Daily News Summary
Thursday, 21 May 2009
Main stories
`One in ten men on brink of alcoholism'
Figures published by the NHS show that a quarter of adults are drinking to levels `hazardous' to their health. Gdn9, Ind14, DTel14, DExp15, Times16
Hepatitis victims lose battle for NHS transfusion payouts
Haemophiliacs who contracted HIV from infected blood in the 1970s and 80s will have their compensation payments increase, but not so those 4,670 patients who got infected with hepatitis C.
Ind16, Gdn7.
In the meantime, the NHS has `amassed a record cash surplus of £1.7bn'. Gdn13, DTel14
`Abuse of children was "endemic"'
An official report into Catholic schools in Ireland pictures a `catalogue of shame' as thousands were `raped and abused'. DMail8, DMail10, Ind20-21, DTel17, Mirror18, Gdn20, Times 37-38
'Work for us or we will say you are a terrorist'
MI5 is accused of `blackmail and harassment' of five Muslim community workers, `in an attempt to recruit them as informants'. Ind1, 4-6
More MPs expenses scandals - `but huge payouts await'
DTel1-8, Times 24-25. `MPs embroiled in the scandal remain entitled to two pay-offs so long as they serve until the general election, rather than resign immediately.' Ind8-11.
Margaret Moran, of `dry-rot-in-Southampton-partner's-home' fame, has also allegedly `used her parliamentary staff to help a company, partly run from her constituency office', obtain `up to £50,000 of public funding and business sponsorship' in two years. FT1-2
Other stories
`Fascist at the Palace'
BNP leader Nick Griffin has been invited to the Queen's summer garden party. DMail1, Sun2, DTel12, Ind17, Times27 and more
`Online - and under-cover'
`NightJack' blog: an `insider's view of modern-day policing'. IndLife6
Stroke victims `missed' by 999 computer
According to a study by the NHS Trust in Hampshire, `the system for assessing 999 calls misses more than half of people suffering from a stroke'. Ind16, DTel14
In spite of bailouts, banks are still not lending
Gdn27.
At today's prices, the nationalised Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland, would make the taxpayer `a loss of £17.6bn', according to financial analysts. DTelBusiness1
Britain is `one of the most unequal societies in the developed world'
Lonely Planet's latest edition confirms. DMail36
`Civil service union considers standing for parliament'
PCS, Britain's biggest service union, is considering putting up candidates to combat privatisation of public services in future elections.
FT2
`Secret tax on phone calls'
`Few customers are aware' of the extra charges that operators impose on landline calls to mobile phones. DExp1
Letters, comments and analysis
`£64.30 a week. That's Dave's reward for 20 years of work'
In France, Germany, the Netherlands or Finland, benefits are strongly linked to employment records and pay, argues Jenni Russell. Gdn30
`We, the people, are in revolt'
DTel23
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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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