Daily News Summary
Tuesday, 8 July 2008
Main stories
`Real risk of recession'
A survey of 5,000 UK businesses shows an increase in job losses and a decrease in investment, raising concerns that the country is heading for recession. Gdn1, FT3.
According to figures by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, the slow down in the economy is likely to lead to a £7.5bn shortfall in the public finances. Ind1.
Whilst Gordon Brown warns families not to waste food, the papers report on the extravagance of the dinner menu for the leaders at the G8 summit, Gdn1.
Carl Morthished in the Times is scathing about the Prime Minister blaming consumers and connecting `half-eaten burgers and food prices', Times24.
The FT13 asks: `are financial investors driving up the cost of commodities?'
Straw to consider tougher knife crime penalties
As a 14 year-old became the youngest victim of a knife attack in London yesterday, Justice Minister Jack Straw ordered a review of the penalties for carrying a knife. The decision comes just a few weeks before new guidance by the Sentencing Guidelines Council, advising sentencers that first time offenders be given a fine, is due to come into force. DExp1, DMail2, DTel8, Times9, Sun27. The new guidelines will also be blunted by a warning to magistrates, issued by the next lord chief justice Sir Igor Judge, who asks them to consider the `most severe sentences' for knife offenders. Gdn4
SFO abandoned investigation days after Saudi `threat'
The government is appealing against a high court ruling that it acted unlawfully by bowing down to `blatant' pressure by Saudi Arabia to end a corruption investigation into arms deals involving BAE and the Saudis. The House of Lords yesterday heard new evidence that the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) stopped its investigation just after its senior officers were warned that the Saudi government would cease co-operation with the UK on counter-terrorism if the probe were to go ahead. Government lawyers are denying Saudi interference. FT2, Gdn11
Other stories
Prisoners: healthy eating but no phones - or drugs
Together with hospital patients and public sector workers, prisoners are to be the focus of a healthy eating initiative launched today, Gdn13. In the meantime, a crackdown into drugs and mobile phones smuggling has also been announced, with new security devices due to be introduced into prisons by next March. Sun2, Gdn12
GM or non GM?
The Food Standards Agency is to review how it regulates the marketing and labelling of genetically modified produce, after a report has highlighted the problems of sourcing non-GM animal feed. According to the Government paper, published yesterday, the UK is currently at risk of importing feed `wrongly labelled as non-GM'. FT2
Data protection laws not fit for purpose
Richard Thomas, the information commissioner, has warned that European protection data `is failing to meet new challenges to privacy, such as the transfer of personal details across international borders and the huge growth in personal information online'. FT4
Columns, editorials, letters
`It's society, stupid, that will swing the election'
Picking up on Cameron's recent announcements, Rachel Sylvester argues that `mending the "broken society" should be natural Labour territory, but it is the Tories who have grasped its importance'. Times23
Witness anonymity bill: a `perjurer's charter'
`British justice coped with the Krays and Northern Ireland without recourse to secret witnesses, and we don't need them now', says Geoffrey Robertson QC. Gdn28
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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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