Sabtu, 23 April 2022

Drone pictures of heath fire at Canford Heath - Bournemouth Echo

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  1. Drone pictures of heath fire at Canford Heath  Bournemouth Echo
  2. Huge wildfires rage in Dorset - fire crews battle blaze as residents ordered to evacuate  Express
  3. Firefighters battling 'significant' blaze at heathland in Dorset  Bridgwater Mercury
  4. Fire crews spend hours tackling blaze at Gorton allotment  Manchester Evening News
  5. 'Significant' fire being tackled at Lodmoor bird reserve  Dorset Echo
  6. View Full coverage on Google News

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2022-04-23 21:05:47Z
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Bedworth: Three stabbed and 10 others hurt in town centre attack - BBC

Gilbert Close

Two men and a woman have been stabbed and at least 10 other people injured in a town centre.

Officers were called at about 08:00 BST to reports of people being assaulted in Bedworth, Warwickshire, on Coventry Road and Gilbert Close.

One of the men who was stabbed, aged in his 20s, is in a stable condition in hospital.

A 33-year-old man, from Bedworth, has been arrested and remains in custody, the force said.

It added he would undergo a mental health assessment and officers were not looking for any other suspects.

The other two stab victims have been discharged from hospital after treatment; the other victims all suffered minor injuries.

One woman told the BBC she was woken up by loud bangs on her front door and, when she answered, a man punched her twice and stabbed her in the throat with a pair of scissors.

A neighbour, Sheila Corcoran, said the attacks had made her feel unsafe: "You are always going to think now, is somebody going to come and bang the door?"

Police officer on patrol in Bedworth

Det Sgt Rich Simpkins described it as a "nasty incident" and said he wanted to hear from anyone else who might have been attacked.

"We know that a number of people were in the area at around the time of the incident and that there may be more members of the public who may have been approached or assaulted," he said.

Extra police patrols will be carried out in and around the town centre, the force said.

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2022-04-23 17:34:01Z
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Jacob Rees-Mogg criticised for leaving 'demeaning' notes for civil servants working from home - Sky News

Jacob Rees-Mogg has been criticised for leaving "crass, demeaning" notes on the empty desks of civil servants urging them to return to the office.

The government efficiency minister has recently called for the "rapid return" of civil servants to their desks in Whitehall now COVID restrictions have ended.

In notes left for civil servants, he wrote: "Sorry you were out when I visited.

"I look forward to seeing you in the office very soon."

Sky News understands Mr Rees-Mogg's department, the Cabinet Office, was completely empty when he left the notes.

He is said to consider it very important for the taxpayer to see that the government is working properly and the Whitehall estate is well used.

Dave Penman, the head of the civil servants' union FDA, said Mr Rees-Mogg was "virtue signalling to his political base" and in doing so damaging the morale of civil servants.

Mr Penman told Sky News: "That a minister would think it appropriate to leave such crass, demeaning notes for civil servants is testament to just how disconnected Jacob Rees-Mogg is from the business of government.

"With every pronouncement and display like this, he demonstrates that he has no clue how the modern workplace operates and cares little about the effective delivery of vital public services.

"Instead, he's intent on virtue signalling to his political base, and is either oblivious to or simply doesn't care about the damage he's doing to the morale of civil servants and the reputation of the civil service as an employer."

Mr Penman added: "Ministers should care about what is being delivered by the civil service, not where someone sits at a particular point in the day.

"It's time Rees-Mogg's cabinet colleagues stood up for the staff in their departments and ended the harmful culture war that's being waged on the very people tasked with delivering the government's agenda."

Labour's deputy leader, Angela Rayner, tweeted: "Hasn't Jacob Rees-Mogg got more important thing to be doing than pottering around leaving creepy notes for public servants? We're not in the 18th Century now."

Read more:
Rees-Mogg refuses to apologise for calling partygate scandal 'fluff'

Rees-Mogg made minister for Brexit opportunities

Earlier this month, Mr Rees-Mogg wrote to all secretaries of state arguing that ending working from home now COVID restrictions have been scrapped would bring the benefits of "face-to-face collaborative working".

He also sent ministers a league table showing which departments had been sending staff into the office most, with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) at the top, and the Department for Education at the bottom.

The league table showed how many employees from each department were going into the office on an average day during the week beginning 4 April.

At the Department for Education, 25% were going in, on average, while the rest worked remotely, with the Department for Work and Pensions at 27% and the Foreign Office at 31%.

The DTI had 73% in the office, followed by the Department of Health at 72%, and Mr Rees-Mogg's department, the Cabinet Office, at 69%.

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2022-04-23 15:13:42Z
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Dog homes inundated with people returning their pets as the cost-of-living crisis bites - Sky News

A charity is being inundated with calls from people looking to give up their dogs due to the cost-of-living crisis.

Birmingham Dogs Home has taken in 53% more animals than last year and its two sites are now full.

Charity fundraiser Rachel Frost told Sky News: "I don't think we saw that the cost of living was going to increase.

"We kind of knew about the lockdown dogs and people not having the time for them once things got back to normal, the socialising aspect of dogs during lockdown, so we foresaw we were going to get an increase in dogs that way, but the cost of living has shocked people."

Birmingham Dogs Home
Image: Birmingham Dogs Home has taken in 53% more animals than last year and their two sites are now full

The charity, which is also battling to absorb the costs of rising utility bills and fuel, is currently housing 130 dogs - with 93 brought to them over the last month.

Cersi, a one-eyed French bulldog, will soon be looking for a new home after veterinary treatment. She was taken in because her owner could no longer afford her.

"Everything's gone up, so that's really tough on families, it's a very hard decision to make," Ms Frost added.

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At Christmas, the RSPCA rescued 29% more animals than the previous year in England and Wales.

The charity said it was expecting to see a further increase by summer due to the cost-of-living crisis.

Cersi, a one- eyed 4 year old French bulldog, owner couldn’t afford her. After treatment for her eye is completed she’ll be ready for a new home.
Image: Cersi, a one-eyed French bulldog. Her owner couldn't afford to keep her

A spokesperson told Sky News: "For those who are struggling to care for their pet as a result of the cost-of-living crisis, we would urge people to please seek help from friends and family, or reputable charities like ourselves.

"We're concerned that we could see a rise in abandonments as the rising cost of living puts a strain on people's finances or we could see a rise in pets being treated with home remedies to cut costs instead of being taken to the vet.

"This could all have a worrying impact on animal welfare."

Bear, a 4 year old Pomeranian, who has had a testicular tumour removed. Bear will soon be ready to be re- homed.
Image: Bear will soon be ready to be rehomed

Tumours, knee surgery and skin irritations are amongst the problems that vets at Birmingham Dogs Home are dealing with.

The average cost of caring for a small dog is around £50 a month, but that doesn't include cover if things go wrong.

Vet Matt Perks explained: "In terms of insurance, there's a wide range out there - but you're probably looking at £50 a month for a good level of cover with lifetime cover.

"It's so worth that security. If, for example, a dog ever needs an MRI scan, you're probably talking £2,500 to £3,000 for a scan alone, some orthopaedic procedures we're talking well into thousands of pounds.

"During lockdown, people went out and bought a dog thinking it's a good idea and then it's only an afterthought when the dog starts getting problems - and is probably why we end up with these relinquishments, because people can't afford the care."

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2022-04-23 00:59:51Z
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Jumat, 22 April 2022

Hakeem Hussain: Drug addict Laura Heath found guilty of manslaughter after son dies of asthma attack - Sky News

A drug addict mother has been found guilty of the manslaughter of her asthmatic son after he died alone and "gasping for air" in a garden.

Laura Heath deliberately "prioritised her addiction to heroin and crack cocaine" prior to the "needless, premature" death of seven-year-old Hakeem Hussain on Sunday 26 November 2017, Coventry Crown Court heard.

The 40-year-old, formerly of Long Acre in Nechells, Birmingham, has been convicted of gross negligence manslaughter after her "frail" son died of an asthma attack at the home of a friend where they had been staying.

Images shown in court revealed how Heath, who had a £55-a-day drug habit, had even modified one of her son's blue inhalers with foil and an elastic band so she could use it to smoke crack.

It emerged during the trial that school nurse Melanie Richards had told a child protection conference just two days before Hakeem's death he could "die at the weekend".

Health, education and social workers voted to protect Hakeem at the same conference.

However, the meeting ended with an agreement that the family's social worker would speak to Heath about the outcome on the Monday - by which time Hakeem had died.

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Neelam Ahmed, a family outreach worker at the boy's school, told jurors how she had voted at that meeting "to take Hakeem immediately in to care".

Both Ms Richards and Ms Ahmed scored Hakeem's safety as "zero" out of 10.

Andy Couldrick, chief executive of Birmingham Children's Trust, said after the verdict that social workers missed "clear opportunities" to prevent the boy's death.

The jury also heard how Heath had previously had other children taken into care.

A serious case review into all agencies' contact with the youngster and his mother, before his death, is set to be published within weeks.

Undated handout photo issued by West Midlands Police of drugs paraphernalia and inhalers found at property at which drug user Laura Heath is alleged to have unlawfully killed Hakeem Hussain through gross negligence, after using his inhaler to smoke drugs. Issue date: Tuesday April 5, 2022.
Image: Heath modified a blue inhaler with foil and an elastic band so she could use it to smoke crack

Boy had been in hospital three times before his death

Crown counsel Matthew Brook said when opening the case that Hakeem had been repeatedly absent from school and had experienced three emergency admissions to hospital.

The third was when he spent four days in Birmingham Children's Hospital's high dependency unit for four days in September 2017 to receive treatment for his "life-threatening" condition.

Prosecutors said Heath should have been well aware of Hakeem's spiralling health problems.

However, Heath "failed to administer" any "preventer" asthma medication in the two days before he died and did not have access to a spacer device used to get more drugs into a child's lungs, her trial heard.

Police searches later found part of a spacer amid the squalor of mouldy food, over-filled ashtrays, and drugs paraphernalia in her home.

Undated handout photo issued by West Midlands Police of the kitchen at the property of drug user Laura Heath who allegedly has unlawfully killed Hakeem Hussain through gross negligence, after using his inhaler to smoke drugs. Issue date: Tuesday April 5, 2022.
Image: Police have released images of the home where Laura Heath lived with her son in Birmingham

Heath smoked three bags of heroin the night before son's death

During the trial it was heard Heath had been living in a home on Long Acre since 2013, with one visitor describing the conditions as "disgusting".

The same witness told how Hakeem said he had no bed, sleeping instead on the sofa, while there was evidence Heath used an upstairs bedroom for sex work to fund her habit with a basket of condoms next to the mattress.

In the days before his death, Heath recently started staying with a friend, Timothy Busk who lived in a flat in Cook Street, a short walk away.

One visitor described it as being "foggy and smoky" inside and a "mess", the court heard.

Heath would later tell police she smoked three bags of heroin - two before Hakeem went to bed at 10.30pm - and one afterwards, leaving her in a drug-induced sleep on the night before her son died.

Undated handout photo issued by West Midlands Police of the living room at the property of drug user Laura Heath who allegedly has unlawfully killed Hakeem Hussain through gross negligence, after using his inhaler to smoke drugs. Issue date: Tuesday April 5, 2022.
Image: A witness told the court Hakeem would sleep on the sofa rather than in bed

Mr Busk then woke Heath up at 7.37am on Sunday 26 November 2017 and told her he had found Hakeem dead in the garden and had carried his gaunt body to the sofa.

Heath phoned 999 and later told police in interview: "Hakeem was freezing and his lips were blue.

"Hakeem would go out when he was unwell and must have fallen asleep (when outside).

"I just suspect he didn't wake me up, took himself to get fresh air and then probably fell asleep."

Jurors heard Hakeem's father - who attended much of the trial - was in prison at the time of the boy's death for an offence not related to his son.

Heath will be sentenced on Thursday.

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2022-04-22 16:55:18Z
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Luton flat fire: Man fell to his death from burning high-rise after police arrived to hunt arsonist - Sky News

A man fell to his death from a burning high-rise flat after police arrived to hunt a suspected arsonist living there.

Detectives had been investigating three attempted arson attacks on local properties in the early hours of Wednesday and used CCTV footage to identify a suspect living on the 14th floor of a flat in Green Court, Luton, Bedfordshire.

Five officers were sent to the home, in a 15-storey block, at around 4am on Thursday but arrived to find the entrance on fire.

They tried to get inside to rescue the man but were overcome by the flames, police said.

One of the officers suffered serious burns and remained in hospital on Friday.

The others were treated for "minor injuries and smoke inhalation" and discharged.

Emergency services were called to the scene but police said the "fire took further hold of the flat" before the man, in his 50s, fell from a window and died.

More from UK

He had not been formally identified by Friday afternoon.

Police have contacted the next of kin of the person they believe him to be, while the matter has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

Assistant Chief Constable Sharn Basra said: "This is a tragic case and we are working hard to establish all of the facts of what took place.

"Our focus on Thursday was on identifying the man who had died and tracing his family members before we released any further information publicly.

"We have also been carefully recovering all possible evidence from the scene and assisting residents who had been displaced from their homes.

"What is clear from the evidence collected so far is the bravery of the attending officer, who tried to fight through the flames to save the man inside.

"Our thoughts remain with both him as he recovers in hospital and the loved ones of the man who sadly died."

More than 100 residents were evacuated from the building on Thursday morning, with the majority allowed back into their flats by the evening.

Anyone with information which may aid the investigation is asked to call 101 or get in touch with police through beds.police.uk/ro/report, quoting Operation Cheagle.

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2022-04-22 17:32:43Z
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Boris Johnson Sparks Outrage in India With Bulldozer Photo Shoot - Bloomberg

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  1. Boris Johnson Sparks Outrage in India With Bulldozer Photo Shoot  Bloomberg
  2. Boris Johnson denies misleading parliament and wants to focus on India trip  Guardian News
  3. 'No question' of PM quitting, regardless of demands for him to go, says minister - as India tour continues  Sky News
  4. Editor's letter: Boris Johnson's trip to India is a balm for his very bruised ego  The Independent
  5. Boris Johnson’s trip to India won’t work – Modi and Putin are closer than the west realises  The Independent
  6. View Full coverage on Google News

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2022-04-22 05:04:00Z
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