April 2011

Land Rover prosecuted for safety risks

Vehicle manufacturer Land Rover has been prosecuted for failing to properly address safety risks in its Solihull factory.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety, prosecuted Land Rover in response to investigations it undertook in 2007.
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Catholic Care loses battle against anti-discrimination laws

In the most recent installation of the fight by Leeds-based agency Catholic Care to exclude gay and lesbian couples from its adoption services, the agency has now lost its two-year battle.

It has once again been told it cannot decline to offer adoption services to gay and lesbian couples.
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Government loses case on release of abortion data

The government has lost a contoversial case in the High Court regarding the Information Tribunal’s decision in 2009 to allow the release of information from the Department of Health on late term abortions. That information had been requested by the anti-abortion organisation, ProLife Alliance.

The contested data is comprised of full statistical data on late term abortions (abortions carried out later than 24 weeks into the pregnancy) made as a result of foetal abnormalities that have been identified.

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Muslim protest on wedding day refused

Scotland Yard has refused to allow a radical Islamist group to protest outside Westminster Abbey on the day of the royal wedding, reports the BBC. Other protests proposed in nearby locations will no doubt have the same fate.

Muslims against Crusades is the group that has applied for permission to protest on the day, 29 April. The group is best known for the poppy-burning protest on Armistice Day in November last year.
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British citizen to be deported from Australia after 40 years

A 47-year-old British man, who has lived in Australia since he emigrated with his family at age 6, is being deported to the UK from Australia because of his criminal record.

Whilst Clifford Tucker has been living in Australia for more than 40 years and has not had any criminal offences recorded against him in recent years, the Australian immigration authorities were alerted to his residency status when he returned from a trip to Bali in 2009.
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Jobcentre staff to strike for 24 hours

Thousands of Jobcentre employees are staging a 24-hour strike starting today (April 18).

The strike has come after ongoing negotiations between members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) and management have failed to resolve the issues that have been raised by employees over recent months.
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Met police used unjustifiable force against G20 protestors

The High Court has ruled that the Metropolitan Police’s actions in response to the G20 protests in April 2009 were unlawful.

The case was brought by Josh Moos and Hannah McClure, two demonstrators amongst the estimated 5,000 on the day. They claimed that the police used excessive force and that their practice of ‘kettling’ the demonstrators was unlawful.
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NHS hit with increase in birth-related compensation claims

The NHS is being hit with massive compensation bills for negligent practice by maternity-unit staff. The mistakes by staff are leading to not-insignificant numbers of stillbirths and permanent disability to newborn babies.

One type of medical negligence claim is made when maternity-unit staff incorrectly interpret a cardiotocogram (CTG) – the scan of a baby’s heart. The CTG is a common way of monitoring a baby’s heart during labour.
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Worker seriously injured after fall from roof

A 33-year-old worker has suffered serious injuries, including a broken back, after falling from the roof of a two-storey house in Leeds. The injuries left the worker in hospital for 15 days and he will continue to be affected by his injuries for the rest of his life.

The incident happened when the worker was on the roof to install a flue liner down a chimney. The worker had put a ladder up to the roof and when he stepped onto it, the ladder gave way and he fell to the ground two storeys below.
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Foreign nationals to be targeted for sham marriages

The Church of England has issued new guidance for clergy urging them to be more cautious in allowing sham marriages to be entered into. The guidance relates to the practice of reading the banns before weddings.

The banns of marriage is the traditional public announcement of the impending marriage. The purpose of banns is to enable any objections to the marriage to be raised, so as to prevent invalid marriages being entered into.
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