COMMUNITY’S ’SHOCK’ AT ISIS RECRUIT
The identification of a third British man in a recruitment video for an extremist Islamic group has left his former community “in shock”.
Abdul Raqib Amin, who was brought up in Aberdeen, is said to appear in the video for the group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) with Nasser Muthana and Reyaad Khan, both from Cardiff.
He is identified as “Brother Abu Bara’ al Hindi” in the online video which emerged last week.
FALL ON BAN ON WORK WITH CHILDREN
The number of people barred from working with children as a result of committing sexual offences against youngsters has plunged since vetting and barring legislation was changed three years ago, Labour has claimed.
Figures obtained by the Opposition using Freedom of Information (FoI) laws show 12,360 people were stopped from working with children in 2011 due to committing sexual offences against youngsters. This fell to 5,758 in 2012 and 2,800 in 2013.
Other data shows the number of people being barred from working with children as a result of intelligence sharing and investigations by the police and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) has fallen from 1,542 in 2011 to 471 in 2012 and to 351 in 2013.
CHILD MENTAL CARE SHAKE-UP DEMANDED
A radical re-think of England’s social care and mental health service which looks after vulnerable children is needed now, according to a major report on the state of the system.
The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) is calling for a Royal Commission be set up to “radically re-think, and advise on the wholesale re-design of social care and statutory mental health services for vulnerable children and young people”.
This needs to report by the end of 2017, according to the CSJ, which claims it has unearthed “profoundly worrying systemic issues” in the present approach.
20% ’UNDER-REPORTING’ SAFETY EVENTS
One in five NHS trusts may not be being open and honest about the numbers of patient safety incidents that occur in their hospitals, health officials have said.
Twenty per cent of acute NHS trusts in England have been flagged by health officials for under-reporting patient safety incidents, including events that cause severe harm or even death.
A new tool is being unveiled by the Department of Health (DH) and NHS England which enables the public to see how well their hospital is performing on key safety measures.
’MORE STAFF SHOULD GET LIVING WAGE’
Measures should be taken to cut the number of low-paid workers by a million to end the “national scandal” of poverty, according to a new report.
A year-long study by the Living Wage Commission recommended a series of “low cost” moves to tackle low pay, by building on the UK’s economic recovery.
The commission, chaired by Archbishop of York John Sentamu, said increasing the pay of half a million public sector workers to the Living Wage could be more than met by higher tax revenues and reduced in-work benefits from a similar number of employees in private firms.
REPORTERS IN EGYPT JAILING PROTEST
Journalists are to protest today over the jailing in Egypt of colleagues from Al Jazeera which has provoked outrage around the world.
Staff from the BBC and other news organisations will hold a one-minute silent protest outside New Broadcasting House in London at 09.41, the time of yesterday’s sentencing. Hundreds are expected to attend, the BBC said.
The sentencing of Australian-born Peter Greste, Canadian-Egyptian acting Cairo bureau chief Mohammed Fahmy, and Egyptian producer Baher Mohammed to seven years each for charges relating to terrorism, met with widespread condemnation, not least from David Cameron who said he was “appalled”.
BORDERS CHIEF FACES MPs’ QUESTIONS
Britain’s borders and immigration watchdog is set to face questions from MPs over European citizenship becoming an increasingly important way for non-EU citizens to get into the country.
Chief Inspector of Borders John Vine will appear in front of the Home Affairs Select Committee days after his inspection of how the Home Office handles European free movement applications found that more than a third of European nationals (36%) applying to stay in the UK were born outside the region and had gained European identity before arriving in Britain.
Mr Vine also found they were often sponsoring non-European partners of their own original nationality or a similar cultural background.
QUEEN VISITS INFAMOUS BELFAST JAIL
Stormont’s First and Deputy First Ministers will today accompany the Queen on a tour of a notorious Belfast prison where both politicians were held during the Troubles.
Once a forbidding facility synonymous with the dark years of the conflict, the transformation of the old Crumlin Road Gaol into a popular visitor attraction is symbolic of Northern Ireland’s journey toward peace.
That theme will be strongly emphasised with the sight of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh alongside First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness in the corridors of the 19th century building.
HARRY TO WATCH ENGLAND IN BRAZIL
Prince Harry will be a spectator as England’s World Cup campaign in Brazil comes to an end today when the team take to the pitch for the last time.
Harry, who is touring Brazil and Chile over seven days, will be in the stands to see Roy Hodgson’s side play Costa Rica.
England have already been knocked out of the World Cup after losing their first two group stage matches and will now be playing for pride when they take on the Central American team in the city of Belo Horizonte.
STIMULANT DRUG KHAT BECOMES ILLEGAL
Possessing, selling and importing khat - a plant used as a stimulant by Somalian communities - is illegal from today.
Khat, which makes its users feel more alert, happy and talkative when chewed, is now banned as a class C drug despite advice from the Government’s official advisers that it should not be classified.
Around 2,560 tonnes of khat, which is also favoured by Yemeni and Ethiopian communities, worth £13.8 million was imported to the UK in 2011/12, bringing in £2.8 million of tax revenues.
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