sexual exploitation and one was unknown exploitation.

Mr Farrar said he accepted trying to get somebody who was being sexually exploited to report it to the police was very difficult and the true picture may be greater.

But he said the new assembly post could only assist in achieving a truer picture of the current trafficking situation.

A Welsh Assembly Government spokesperson said the post would help uncover more victims of trafficking.

“The post, which will sit with the Gwent Police force, will bring together the knowledge and expertise of relevant authorities such as the police, social services and the UK Border Agency, the Children’s Commissioner for Wales and voluntary organisations,” said the spokesperson.

“The post holder will be responsible for developing community specific strategies which reflect an area’s landscape – rural, urban, linguistic and cultural, and raise awareness of local people so more traffickers and victims could be uncovered.

“The post holder will also ensure that Wales gathers evidence to show what services are required and where in the country they should be targeted.”

Eye on Wales is on BBC Radio Wales at 1300 BST on Sunday, 26 September.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Top male model: I want to look like…

Top male model David Gandy talks to Matt Stadlen about life in front of the camera, his top tips for looking good, what he’d have done if he wasn’t a model and whose face he would like instead of his own.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Soyuz lands safely after delays

A Soyuz space capsule leaving the International Space Station (image from 2001)The docking problem was the third such incident at the station in four months

The Soyuz capsule carrying a US astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts has undocked from the International Space Station at the second attempt.

America’s Tracy Caldwell-Dyson and Russia’s Alexander Skvortsov and Mikhail Kornienko are due to land in Kazakhstan within hours.

The crew had been due to begin their descent to Earth on Friday, but the Russian spacecraft failed to undock.

The astronauts have been aboard the space station for almost six months.

Related stories

Their first attempt to leave the station in the Soyuz capsule was aborted when computers signalled a technical problem with the hermetic seals.

Russia’s space agency said checks showed the station was sealed and it is unclear why a false signal was sent out.

Nasa said the crew had found a small piece of damaged equipment and experts were trying to work out whether this was causing the problem.

Friday’s incident was the third docking problem at the station in four months since the automatic system failed on two unmanned Russian Progress supply shuttles, causing one to fly past the station in June.

Nasa will be watching developments particularly closely because next year its space shuttle will be taken out of service, reports the BBC’s Richard Galpin from Moscow.

The only way to get Nasa astronauts to the International Space Station and back will be on board Russian Soyuz capsules, our correspondent says.

Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin and two Nasa astronauts, Doug Wheelock and Shannon Walker, are due to remain on the space station.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Catholics urged to ‘show faith’

The Pope shortly before boarding a helicopter to BirminghamThe Archbishop of Westminster wrote the Pope’s visit was “marvellous and unforgettable”

Catholics in England and Wales are being encouraged to make their faith more visible by saying “God bless you” and genuflecting more often.

The Archbishop of Westminster called on Catholics to respond to the public expression of faith shown by the Pope.

Reverend Vincent Nichols said the four-day papal visit had given believers “new heart” for their mission.

The pastoral letter will be read out in Westminster Cathedral and 213 parishes in Westminster diocese this weekend.

The Archbishop, who is head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, called on Catholics to respond to the Pope’s hope that they would become “ever more conscious of their dignity as a priestly people”.

Writing a week after the papal visit, Rev Nichols said: “With the blessings of this visit we can be more confident in our faith and more ready to speak about it and let it be seen each day.

“A small step we can all take is to be quicker to say to others that we will pray for them, especially to those in distress.

“Even the simple step of more regularly using the greeting ‘God bless you’, gently and naturally, would make a difference to the tone we set in our daily lives, as would the more frequent use of the sign of the cross.

“Making faith visible is so much a part of the invitation the Holy Father has extended to us all.”

He said that during the four “marvellous and unforgettable” days of the Pope’s visit, Catholics had “glimpsed the beauty of holiness”.

He added: “I will never forget the richness of the silence of 80,000 people at prayer before the blessed sacrament in Hyde Park.”

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Future PMs in training

Zoe GruhnThe Institute for Government’s Zoe Gruhn believes ministers can learn to be more effective

As a new Labour leader is crowned this weekend, and as the party conferences offer much image-making and speechifying, the art of political leadership is very much to the fore.

And every political leader likes to give the impression of huge self-confidence, a natural talent for being in charge.

But are our leaders really so well-equipped for such key roles? Might they not benefit from specialised help and training, just as leaders do in many other walks of life?

That is certainly the hope for the future. This week, Oxford University announced the creation of a major new school for government, aiming to train future world leaders.

However, leadership training for top British politicians is, in fact, already happening.

Ever so discreetly in recent years, the Institute for Government, an independent body, has begun working with politicians – mainly cabinet minsters – and civil servants to try to improve their leadership skills. This has included individual coaching and frank feedback.

“It’s very important and difficult not to be distracted from your long-term strategic objectives by tactical opportunities which may come your way”

Michael Howard Former Conservative leader

Zoe Gruhn, the Institute’s director of learning, came from the world of corporate business training where this kind of approach is common. She is now applying it to the political world.

“What’s really important,” she says of those she advises, “is to be quite self-aware, examine what your own capabilities really are, and get some support and help along the way.”

Political leaders, famous for inflated egos and basking in their supporters’ adulation, may not always be keen to acknowledge their faults.

But Zoe Gruhn and her colleagues have pioneered the use of 360 degree feedback with politicians, “which is very powerful”.

This involves asking many of those a leader deals with directly – ranging from outside organisations to political colleagues and staff in the leader’s own private office – what they really think of their boss’s strengths and weaknesses.

Such techniques may be commonplace in the business world, but have rarely been applied to senior politicians.

The training also focuses on specific questions, such as keeping an eye on real aims amid the distractions of short-term events.

Those who have sat in the leadership hot seat ruefully acknowledge such hazards.

The cast of BBC comedy The Thick of ItThe BBC comedy The Thick of It satirises government ministers struggling to assert power

“It’s very important and difficult,” says former Conservative party leader Michael Howard, “not to be distracted from your long-term strategic objectives by tactical opportunities which may come your way.”

Responding to the relentless demands of the media can be an opportunity to raise your profile, especially if you are leader of the Opposition. But there are dangers too.

Here, believes Zoe Gruhn, encouraging emotional intelligence is most important.

“Do you let the emotions just suddenly react, and then you regret potentially just how you’ve reacted? Or do you take control about how you’re going to respond to things?”

There will of course be limits to how far political leaders will be willing, or have time, to accept regular training and coaching in how they perform. Their own political aides may also resent the idea of independent advisers having greater influence.

And then there is the sheer number of people trying to mould and influence senior politicians. Sir Menzies Campbell, former leader of the Liberal Democrats, recalls being deluged with advice to which, at first, he paid too much attention.

“The more you can have the confidence to listen to the advice and if necessary ignore it, the better.”

“In the end,” he adds, “leadership is leadership, the buck stops at the leader.”

LISTEN TO THE PROGRAMME

Beyond Westminster is on BBC Radio 4 on Saturday 25 September at 1100 BST.

Listen via the BBC iPlayer Download the podcast

And Zoe Gruhn accepts the limits on how far her kind of advice can, or should, go.

Asked about the possibility of annual independent appraisals of top politicians’ skills, she laughs and counters: “I thought that was the role of the electorate, actually.”

But aside from voting and policy, she and her colleagues remain convinced that the leadership skills which senior politicians need can be improved with outside help.

Politicians, never keen to advertise their weaknesses, may not accept this openly. But quietly, behind the scenes, the idea of learning how to lead is gaining ground at the highest levels of British politics and government.

Beyond Westminster is on BBC Radio 4 on Saturday 25 September at 1100 BST. Download the programme podcast or listen via the BBC iPlayer.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.