Daily News Summary
Friday, 4 July 2008
Main stories
`Fears of recession' as `desperate families' get into more debt to cover bills
As the Bank of England's latest report shows a rise in mortgage defaults, more than four million households are resorting to loans and credit cards to pay for their rent or mortgage, Times 42-43. A study by accountancy firm Ernst & Young shows that the average family has £155 less to spend each month compared with 2004. DTel4, DExp3. Whilst the slowdown of the service sector is causing `fears of recession' FT2. House builders are also feeling the pinch, with Barratt making 1,000 staff redundant. Ind45, Times47
Speculators and the oil market
The House of Commons Treasury Committee has launched an investigation into the role of speculators in the vertiginous rise of oil prices. Gordon Brown has rejected the idea that speculation is the cause. FT3
`MPs keep snouts in the trough'
So says the Daily Mail about MPs' decision to retain their generous spending allowances for second homes. 33 senior Government figures are among the majority who voted to keep the existing `perks'. DMail1-2,
DTel1-2, Sun2, Times 5, Gdn6, Mirror6, Ind19
Other stories
`Crime costs each of us £275 a year'
According to a study by the Taxpayers' Alliance, which took into account factors like the cost of missing or damaged property, lost income, victims' services and the impact on the criminal justice system. Residents in Nottinghamshire were estimated to pay the most, at £390 each, followed by London at £388 and Humberside at £380. DExp11, Sun17, DMail46
French students were stabbed 250 times
All papers report on the horrific and as yet unexplained murders of two French students in New Cross, London. DTel1-3, Mirror4-5, DExp4-5, Sun4-5, Ind8-9. The sister of Ben Kinsella, who died after a knife attack last month, has launched a campaign `to end knife killings', Mirror8-9. `Use a knife and you should get life', argues Jon Gaunt in the Sun25.
Deputy London Mayor faces inquiry
Boris Johnson's deputy is facing allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour and financial misconduct dating back to 1990s, when Ray Lewis worked as a priest for the Church of England. The claims are raising questions over the reliability and competence of the new London administration. FT2, Gdn2, Ind4, Times11, Mirror15 and others
Columns, editorials, letters
`Girl gangs'
What makes girls turn to violence? Angela Neustatter investigates, and discovers `a disturbing world of exploited and frightened young women'. GdnG212-15
`Secrets and laws'
The Guardian editorial considers the Government's stance about `rebalancing justice', in the context of the emergency bill (published yesterday) dealing with witness anonymity. It argues that such stance is based on the populist belief that the legal system gives more weight to the accused than to the victim. Gdn38
Is Britain anti-Muslim?
Asks Peter Oborne in the DMail36-37
. Shahid Malik MP, the first Muslim minister, has said that many Muslims in the UK feel targeted like `the Jews of Europe' in Ind1-2.
`We're chocking to death while the Government dithers'
`Action on Britain's appalling air quality is long overdue', argues Simon Birkett in the Independent35.
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These newspaper summaries are drawn up by staff at the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies. They are not intended to be comprehensive, or wholly uniform in their approach. Instead, they reflect our individual and collective perspectives on the day's coverage, including our judgements in terms of relevance to the Centre's concerns. On occasion, they also reflect the inevitable time constraints within which we work.
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