MILIBAND DRAWS EU BATTLE LINES
Ed Miliband has drawn battle lines with the Tories over Europe by effectively ruling out a referendum on British membership - unless Brussels makes a grab for fresh powers.
The Labour leader stressed his determination to reform the EU if elected in 2015, and pledged a legal lock that would guarantee an in-out vote if Westminster was asked to hand over more control.
But he made clear that he believed that was “unlikely” in the next parliament.
RULING DUE ON CHARLES LETTERS MOVE
The Court of Appeal rules today on whether the Attorney General acted unlawfully when he vetoed a tribunal ruling in favour of letting the public see letters the Prince of Wales wrote to government ministers.
Newspaper journalist Rob Evans is accusing Dominic Grieve, the Government’s principal legal adviser, of failing to show “reasonable grounds” for blocking disclosure.
The Upper Tribunal, headed by a High Court judge, declared in September 2012 that Mr Evans and the public were entitled to see the letters under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), and under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.
MENTAL HEALTH CUTS ’RISK LIVES’
Lives will be put at risk by cuts to NHS funding for mental health services, experts and doctors have warned.
In a letter to the Guardian newspaper, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the Mental Health Foundation, Rethink Mental Illness, Mind, the NHS Confederation Mental Health Network and the Centre for Mental Health said the Government has betrayed a pledge on the issue.
It says a recent decision by NHS England and the health regulator Monitor effectively cuts funding for mental health services by 20% more than hospital trusts.
PRIVACY ’FUNDAMENTAL TO FREEDOM’
Privacy is fundamental to freedom of expression and the bulk of data stored by companies without our knowledge is concerning, according to the chief executive of Sir Tim Berners-Lee’s Web Foundation.
Anne Jellema said there were challenges for the web ahead of its 25th anniversary including defending our right to freedom of expression and privacy online, openness on the web and ensuring that everybody can afford to get online.
Ms Jellema said: “We’re very excited about the 25th anniversary, it’s a great moment to try to find solutions to the problems facing the next 25 years of the web without fear of consequences.
TEST FOR CANCER OUTCOMES IMPROVED
Scientists have developed an improved test to predict how long women with breast cancer may live and which treatments may work.
Some doctors in the UK use a formula called the Nottingham Prognostic Index (NPI) to give them an idea of a patient’s outlook, based on the size of the cancer, whether it has spread to the lymph nodes and how advanced the disease is.
While experts stress it is not possible to predict exactly what will happen in each individual case, the index can give a general prognosis.
PM SEEKS FINAL MID EAST PEACE PUSH
David Cameron has called on the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority to “take the final difficult steps towards peace”, as he uses his first visit as Prime Minister to throw his weight behind a US-led drive to end decades of conflict.
US Secretary of State John Kerry is trying to persuade Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to agree to an outline for a final peace deal by the end of April.
Mr Cameron will speak to both men during his two-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories, and before his departure he made clear he will urge them to focus on the potential opportunities that a definitive peace deal would offer their peoples.
PAYDAY LENDERS FACE NEW DEBT PROBE
Payday lenders are facing a new inquiry to see how sympathetic they are when customers struggle to pay back their debts, the City regulator has announced.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said the review will be one of its first actions when it takes over supervision of the consumer credit market, including payday firms, from April 1.
The regulator, which is already planning a range of curbs to toughen up on the sector, wants to see whether payday firms and other high-cost short-term lenders are putting too much focus on profits rather than consumers’ interests.
CHINESE TEACHERS AT ENGLISH SCHOOLS
Chinese maths teachers are to come to England to give masterclasses in the subject as part of a fresh bid to boost standards.
Up to 60 English-speaking teachers from cities such as Shanghai will be taking part in a new exchange programme which will also see English maths teachers working in schools in China, the Department for Education (DfE) said.
The move comes amid a continuing drive by government to overhaul maths in English schools, and follows a recent visit by Education Minister Elizabeth Truss to the country to examine how it teaches the subject.
PROF GREEN ON DRINK-DRIVE CHARGE
Rapper Professor Green has been charged with drink-driving following an incident on the road where he lives.
The 30-year-old, who is married to Made In Chelsea’s Millie Mackintosh, was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving and later rearrested for allegedly perverting the course of justice in November.
It came after police attended reports that a man had been robbed in Tyrwhitt Road, Lewisham, south-east London, at around 2.40am on November 3.
BOSSES CAUTIOUS OVER T2 OPENING
Heathrow bosses due to open a new £2.5 billion terminal in a few weeks are determined not to repeat the mistakes which led to the catastrophic launch of the west London airport’s Terminal 5 (T5) six years ago.
In 2008, Heathrow hailed the new T5 as a wonder of the age and promised a hassle-free opening. But T5’s first day was a fiasco, with thousands of bags lost, long queues and flight delays.
On June 4 this year, Heathrow chiefs will open a new Terminal 2 (T2) which will be home to 26 airlines and will eventually cater for as many as 20 million passengers a year.
