HARMAN: PIE ROW ’A SMEAR CAMPAIGN’
Harriet Harman has refused to admit that mistakes were made over a historic paedophile rights campaign to which she has been linked, insisting she stood by her actions “all the way through”.
The deputy Labour leader insisted the Paedophile Information Exchange (PIE) was “challenged” and “pushed aside” during its affiliation to a civil rights organisation she worked for and claimed she was the victim of a “politically-motivated smear campaign”.
Ms Harman and her MP husband Jack Dromey broke their silence after the Daily Mail ran a series of stories about their actions while officials at the National Council for Civil Liberties (NCCL) in the 1970s.
HAGUE AND KERRY HOLD UKRAINE TALKS
Foreign Secretary William Hague will join US counterpart John Kerry for talks on emergency support for Ukraine today as Moscow questioned the legitimacy of the country’s interim leaders.
Mr Hague has warned that Ukraine faces imminent economic collapse without support from the international community and Washington has said it stands ready to plough in cash with other partners to stabilise the nation.
British forensic experts are in the country helping to ascertain who is responsible for shooting dozens of protesters last week, it was reported.
LABOUR COULD MERGE POLICE FORCES
Labour could merge police forces and axe police and crime commissioners as part of a drive to save money on public services if it wins power, according to a senior party Treasury spokesman.
Chris Leslie will use his first major speech as shadow chief secretary to the Treasury to say that a Labour government would reform and reconstitute public services to release “cashable savings” to the Exchequer.
Mr Leslie is expected to attack “botched” reforms under the Coalition, which he claims have cost the taxpayer billions of pounds without delivering improvements to public services.
RESTRICTIONS ON SKIN CANCER DRUG
A “life-extending” skin cancer drug should not be given to patients as a first-line treatment, NHS officials have said.
In draft guidance, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) said that ipilimumab should only be used in newly diagnosed advanced malignant melanoma patients who are taking part in clinical trials.
The prognosis for advanced melanoma is very poor, and those who are diagnosed often have just months to live.
RELATIVE’S ANGUISH AT FARM MASSACRE
A woman whose mother and sister were shot dead has spoken of her grief as detectives continue to question a dog breeder over the killings.
The man, named in reports as 82-year-old John Lowe, is suspected of shooting dead the two women and four dogs at Keepers Cottage Stud in Farnham, Surrey.
Armed police were called to the property at 10am on Sunday. The body of one woman was found inside, while the body of the other woman was found outside near animal pens to the back of the house.
JAILED WOMEN ’VULNERABLE TO ABUSE’
Women prisoners have been coerced into sex with staff in return for favours such as cigarettes or alcohol, campaigners said.
Assaults known as “decrotching”, where women prisoners forcibly retrieve drugs from another inmate’s vagina, are also thought to have occurred in jails, the Howard League for Penal Reform said.
The findings are published in the second briefing paper from the Commission on Sex in Prison, which was established by the Howard League.
FARMING SECTOR ’DEFIES RECESSION’
British food and drink exports have grown to nearly £19 billion, Farming Minister George Eustice is set to claim.
In a speech to the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) Conference in Birmingham later today, he points out that 112 new export markets opened up last year, leading to an increase of nearly £180 million in the food and drink sector to non-EU markets.
Mr Eustice is set to claim that Government action to cut red tape, get the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) right, encourage innovation and safeguard plant and animal health have helped potential growth.
AGENCY VOWS TO MINIMISE FLOOD RISK
The Environment Agency cannot protect all people and all properties but will do all it can, the executive director of flood and coastal risk management at the agency has said.
David Rooke said the wet weather would continue this week but the agency was working hard to ensure the impact was minimal.
“We have got high tides this week and rainfall. The Environment Agency is still in operation mode doing all we can to minimise risk. We cannot protect all people and all properties but we will do all we can.”
WITNESS PROTECTION STAFF ’HALVED’
Numbers of staff at the Crown Prosecution Service who look after witnesses in court cases have more than halved in the last three years, it is reported.
Witness care staffing levels in England and Wales have been reduced by 57% since 2010, with a 24% cut in 2013 alone, from 131 staff to just 100.
As of January there were about 45 witness care units, compared with 80 in January 2012.
FINGERPRINT SECURITY FOR NEW S5
The latest version of Samsung’s Galaxy S smartphones features biometric security, the electronics giant has announced.
The Galaxy S5, unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, includes a fingerprint scanner to unlock the device.
The mobile is also water- and dust-resistant, and features a 16-megapixel camera which Samsung claims has the world’s fastest autofocus speed of 0.3 seconds. The S5 will be available to buy from April.
