Strike to disrupt 7,500 schools

The teachers' strike is set to close or partially close about 7,500 schools in England and Wales.

Warnings to parents from 117 local authorities - two thirds of the total - so far show that 31% of schools are expected to face disruption.

The one-day pay strike is being staged on Thursday by members of the National Union of Teachers.

Children's Secretary Ed Balls, opposing the walk-out, says "the majority of teachers do not want to strike".

Schools have been alerting parents to anticipated closures and loss of lessons - with more than 5,000 schools already set to be disrupted in a survey of 117 local authorities.

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I understand that workers at times go on strike, thus labor unions. But teachers. How can the children be the future if they have no guidance?

Doctors attack 'supersize' drinks

Increasingly large pub measures are pushing customers towards unsafe levels of drinking, the Royal College of Physicians has warned.

RCP president Ian Gilmore accused the pub industry of acting irresponsibly and urged it to put its house in order.

The Publican magazine survey found 14% of pubs offered only 250ml wine glasses - equivalent to a third of a bottle.

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Super sized drinks are really not a good thing for a several reasons. First it would be interesting to see the increase in drunk driving accidents since the opening of these drinks. Secondly your liver would be shot after a while. This is a bad idea.

Doctor admits Glasgow bomb charge

The brother of a man who died attacking Glasgow Airport with a car bomb has admitted withholding information.

Sabeel Ahmed, 26, from Bangalore, India, pleaded guilty to the charge at a hearing at the Old Bailey in London.

The doctor was arrested in Liverpool and charged on Saturday 30 June, the day of the attack.

Prosecutors say Ahmed received texts and e-mails from his brother, Kafeel, who drove a car into the airport and later died from his injuries.

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One down a lot more to go. The Brits got a bad guy woohoo.

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Farmers plan for swinger club.

A north Devon farmer has caused a stir among villagers by diversifying into hosting a swingers' club.

Roger Stanbury said the premises in Horswell near Bishops Tawton were providing a "harmless" service.

But some villagers say the club, promising "sexy fun", is the wrong type of entertainment for a rural area.

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The village that this farmer lives in obviously does not approve of this plan. Swinger clubs often are not a good idea.

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Six baby cough medicines pulled

Cough remedies aimed at very young children are to be removed from shelves amid fears of accidental overdose.

The Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has ordered six products be permanently removed from sale for children aged under two.

They are Asda Children's Chesty Cough Syrup, Calcough Chesty and Boots Chesty Cough Syrup - one year plus.

Also, Children's Chesty Cough and Boots sore throat and cough linctus one year plus and Buttercup infant cough syrup

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All people need to have good medicine, especially babies. I wonder how many medicines are over looked and pulled.

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Jersey 'punishment rooms' found

Police have found two more "punishment rooms" at a former Jersey children's home at the centre of an investigation into alleged abuse.

The underground chambers were found by forensic teams at Haut de la Garenne, the home where 100 people claim they were abused.

Search teams have already excavated two other cellars at the site.

Police say tests on the remains found on the site were inconclusive, but they were placed there no earlier than 1920.

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I am not sure what a punishment room is but it doesn't sound pleasant. I am assuming they are where bad people at this house were punished.

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Judges criticised over gun crime

A senior policeman has accused some judges of being lenient on gun crime by overlooking mandatory five-year sentences for possession of a firearm.

Merseyside Chief Constable Bernard Hogan-Howe told the Times it was wrong for judges to ignore such sentences.

He said no-one wanted a repeat of last year's murder of Rhys Jones, 11.

The Ministry of Justice said the five-year term was "a starting point", but mitigating factors must be weighed in deciding the final sentence.

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As ever weird it may be a law is a law and a punishment is something for breaking that law. Obviously there should have been some jail time thrown around for these crimes "punishable by law."

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Browne makes surprise Iraq visit

UK Defence Secretary Des Browne is visiting the Iraqi city of Basra.

The Ministry of Defence confirmed Mr Browne was on a "general visit" to the country, but declined to say how long he would be there.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown went to the UK base in Basra, in the south of the country, last November.

There are currently about 4,000 UK troops in the area. The Iraqi government took responsibility for Basra province's security in December.

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Have you ever noticed how many Brownes there are in the UK government. Currently there are a lot of troops over in Iraq from the UK, maybe this is the beginning of a with drawl.

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UK pounded by second severe storm

Northern Ireland, north Wales and north-west England are being pounded by gales and heavy rain in the second band of storms to hit the UK in three days.

Forecasters say gusts of up to 80mph have hit Northern Ireland as the Atlantic weather front moves eastwards.

Motorists faced chaos as several major bridges were affected by the gales and some areas were placed on flood alert.

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The British government needs to handle this situation delicately if these storm patterns continue. President Bush lost a lot of support after Hurricane Katrina, the British government does not need to do the same.

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Bank keeps interest rates on hold

The Bank of England's rate-setting Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has decided to keep interest rates on hold at 5.25%.

The decision was in line with analyst and market expectations.

Analysts have highlighted that the Bank faces the threat of a slowing economy at a time when inflationary pressures are rising.

In February, the bank cut rates by a quarter of a percentage point from 5.5%, amid signs of a slowdown

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So holding of interest rates can be a good thing. They are definitely not increasing which is a good thing.

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House prices continuing to slow

House prices are continuing to slow down, says the Halifax, the UK's biggest mortgage lender.

According to its latest monthly survey, prices across the UK fell by 0.3% in February, taking the annual rate of inflation down from 4.5% to 4.2%.

That means the average UK home now costs £196,649, according to the lender's calculations.

The Halifax said prices would be flat over the coming year if the economy and employment continued to grow.

"House prices fell by 0.3% in February. Prices in the three months to February, however, were marginally (0.2%) higher than in the previous quarter," said Martin Ellis, the Halifax's chief economist.

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So the oil prices are at an all time high, the American dollar value is continuing to fall, but if you are looking to buy a house in the UK now is the time. The Home prices are continuing to fall

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'Mixed picture' on 24hr drinking

A government review of new licensing laws has found what it calls a "mixed picture" of their impact.

Crime and alcohol consumption are down overall but some areas have seen a rise in disorder and drink-related violence has increased in the early hours.

Culture Secretary Andy Burnham said councils and police need to do more to use "the considerable powers" open to them to tackle the problem.

Shadow home secretary David Davis said ministers were "deluding themselves".

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Alcohol related crimes may be down, but the government seems to be concerned about it anyways. I is a mixed picture of sorts.

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"I've Seen Sunny Days I Thought Would Never End"

The UK has had the sunniest February on record, the Met Office has revealed.

Sunshine totals up to 27 February reveal the UK-wide figure for the month was 106.1 hours - the previous record was 94.4 hours in 1970.

BBC forecaster Alex Deakin said "particularly long-lived" high pressure for much of the month had brought with it clear skies.

But, he said, the sunny spells were set to end, with windy weather likely to start March.

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GLOBAL WARMING!!! or not. In my opinion I like the sun. I really don't believe that global warming is as big of an issue as everyone seems to think.

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Immigration points system begins

A long-expected overhaul of the UK's immigration system has come into force with the launch of a point-based system for foreign workers.

The first stage of the system becomes operational on Friday - and will apply fully by the end of the summer.

Ministers say the changes are the biggest for a generation - and will allow the UK to better control migrants from outside EU.

But the Conservatives say they want an annual cap on the numbers allowed in.

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As an American it is always interesting seeing other countries deal with the same issues that America deals with. It shows that some issues are truly global.

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Bellfield given 'whole life' term

A man who murdered two young women and tried to kill a third has been given a "whole life" sentence.

Levi Bellfield, 39, from west London, bludgeoned Amelie Delagrange, 22, and Marsha McDonnell, 19, after they got off buses in south-west London.

He was also found guilty of trying to kill Kate Sheedy, then 18, in 2004 and has been named as a prime suspect in the 2002 murder of Milly Dowler, 13.

Bellfield refused to attend sentencing because of "overnight bad publicity".

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In this country, America, this man would probably be put to death. I am glad the UK is not doing such a gruesome act. This man deserves to be punished, and I am glad he is being punished justly.

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Call to halt cheap alcohol offers

The government needs to introduce tougher measures to limit the sale of cheap alcohol, doctors warn.

A British Medical Association report said pricing and promotion of drinks was fuelling an "alcohol epidemic".

It called for an end to happy hours in pubs and cut-price supermarket deals as well as improved access to treatment.

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So it is a health issue to have such accessable alcohol for people. Cheap alcohol is typically not the best for you and it is the most abused. It can caus liver diseases.

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Child obesity 'a major problem'

Almost one in four five-year olds and one in three 11-year olds is overweight or obese, according to the national child measurement programme.

In 2006/07, 80% of children in England starting and finishing primary school took part in the weighing scheme, compared with half the previous year.

Rates of obesity are worst in the North East, West Midlands and London, the NHS Information Centre report said.

Campaigners said awareness of what was a "normal weight" needed to improve.

The measurement scheme, which children can opt out of, came under fire in 2005/6 because only 48% of children were weighed.

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So children are fatter than they need to be. I am not saying it is a good thing however I think it is understandable. There are more entertaining things to do besides play outside these days, i have like 300 tv channels, that is a lot compared to the three there used to be. Also "back in the day" there was not a McDonalds around every corner. It is not good, just understandable.

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Early release for foreign inmates

Foreign prisoners are to be released earlier because of overcrowding in jails in England and Wales, the government has announced.

Justice Minister David Hanson said foreign inmates could now be deported 270 days before serving half their sentence - rather than the present 135.

The Ministry of Justice said all those freed would be deported, not released onto Britain's streets.

Last week, the prison population reached a record high of 81,918.

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If your prisons are overpopulated it is time to move some people out, especially if the population reached a record 81,918. It is never a good thing to release dangerous inmates, but you have to do what you have to do.

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Olympic boycott has 'no purpose'

Any call for a boycott of this summer's Beijing Games would be counter-productive, the Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell has said.

Her comments come after a group of Nobel Prize winners, international athletes and politicians wrote a letter to the Chinese president.

It asks him to use his influence in Sudan to end the conflict in Darfur.

Tessa Jowell said calls for a boycott Were a "great pity" and Britain was still committed to attending the games.

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I understand that yeah... the conflict needs to end, but the Olympics have not been boycotted since i believe the eighties, in the cold war. That is going backwards.

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Police are told they can use Taser guns on children???

Police have been given the go-ahead to use Taser stun guns against children.

The relaxing of restrictions on the use of the weapons comes despite warnings that they could trigger a heart attack in youngsters.

Until now, Tasers - which emit a 50,000-volt electric shock - have been used only by specialist officers as a "non lethal" alternative to firearms.

However, they can now be used against all potentially violent offenders even if they are unarmed.

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So now the British Police can tase small inocent children, what is going on? If a child is an imminent threat okay, but come on!

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