Scottish Voters 'Anxious About UK Break Away'

By James Matthews, Scotland Correspondent

A survey of Scottish attitudes has detailed the country's hopes and fears over independence.

The Survey of Scottish Social Attitudes found a small rise in support for breaking away from the UK, but exposed reservations over the economy and of diminished international influence.

Researchers also found the gap in support between men and women had doubled in size.

Last year, 26% of women backed independence compared to 27% in 2014. The comparative rise among men was from 32% to 39%.

Researchers believe that women are more wary of the uncertainties of independence and so are less inclined to support it.

The annual survey's other key findings include:

:: Independence

In 2013, excluding undecided voters, 36% of Scots backed independence. This year, that's risen to 39%.

In contrast, those against independence numbered 64% in 2013. This year that has fallen to 61%.

:: Economy

In 2013, 34% thought Scotland's economy would be worse under independence. In 2014, the figure has increased to 44%

:: International influence

In 2013, 25% of Scots believed independence would make Scotland's voice weaker. In 2014, the figure has risen to 38%

:: Britishness

When forced to choose one single identity, the number of Scots describing themselves as British has increased from 15% in 2011 to 23% now.

:: Currency

On one of the key issues at the heart of the referendum debate, people were asked what currency an independent Scotland would be using a few years after breaking away.

Some 46% of respondents thought it would be using the pound. This is in spite of pro-Union parties warning that an independent Scotland would be denied the pound.

Some 18% said it would use the euro, while 17% said it would use a new currency.

John Curtice, the co-director of the Scottish Social Attitudes survey at ScotCen Social Research commented: "Although support for a Yes vote has increased during the last 12 months, more voters have in fact become nervous about the consequences of leaving the UK.

"Support for independence has only increased because those who are convinced it would be beneficial for Scotland are more willing to put their cross in the Yes box.

"However, at present there are still insufficient voters who are of that view to deliver a majority for independence."

Rachel Ormston, research director at ScotCen said: "In the final weeks of the campaign, capturing women's votes remains a key challenge, particularly for the Yes campaign.

"Put off by uncertainty and less likely to be persuaded by patriotic arguments around 'pride', women still need to be convinced that independence will deliver on the economy and other areas."

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Mum Saves Child As Buggy Sucked On To Tracks

A mother and her small child had a narrow escape after the youngster's buggy was blown on to Tube tracks just seconds before a train arrived.

The woman was seen on CCTV video putting her life at risk by running on to the line to pick up the pushchair and get the child back to safety.

Police are trying to trace the woman and man

Police said the "frightening incident" could have been deadly and are trying to trace her along with a man who had left the buggy at the bottom of the stairs between two platforms just beforehand.

The man left the pushchair between two platforms

He had gone to help other family members just as wind from the tunnel caught hold of the pushchair after a train left one of the platforms at London's Goodge Street station.

Officers want to make sure the youngster was not hurt in the fall which happened just before 7.30pm on Wednesday, July 23. Images of the near-miss have just been released as part of their public appeal.

It was blown onto the tracks by wind from a tunnel

Chief Inspector Mark Lawrie said: "This was a frightening incident, not just for the scale of the danger the child was exposed to, but also because the woman then put her own life on the line by going on to the tracks."

The moment it tipped onto the line

He added: "This incident shows just how much respect rail passengers should have for the network."

The woman was seen running towards the tracks

Anyone with information can call police on 0800 40 50 40 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. The log TSUB/B12 of 11/8/14 should be quoted in calls.

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British May Use RAF Tornados In Iraq Mission

PM Urged To Recall Parliament Over Iraq Crisis

Updated: 4:05pm UK, Monday 11 August 2014

David Cameron has been urged to recall Parliament from its summer recess to address the growing crisis in Iraq.

The world has watched images from the war-torn country in horror amid reports of the displacement and slaughter of minority Christians and Yazidis by Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, in northern Iraq.

A Downing Street source told Sky News the focus is entirely on humanitarian support, with no plans to recall MPs. In recent times, a recall has only been used when military options were on the table.

"The key priority is getting support to people in desperate need," the source said.

The source added Mr Cameron, who is currently on a family summer holiday in Portugal, was "in constant contact with senior ministers and officials" via phone calls and other means.

The Prime Minister is expected to return from the seaside town of Cascais later this week.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, who earlier chaired an emergency meeting to discuss the crisis in Iraq, ruled out any military action in Iraq "at the present time".

"We have a very clear convention about consulting Parliament before British forces are committed into any kind of combat, but we are not talking about that here, we are simply talking about humanitarian actions," he said.

"We don't envisage a combat role at the present time," he added.

The UK has been airdropping aid including tents, food and water in northern Iraq to help tens of thousands of displaced people across the region.

However, Tory backbencher Conor Burns said the Government's action of airdropping supplies in affected areas was "not strong enough" - and asserted the UK should join the US in airstrikes.

The Bournemouth West MP said he was not advocating a ground war, but believed Special Forces should be involved.

"I have been following this really closely for the last couple of weeks but having seen some of the images earlier I was quite seriously overcome," he said.

"These are brother and sister Christians, and this is happening to them in no small part because of our record in Iraq.

"These people are being beheaded by people from IS, and our only response is to drop some food or water on them.

"I think we should be answering positively requests from the Kurds to arm them. I think we should be looking at asylum."

The former head of the army, Lord Dannatt, also backed a parliamentary recall, insisting Britain was "watching in horror" as atrocities were committed.

"In the face of a crisis of this scale, with the potential for so much human misery, this is not the moment for decision-makers to be on holiday," he wrote in the Sunday Telegraph.

Lord Dannatt said it may be necessary to put UK troops on the ground to direct air support.

"The United States in the lead and us in support. We all bear some responsibility," he told the BBC.

"The breakdown in society in Iraq post-2003, we have some culpability for that and so it is difficult for us to say 'Not our problem'."

Tory MPs Nick de Bois and David Burrowes also joined the calls for Parliament to be recalled.

In a letter to Mr Cameron, they said the persecution in Iraq imposed "a moral obligation and a duty to our constituents to reconvene so that the escalating crisis can be properly debated".

The calls came as senior US officials announced the Obama administration has begun directly providing Kurdish forces with weapons to defend themselves against attacks by ISIS.

Meanwhile, it has been reported a Portsmouth man who went to Syria last October to fight with Islamic State militants has been killed.

Muhammad Hamidur Rahman, a 25-year-old former Primark supervisor, was reportedly part of a group of six jihadists from the British coastal city who went to fight President Bashar al Assad's forces.

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Boy, 4, Killed In West Yorkshire House Fire

A four-year-old boy has died after he and a 10-year-old child were rescued from a blaze at a house in West Yorkshire.

Emergency services were called to the property after smoke was seen rising from a rear bedroom at the home in Keighley, near Bradford, around 2pm on Monday.

Both children were rescued from the property and taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.

The 10-year-old boy is now recovering from his injuries, which are not life-threatening. The four-year-old died in hospital.

Police are investigating the cause of the fire, which was confined to the bedroom.

Detective Superintendent Simon Atkinson said: "Initial inquiries are under way with colleagues in the fire service to determine the cause of this fire and are at a very early stage.

"Clearly this has been a tragic incident in which a young child has lost his life and a full investigation will be carried out."

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Panda Tian Tian Expecting, Says Edinburgh Zoo

It looks as though Tian Tian the panda is pregnant and may give birth at the end of this month, Edinburgh Zoo says.

The female half of the panda duo - Yang Guang is the male - is spending more and more time asleep, according to officials.

They have been watching her since she was artificially inseminated on April 13.

Tian Tian has a lack of appetite and is very sleepy

Iain Valentine, director of pandas, said: "The latest scientific data suggests Tian Tian the giant panda is now pregnant and that implantation has taken place; therefore, she may give birth at the end of the month.

"This is all very new and complex science and we still have a bit of time to go yet, as like last year, the late loss of a cub remains entirely possible."

The zoo's live webcam says Tian Tian is unlikely to be seen in the lead up to a possible birth.

"She is experiencing an increase in progesterone levels, which she will experience whether pregnant or pseudo pregnant, and this gives her a lack of appetite and make her very sleepy," it reports.

"If she is pregnant it is important we actively encourage her to spend as much time as possible in her off show den, where her cubbing box is, as this is the ideal area for her to give birth in."

Tian Tian, whose name means Sweetie, and Yang Guang - Sunshine - arrived at Edinburgh Zoo in 2011 on loan from China for a decade.

She was expecting last year but lost the cub late on in the pregnancy.

Pregnancy in pandas is notoriously difficult to predict so it will be known for sure only when Tian Tian gives birth.

Two colleagues from China are due to travel to Scotland within days, the zoo said.

 

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Prisoners Lose Voting Rights Compensation Bid

A group of British prisoners have lost a compensation bid for being denied the right to vote.

However, the European Court of Human Rights said in its ruling that denying them the vote was a breach of human rights.

Ten prisoners took the case to the ECHR after being denied the right to vote in elections to the European Parliament on June 4, 2009.

The court ruled that was a violation of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights - right to a free election.

The judges said they had reached this conclusion because the case was the same as another prisoner voting case in the UK. In that case, the blanket ban was deemed a breach.

They accepted the UK had taken steps about the situation by producing a draft bill and a report from a committee which recommended that prisoners who were serving 12 months or less should be eligible to vote.

However, the judges observed, the legislation remained unchanged currently, therefore there was a violation of the convention.

As the court refused the prisoners' demand for compensation or legals costs, the Government will not have to pay out for hundreds of similar cases.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "The Government has always been clear that it believes prisoner voting is an issue that should ultimately be decided in the UK.

"The Government is reflecting on the report from the Joint Committee on Prisoner Voting Rights and is actively considering its recommendations.

"This is not a straightforward issue and the Government needs to think carefully about the recommendations, which included new options for implementation."

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Criminal Probe Into Manchester's Police Chief

Greater Manchester Police's top officer is subject to a criminal investigation over a "poorly handled" inquiry into a suspected sex offender, the police watchdog has said.

Chief Constable Sir Peter Fahy has been served with criminal and gross misconduct notices following investigations, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said.

A serving detective superintendent and a detective chief inspector have also been handed the same type of notices in relation to the investigation into the alleged sex offender.

The watchdog said a fourth officer, who is retired, will also be served with criminal and gross misconduct notices over the case.

Sir Peter, who joined the police in 1981, issued a statement, saying: "As a chief constable, you face making complex decisions on a daily basis about many high-risk and challenging situations.

"It is right that this decision-making is scrutinised and that I am held to account as part of this investigation."

One of the investigations relates to the victims of Harold Shipman

The IPCC has carried out three investigations - one was about the sexual abuse investigation, another looked into claims concerning serial killer Harold Shipman's victims and a third probed allegations against a detective chief inspector.

Assistant Chief Constable Terry Sweeney has been served with a gross misconduct notice for his oversight in the disposal of body parts belonging to Shipman's victims.

It has been previously reported that tissue samples were taken from 12 of Shipman's female victims in order to confirm the cause of death.

They were stored for a number of years, but in 2011 police decided to "respectfully dispose" of the samples without letting the women's families know.

Relatives of Shipman's victims are being kept informed as the probe progresses and a major incident room has been set up, the IPCC said.

The investigation was prompted by allegations made by a whistleblower.

Investigators at the IPCC said they have a sizeable number of GMP documents which relate to all three inquires and interviewed the whistleblower.

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'Bedroom Tax' Suicide: Brother Defends Policy

By Lisa Dowd, Midlands Correspondent

The brother of a woman who killed herself after becoming "stressed and anxious" over the Government's so-called "bedroom tax" has defended the policy.

Kevin Owens said his sister should have moved out of the three-bedroom council house where she was living alone into a smaller property on offer and given "somebody else a chance" of a family home.

Mr Owens was speaking after the inquest into the death of his sister Stephanie Bottrill, 52, who died after walking in front of a lorry on the M6 motorway on May 4 last year.

The Birmingham coroner's court heard that the day before her death, Ms Bottrill had visited her GP with her daughter, Laura, 23, and said she was unhappy because she felt under pressure to make a decision about moving house due to social housing reforms.

Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith has defended the policy

The former postal worker said she was "happy" to move to a smaller property but that she had been given just 30 minutes to make a decision. She felt she had not been given enough time to think it through "hence the suicide plan".

The housing changes introduced by the Government mean that those living in social housing deemed too large for their needs have to pay a "tax" on "spare" bedrooms or move to a smaller home.

Ms Bottrill's son, Steven, who was not present at the inquest, had previously told journalists that his mother had left a note saying she had killed herself because she was struggling to pay the "bedroom tax". 

But Mr Owens said after the inquest he did not think she had been given 30 minutes to make a decision and that she had attempted suicide before and on this occasion the housing changes could have been the "excuse she was looking for".

He said: "She wasn't prepared to give someone else a chance as far as I can see and for social housing to work it's a system that people need to take their turn and when it's their turn they need to pass those houses on."

The Lib Dems withdrew their support for the housing changes

He added: "When you're adequately housed by successive governments and your needs are met then you must give somebody else a turn. It's terrible that people in this country are cramped into one and two bedroom flats with children while other people sit on three bedroom houses."

The inquest was told that Ms Bottrill, of Solihull, had been suffering with stress and depression "on and off" since 1993. In 1995 she had taken an overdose. In 2010 she said she had "dark thoughts" following a dispute with a neighbour.

The coroner Zafar Siddique recorded a verdict of suicide and said it was clear from the note Ms Bottrill had left that "because of the housing changes she felt under considerable anxiety and stress".

A spokesman for Solihull Council said Ms Bottrill had contacted them about the move and that she would not have been asked to make a decision in 30 minutes.

:: Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90 or CALM on 0800 58 58 58.

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Three Brothers Missing After Going On Bike Ride

Police in Sunderland are trying to find three brothers who went missing on Monday afternoon.

Remus, 15, Janko, 12, and 10-year-old David Matlock were last seen on a bike ride between their home at The Oaks and Mowbray Park.

The boys were expected to return to their foster parents by 8pm on Monday evening but they did not appear, nor did they answer their mobiles.

They have not gone missing before, Northumbria Police said.

The boys are Polish, but speak good English.

Remus is described as 5ft 7in, of slim build, dark-coloured hair in a big quiff at the front and shaved at the back.

He was last seen wearing joggers, baseball cap and T-shirt and a black cycling helmet.

Janko is 4ft 8in, of medium build, with fairer hair also styled in a quiff and short at the back.

He was last seen wearing smart mustard coloured chinos, converse type trainers, blue lightweight waterproof jacket with a white zip and a silver cycling helmet

David is 4ft 8in with shaggy dark brown hair. He was possibly wearing shorts and a top and a silver coloured cycling helmet.

The boys have family members in Blyth and South Shields and police have asked anyone who knows where they are to contact police on 101 quoting log number 1276. 

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Festival Death: Woman Found Hanged In Toilet

A woman who died at a music festival was found hanged in a campsite toilet, an inquest has heard.

Lisa Marie Williamson, 31, was attending the BoomTown Fair event in Winchester, Hampshire, when she was found unconscious in a toilet by security staff and medics at 1.50pm on Saturday.

Mrs Williamson, from Bromyard, Hereford, who was at the event with her husband, was taken from the Matterley Estate to hospital in Winchester but died shortly after her arrival.

The inquest, which was adjourned, heard the cause of death was hanging, with further investigation to be carried out.

The full inquest will be held in Winchester on October 7, a Coroner's Service spokesman said.

Around 38,000 people attended the four-day festival, which featured acts including Jimmy Cliff, Shaggy and Alabama 3.

Last year Ellie Rowe, 18, from Glastonbury in Somerset, died at the BoomTown festival after taking the horse tranquilliser ketamine.

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