Written By Unknown on Rabu, 03 Desember 2014 | 16.12
Most studies that show the negative impact plain cigarette packets would have on the economy are funded by "big tobacco" firms, according to a damning report.
Such companies have warned standardised packaging would fuel a black market in cigarettes – citing research that echoes their concerns.
But the University of Bath claims more than 50% of such evidence comes from reports commissioned by the industry itself – or from third parties with financial connections to it.
The Tobacco Control Research Group, funded by Cancer Research UK, also found 66% of the industry's claims were just opinions – and that of the 51 MPs opposed to plain packaging, seven of them had accepted hospitality from the sector.
George Butterworth, from Cancer Research UK, said: "By failing to disclose financial links to misleading evidence, this is lobbying at its worst.
"For years, misinformation has been their currency, but as the success of plain, standardised packaging in Australia becomes clear – now with record low smoking rates – 'big tobacco' is looking spent.
"Independent evidence consistently demonstrates the role that standardised packaging can play in protecting children from a deadly addiction.
"Now, the UK Government must treat the tobacco industry's spin with the contempt it deserves – and introduce regulations without delay."
Around a billion pounds of investment for small and medium sized businesses, relief on petrol prices and changes to business rates to help the High Street are among measures to be announced later in the Autumn Statement.
Plans to make stamp duty more progressive, easing the bill for people buying at the bottom end of the market but with possible heavier charges on more expensive homes, could also be unveiled by George Osborne later in what has been described as the "Government's last big economic event".
The Chancellor will say: "Our long-term economic plan is working. I say: we stay the course. We stay the course to prosperity.
"We support people who want to work hard and get on. And it is for their sakes that we resolve to stay on course to prosperity."
But Labour will accuse him of breaking his promises on the economy, claiming his missed pledge to balance the books and policies favouring the rich have left working people £1,600-a-year worse off under the Coalition.
Video:Autumn Statement: Debt Vs Deficit
The Treasury and the Bank of England have agreed to extend the Funding For Lending (FLS) scheme by another year to January 2016 - underwriting loans specifically for smaller firms.
Mr Osborne is also allocating an extra £400m to expand the state-owned British Business Bank's venture capital programme.
And it will be handed funding to guarantee up to £500m of new lending in 2015-16.
Video:Nigel Lawson On Autumn Statement
The Chancellor is also expected to scrap the Fair Fuel Stabiliser, which would have seen petrol prices increase by 1p next March.
Air Passenger Duty on children's flights is also due to be abolished, which could reduce the cost of long haul flights by hundreds of pounds for families.
And there could be help for the High Street, with a review of business rates and how it is calculated due to be completed by early 2016. Rising rates have in part been blamed for hitting traditional town centre shops.
Police are urgently hunting for a mother and her newborn baby daughter who have gone missing from a maternity hospital.
Charlotte Bevan left Bristol Maternity Hospital between 8.30pm and 9pm last night with her four-day-old baby girl, Zarnee Teanna.
The 30-year-old did not have a coat or shoes, and is believed to have been wearing hospital slippers.
Her baby was wrapped only in blankets.
A friend has described her disappearance as "out of character". Writing on Avon and Somerset Police's Facebook page, Isaac Jack McCardle described searching for them night.
"I know her and her partner. This is out of character," he wrote.
"I was out on the streets with a friend for over three hours and searched almost every road, park, alleyway etc in the area as well as high streets and found nothing."
He added: "I really hope they are both safe and are all reunited soon. I do feel out of respect people should stop jumping to conclusions. They are a happy couple."
Ms Bevan is described as white, around 5ft 8in tall and of average build with dark wavy hair.
An Avon and Somerset Police spokesman has appealed for anyone who sees them to call 999 immediately.
"We are concerned for both Charlotte's welfare and that of her baby, and are urging Charlotte to let us know that she and her baby are alright," the spokesman said.
"Officers have been searching the city centre throughout the night and appeals have been put out to bus drivers and taxi drivers and those travelling into work on early shifts this morning to lookout for Charlotte and her daughter."
It is believed Ms Bevan was wearing a long black top and black trousers when she disappeared from the hospital on Southwell Street.
The spokesman added Ms Bevan "may appear confused and worried".
"Her baby is inappropriately wrapped for the cold weather in a blue and white striped and coloured blankets," he said.
Written By Unknown on Selasa, 02 Desember 2014 | 16.12
Liverpool and Italy player Mario Balotelli has apologised after posting a picture online which was labelled racist and anti-Semitic.
Quickly deleted from the player's Instagram page, the internet meme shows Nintendo character Super Mario and contains the words "jumps like a black man and grabs coins like a Jew".
As criticism mounted, Balotelli wrote on his Twitter page: "My Mom is jewish so all of u shut up please."
But he later tweeted an apology, saying: "I apologise if I've offended anyone.
"The post was meant to be anti-racist with humour. I now understand that out of context may have the opposite effect. Not all Mexicans have moustaches, not all black people jump high and not all Jewish people love money."
A spokesman for Liverpool said: "We are aware of the posting which has since been promptly deleted by the player.
"We will be speaking to the player about the issue."
It is the latest controversial incident involving the 24-year-old and the image prompted several accusations of racism on social media.
Balotelli said his post was meant to be anti-racist
One Twitter user, @TomEllis98, said in response to the post: "Does Balotelli realise what he put on Instagram is racist?"
Another, @gedbrand10, wrote: "Mario Balotelli faces investigation by the FA for an anti-Semitic post on Instagram earlier today. He'll never, ever learn."
1/11
Gallery: The Italian Striker's Eventful Career
August 2010: Signs for Manchester City for €22m from Italian giants Inter Milan
November 2010: Scores first Premier League goals in 2-0 win at West Brom - but is then sent off for violent conduct
A new garden city will be built in Oxfordshire under Coalition plans to deal with a housing shortage.
The new town, which would have up to 13,000 homes, would be built near Bicester and would include a £44m capital investment from the Government for roads including a new junction on the M40.
The plans will be outlined in the National Infrastructure Plan set to be published on Wednesday ahead of the Autumn Statement, alongside a range of other housing measures.
A Government loan would be provided for the development of amenities including green transport.
Ebbsfleet in Kent was announced earlier this year as the location for the first modern garden city.
Bicester has also expressed an interest and could receive a new railway station as part of the proposals announced by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.
Video:The Autumn Statement Explained
Mr Clegg told the Daily Telegraph: "The Liberal Democrats have long argued that garden cities are an idea whose time has come again.
"I am delighted that Bicester can now be confirmed as a pioneer in what I hope will be another wave of garden cities in this country.
"Bicester will get help from the Government with both significant capital investment and in helping developers build the amenities that are required to be a true garden town."
Video:Economy: Good News And Bad News
Under the proposals, a series of new communities with green spaces, sustainable transport and spacious housing will be built.
Mr Clegg has previously promised at least 10 would be created if the Liberal Democrats are part of the next Government.
:: Watch Sky News for the Chancellor's Autumn Statement live on Wednesday, 3 December, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 132 and Freesat channel 202.
The number of adults seeking treatment for heroin and crack cocaine addiction in England has more than doubled in 10 years, new figures have revealed.
While the total number of heroin and crack cocaine addicts has fallen below 300,000 for the first time since estimates began, there is a generation still hooked - the so-called Trainspotting Generation.
The disaffected, heroin-addicted young people immortalised in Irvine Welsh's bestselling novel are getting older.
More than a third of the total population of adults in treatment centres are aged 40 or over, according to Public Health England.
Many started using heroin in the epidemics of the 1980s and 1990s when good-quality, cheap opiate flooded the inner cities.
Video:Drug Addiction Treatment Doubles
But as they enter old age there are warnings that dwindling health and dependence on heroin could place an increased burden on the National Health Service.
Louise Ford, deputy manager at the Smithfield Detox Centre in Manchester, told Sky News: "For many people of this age group there is a sense of 'now or never' in finally getting the treatment they need.
"For the over-40s it could be redundancy, bereavement or failing health that finally prompts them to come in for help. The treatment is not easy and many relapse."
For those who have not sought treatment, life is a cycle of "scoring" heroin and finding the money to pay for it.
Homeless Paul, 42, has been taking heroin since he was 17 years old.
His partner Jill, 39, was introduced to the drug at the age of 14. They take heroin in the back streets of Manchester's city centre.
Video:Heroin Addict Jill Tells Her Story
He said: "I had a good life, what you'd call an average life, a car, a flat. I got laid off last year. I had never been out of work before.
"Now I wake up, go and score, go and take it, go and find a pitch and start raising money again to score again and that goes on and on.
"If I don't get help now I'll still be doing this into my 50s and 60s and I don't want that. Heroin just makes you feel bad when you don't have it. It doesn't make you feel good anymore."
But there is hope in the form of recovered addicts like Steve Cundell, who first dabbled in heroin so that he could come down from ecstasy fuelled raves in the 1980s.
He went from experimenting to dealing in a matter of weeks.
He said: "I thought it wouldn't grip me but it did and very, very fast.
Video:Sky's Nick Martin: Behind The Story
"I decided the best way to get my supply was to start dealing in it. My every waking hour was consumed by heroin.
"It used to play on my mind so much that I was getting older and older and I had not achieved anything - that I was going to wake up one day 65 or 70 years old still on heroin."
Mr Cundell is now a peer mentor on a rehabilitation course run by Turning Point and tries to help others.
He added: "I like to think I have something to give back and it helps my recovery - because I'm not out of the woods yet."
Written By Unknown on Senin, 01 Desember 2014 | 16.12
Two people have been charged with assault after a father of six was stabbed outside a busy primary school.
Barry Parkes and Natalie Lawton will appear at Manchester Magistrates' Court today over their alleged attack, which took place as parents waited to pick up their children on Friday afternoon.
Steven Higginson, 33, was knifed in the chest and side. Bloodied, he staggered into North Walkden Primary School in Greater Manchester to seek help.
The victim has since been discharged from hospital.
Mr Parkes, a 42-year-old from Salford, has been charged with wounding with intent. Ms Lawton, 30, faces a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Retailers are preparing for another half-a-billion-pound online shopping surge on Cyber Monday today.
The event is the online-only follow-up to Black Friday, which saw bargain hunters spend £1.6bn across the high street and internet.
Card payment firm Visa said £600m of the £1.6bn raked in was spent on the internet.
Amazon, Currys and Tesco are among the big players lining up new deals and hoping their websites hold up to the virtual stampede.
Electronics retailer ao.com predicts today will be its best ever day of sales, with televisions and small kitchen appliances expected to be the best performing categories, and is offering a host of fresh deals.
Video:Black Friday In The UK
Amazon.co.uk is planning to release hundreds of limited "lightning deals" which offer discounts for a specific period, with new offers coming online every 10 minutes.
Some sites, such as Currys, Argos and Game, crashed under the demand on Friday - the biggest ever online shopping day in the UK, according to Visa.
Visa Europe chief Kevin Jenkins said: "Compared to Black Friday last year online spend on Visa cards increased more than 30% and high street spend by about 20%.
"Heading into Cyber Monday we're likely to see a further £500m spent online, peaking in the early evening as workers return home and log on."
But security experts have warned consumers to be wary of cyber crime and take basic precautions as they shop.
Video:Trouble In Store
Giovanni Ruberto, online security expert at Intel Security, said: "Cyber Monday is set to be the biggest online shopping day this year, and of course the bad guys know this.
"Whilst consumers are logging on from their laptop or smartphone to grab a bargain, you can bet cybercriminals will be doing all they can to trick unwitting consumers to hand over credit card information and personal details."
Recent years have seen online shopping peak on the first Monday in December.
It is thought to be down to many people's last payday before Christmas falling on the previous Friday and a weekend spent browsing the shops before buying online.
However, some retailers have been criticised for whipping people into a shopping frenzy and not having proper security at Black Friday events.
Video:Police Describe 'Mini-riot'
Shoppers were filmed arguing and fighting each other for cut price televisions, with witnesses saying some bargain hunters behaved "like animals".
Former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr George Carey on Sunday called the supermarkets "irresponsible" and said the event "serves no useful purpose".
Black Friday was introduced in America on the day after Thanksgiving and is thought to have been given its name because brisk business was said to have helped retailers back into profit - into the black.
The event was introduced to this country by Amazon in 2010.
Prince Harry will join with other celebrities as he bares secrets on video to support a campaign for World AIDS Day.
The 30-year-old will share some of his worst fears and guilty pleasures as part of the #FeelNoShame campaign for the Sentebale charity he co-founded, which aims to raise awareness of the stigma and shame which prevents people with HIV from seeking support.
Celebrities including singers Nicole Scherzinger and Paloma Faith and former boxer Ricky Hatton are also taking part.
Prince Harry launched the campaign from the microsite FeelNoShame.Today and will release a video later this afternoon sharing his own secret.
The campaign aims to end the stigma surrounding HIV
He said: "Globally, HIV is the second highest cause of death amongst those aged between 10-19 years old, and it is the number one cause of death across Africa.
"One tragic issue in particular is the shame and stigma linked to HIV.
Video:Harry Follows In Diana's Footsteps
"This causes thousands of children to needlessly die each year because they're keeping their illness a secret and not getting the medical attention they need.
"Together, we can tackle the stigma surrounding HIV and give the young people carrying it the childhood they deserve. The childhood so many of us take for granted."
Cathy Ferrier, chief executive of Sentebale, said: "Too many children are not receiving the treatment and care they so desperately need due to the stigma attached to HIV.
"Today we will celebrate the sharing of secrets with #FeelNoShame, to help spread the word that eradicating the stigma surrounding HIV will help save the lives of many HIV-positive children."
Prince Harry co-founded Sentebale in 2006 with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho. The charity provides accommodation, food, access to medication and education for children in Lesotho - preventing the virus from spreading - as well as support to help them tackle the stigma of HIV.
Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 08 November 2014 | 16.12
War widows will be able to keep their pensions if they remarry under changes to Armed Forces pension schemes to be introduced next year.
Prime Minister David Cameron has announced the changes following a long-running campaign for equal pension rights for partners of those serving in the Armed Forces.
Currently, war widows receiving pensions from schemes in place between 1973 and 2005 lose their entitlements if they co-habit or remarry.
But the new pension arrangements will ensure a spouse or civil partner of all members of the Armed Forces will retain their pension for life if they remarry after April 1 next year.
The scheme is expected to affect some 3,000 widows and cost an estimated £120m over 40 years.
Mr Cameron said it is "absolutely wrong" that under the current system some Armed Forces widows lose their pension if they choose to remarry.
"This means that people, who have made huge sacrifices for our country, have had to make an agonising choice between their financial security or loneliness," he said.
"That's why I was determined to put this right and to respond to the concerns of many who have campaigned for a long time on this issue.
"And I am delighted to announce that we will change the rules to ensure that when our Armed Forces widows find happiness with someone else they can keep their pension for life.
"This reflects our clear commitment to uphold the Armed Forces covenant which we enshrined in law."
