jueves, 9 de mayo de 2013

Childcare ratio plans 'in chaos', says Labour

Nick Clegg: "When the last [Labour] government changed the so-called ratios... it had almost no effect in reducing cost" 
Plans to allow childminders and nursery staff to look after more children in England are in "chaos", Labour says.
It follows Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg admitting he had doubts about whether it would cut costs for parents, and also concerns about child safety.
Labour's Stephen Twigg asked an urgent Commons question on plans he said faced "overwhelming opposition".
Education minister Elizabeth Truss told MPs the current system was not working and was unaffordable for many people.
According to leaked letters seen by the BBC's James Landale, Mr Clegg gave Ms Truss the clearance to press ahead with a consultation on the policy in December.
Some Tory sources have asked why Mr Clegg did not raise his concerns about safety and impracticality at the time - but the Lib Dems insist Mr Clegg signed up to a consultation, not a policy.
'Better value' Responding to Labour's urgent Commons question, Ms Truss said the government was now considering responses to the consultation and would make further announcements "in due course".

Read the letters 

Most computers will open PDF documents automatically, but you may need Adobe Reader 
She said no nursery or childminder would be forced to look after more children, and the government was giving them the chance to exercise more professional responsibility.
"The current system of childcare is not working for parents, too many parents in the UK are struggling to juggle their work and childcare arrangements."
Ms Truss said the government spent £5bn on childcare and needed to get "better value for money for the investment the government puts in".
"At present, we have the tightest ratios in Europe for children under three and we also have the lowest staff salaries," she said.
The government believes that by increasing the number of children that an adult can look after it will make childcare more affordable and more accessible.
But Nick Clegg has now spoken out to say he doesn't believe that policy will work. He doesn't think any savings will be passed on by the nurseries and believes the policy is unpopular with parents.
What is striking is there appears to be no attempt, particularly by the Conservatives, to play down the difference in the views between the two coalition parties.
So we have Nick Clegg making his views known on his weekly radio phone-in, and then, minutes later, Conservative minister Liz Truss giving a robust defence of the idea in the Commons.
She says the UK has some of highest adult-to-child ratios in Europe and without action, the high charges will stop some people getting back into work.
Grant Shapps, the Tory chairman, insists the reforms to childcare ratios will still happen.
But the divisions between the two party leaders over one of the coalition's flagship policies - David Cameron has said sorting childcare out was the "holy Grail" of UK politics - could now put the policy in jeopardy.
She argued that without reform, "we are going to find that it becomes prohibitive for many parents to afford childcare and be able to go out to work".
"These policies are alive and well in France, Ireland, in Holland and in Germany. There is not a single country, including Scotland, where ratios are as low as they are in England."
The plans would allow nursery staff to look after four babies instead of three and six two-year-olds, instead of the current limit of four.
Home-based childminders would be allowed to look after two babies under one, instead of one as currently, and four one-to-five-year-olds, up from three.
But carers' qualifications would have to meet new standards.
The plans were due to be implemented in September but have been met with opposition from some parents' groups and charities.
BBC News Channel chief political correspondent Norman Smith said there appeared to be a rift between Lib Dem Mr Clegg and Conservative Education Minister Elizabeth Truss over the issue and it was difficult to see how the policy could proceed, unless David Cameron threw his weight behind it.
Mr Clegg told LBC similar changes for three- and four-year-olds under the previous Labour government had had "almost no effect" on childcare costs for parents.
He said the government was "grappling" with the issue and had to "get the balance right".
"We've been talking about this for weeks and weeks," he said.
Elizabeth Truss: "If we don't reform the supply of childcare, it will become prohibitive for many parents to afford childcare and go out to work"
"I'm absolutely passionate that we should do more as a country to make sure childcare is better quality but also more affordable."
Speaking in the House of Commons, shadow education secretary Stephen Twigg said the split was "another example of chaos and incompetence at the heart of government, particularly in the Department of Education".
He said the scale of opposition to the plans had been "overwhelming" and told the BBC: "Nobody wants this, parents don't want this, the experts don't want this, the government's own adviser on childcare, Cathy Nutbrown, has said this isn't a good idea."
Conservative backbencher Peter Bone told MPs Mr Clegg should make his remarks in the Commons, not on the radio, and the government should "press on and ignore the Liberal Democrats" over the policy.

Prosecutors request new corruption trial for Berlusconi

Silvio Berlusconi (28 February 2011) Silvio Berlusconi denies any wrongdoing 
Italian prosecutors have requested that former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi face trial for allegedly bribing a senator to switch parties.
Mr Berlusconi is accused of paying a left-wing senator 3m euros ($3.9m) to defect to his right-wing People of Freedom party (PDL) in 2006.
Mr Berlusconi says he is a victim of a campaign by a left-wing judiciary.
On Saturday, he will lead a rally in the city of Brescia against a fraud conviction upheld on Wednesday.
In that case, Mr Berlusconi was convicted of artificially inflating prices of film distribution rights bought by his company, Mediaset, to avoid taxes.
The 76-year-old faces a four-year prison sentence and five-year ban from public office for that conviction, and is expected to appeal against the decision to Italy's highest court, the Court of Cassation.

Silvio Berlusconi's trials

  • Accused of paying for sex with an underage prostitute: Verdict due
  • Convicted and sentenced to a year in jail for arranging leak of police wiretap. Remains free while appeals process under way.
  • Accused of tax fraud over deals his firm Mediaset made to purchase TV rights to US films: Convicted in October 2012; Sentence upheld by appeals court in May
  • Two other corruption cases involving tax evasion and bribery of a British lawyer: Expired under statute of limitations 
The corruption charges filed on Thursday relate to a payment allegedly made to Sergio De Gregorio, a senator from Naples.
His defection weakened the government of Romano Prodi, which collapsed in 2008, and triggered elections that returned Mr Berlusconi to power.
A judge will now decide whether there is sufficient evidence to put Mr Berlusconi on trial.
Mr De Gregorio has said he took the payments from Mr Berlusconi, and has also been charged.
Prosecutors had an earlier request for a fast-track trial turned down.
Mr Berlusconi is also on trial in Milan on charges of paying for sex with an underage prostitute and abuse of power.
His People of Freedom Party recently joined a coalition government led by centre-left Prime Minister Enrico Letta.

Slovenia unveils reforms as it seeks to avoid EU bailout

Slovenian Prime Minister Alenka Bratusek Slovenia's new Prime Minister, Alenka Bratusek, is hoping to avoid an EU bailout 
The government of Slovenia has announced a package of measures it hopes will help avoid an EU bailout.
The measures include a tax increase, a major restructuring of Slovenia's ailing banking sector, and a programme of mass privatisation.
Slovenia's mostly state-owned banking sector is suffering from mounting bad debts and the government has struggled to borrow money.
The European Commission will now consider the plan.
It is expected to deliver its verdict by the end of the month.
Slovenia has been in recession since 2011, and analysts have cited it as the most likely country to seek help from the EU following the bailout of Cyprus earlier this year.
European officials have expressed concern over the stability of the country's banking sector, which is struggling under billions of euros of bad debts.
Meanwhile the government's ability to borrow money was dealt a blow last week when Moody's, a ratings agency, cut Slovenia's bonds to "junk" status.
Despite this, the government was able to raise 3.5bn euros (£3bn; $4.6bn) from international bond markets last week, which has bought it some time.
State sell-off The package of measures was announced by Slovenia's recently installed Prime Minister, Alenka Bratusek, and her Finance Minister, Uros Cufer.
The measures include a 2% increase in VAT to shore up government finances.
A "bad bank" will also be created to allow the banking sector to offload its bad debts.
Meanwhile a total of 15 publicly-owned businesses will be sold off, including the second biggest bank, Nova KBM, the flag-carrying airline, Adria Airways, and Telekom Slovenia.
The biggest bank, NLB, has already announced plans to downsize.
Announcing the measures, Ms Bratusek said she expected the budget deficit to rise to 7.8% of GDP this year, but was forecast to fall to 3.3% next year.
She also said the VAT increase was decided on as the tax rise with the least impact on economic growth.
Slovenia is seeking to avoid becoming the latest in a strong of EU countries to seek a bailout from European authorities.
Earlier this year Cyprus agreed a 10bn euro bailout with the EU and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after its banking sector faced near collapse.

Cleveland kidnap accused Mr. Castro in court

Prosecutor Brian Murphy said Mr Castro had used the women "in whatever self-gratifying, self-serving way he saw fit''. 
The man accused of imprisoning three women for about a decade in the US city of Cleveland has made his first court appearance.
Ariel Castro, 52, is charged with kidnap and rape. He did not enter a plea.
Bail was set at $8m (£5.1m), meaning in effect that he will remain in custody.
The women were abducted at different times and held in Mr Castro's house. One of those held, Amanda Berry, 27, escaped on Monday and raised the alarm.
The other women freed soon afterwards were Gina DeJesus, 23, and Michelle Knight, 32.
'Premeditated, depraved' Mr Castro, handcuffed and dressed in blue overalls, remained silent and looked down while lawyers spoke to the judge at Cleveland Municipal Court on Thursday.
Ariel Castro's daughter breaks down as she apologises to the victims
County prosecutor Brian Murphy told the court: "The charges against Mr Castro are based on premeditated, deliberate, depraved decisions to snatch three young ladies from Cleveland West Side streets to be used in whatever self-gratifying, self-serving way he saw fit."
He is charged with four counts of kidnapping, covering the three initial abduction victims and Jocelyn, Ms Berry's six-year-old daughter, who was apparently conceived and born in captivity.
The former school bus driver also faces three counts of rape, one against each woman. More charges may be added, officials have said.
Two of Mr Castro's brothers, Pedro and Onil, were also arrested, but police found no evidence they were involved in the crime.
They appeared in court alongside Ariel Castro on unrelated minor charges. Pedro Castro was fined $100 for public drinking, while two charges against Onil Castro were dropped.
Ariel Castro has been put on suicide watch and will be kept in isolation, his court-appointed lawyer Kathleen DeMetz told reporters.
'Wigs and hats' The three women were all abducted after accepting rides from Mr Castro, according to a police report leaked to the media.

Charges against Ariel Castro

  • Four counts of kidnapping - one for each woman and one for a six-year-old girl police say was born in captivity
  • Three counts of rape, one for each woman, representing what police say is years of sexual abuse
  • Bail is set at $8m (£5m), $2m for each alleged victim
  • Charges may be added as the investigation proceeds
On Thursday, Mr Castro's daughter, Arlene, who was one of the last people to see Gina DeJesus before she disappeared in 2004 aged 14, wept during a TV interview.
Describing herself as "disappointed, embarrassed, mainly devastated", she apologised to Ms DeJesus.
The women told officials they could only remember being outside twice during their time in captivity.
Cleveland City Councilman Brian Cummins said the women had told police they had only gone as far as a garage on the property, disguised in wigs and hats.
Mr Cummins, citing police information, said the victims had been kept apart inside the house until their captor felt he had enough control to allow them to mingle.
'Multiple miscarriages' A source told the BBC that one of the women was forced to help Ms Berry deliver her daughter, and was threatened with death if the child did not survive.
Listen to the moment an officer radioed "we found them, we found them" from the house in Cleveland
Her baby was born in a plastic inflatable children's swimming pool on Christmas Day 2006, according to a police report.
Ms Berry was not the only woman who became pregnant during captivity, Mr Cummins said. One of the three women had suffered at least five miscarriages.
Mr Castro is accused of having intentionally caused the miscarriages by starving her for weeks and beating her in the abdomen, according to the city councilman.
Police said more than 200 pieces of evidence had been taken from the home where the three women were held captive.
They said interviews with the women had yielded enough information to charge Mr Castro.
Police said he had been co-operating with them, waiving his right to silence and agreeing to a test to establish Jocelyn's paternity.
On Wednesday hundreds of cheering people welcomed home Ms DeJesus and Ms Berry and her daughter.
Ms Berry, whose disappearance in 2003 the day before her 17th birthday was widely publicised in the local media, escaped on Monday evening by kicking the door and screaming for help, while her alleged captor was out.
Ms Knight, who was 20 when she disappeared in 2002, remains in hospital.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports she had complained of chest pains during her rescue, but she is listed as in good condition.
Map of Cleveland showing location of last sightings and house that the women were rescued from

miércoles, 1 de mayo de 2013

Richie wants 'tramp stamp' gone








 
Nicole Richie has debuted her new AOL web series, titled "#CandidlyNicole." In the first episode, Richie says she's going to get her "tramp stamp" removed -- by "Big Brother" veteran "evil" Dr. Will Kirby, no less.
While in the waiting room, Richie makes friends with the other clients of "Dr. Tattoff," regaling them with the tale of the first tattoo she got -- the tattoo artist asked her friend to hold his gun while she got her tattoo.
Once in the exam room, Richie describes her tattoo as a cross "going down the crack" of her backside. Well, that's ... nifty.
The nurse describes the pain as being like when you fry bacon and the grease splatters on your arm. That doesn't sound too bad, actually, but Richie is interested in being put "completely under."
However, in the end, Richie doesn't end up getting her tattoo removed during this first webisode of her series. It turns out it could take several months to get the tattoo off and she thought it was an immediate, zap-like process.
"I'm hoping in 10 years, when it's really embarrassing, that they'll have new technology," says Richie.

Paris Hilton TRUCE with Lingerie Co. ... Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em


Exclusive
0501-paris-hilton-tmz
Paris Hilton
has made it official ... she's dropping her lawsuit against a swimwear/lingerie company and going into business with her former enemy.

As we reported ... Hilton and Le Bonitas were embroiled in a bitter lawsuit last year over a product deal gone bad. Hilton signed a 5-year contract  to create a line of lingerie, PJs and swimwear, but the project went South.

LB sued Hilton for more than $200,000 for allegedly blowing off her obligations ... and Hilton (repped by Michael Weinsten) sued back for $1.5 million -- but now the two have made peace, agreeing to a totally new lingerie/swimwear deal.

Paris and LB are now saying their old beef is "water under the bridge."

See kids? Money fixes everything.

Call of Duty: Ghosts' Teaser Trailer

_MTV_Call_of_duty_ghosts
There's been a lot of rumors about Infinity Wards' next tour with the uber-popular Call of Duty series but it looks like we'll finally get a sneak peek today. Snipe the video after the break.

It's a bit short on content -- there's no gameplay -- but there seems to be a bit of a tonal shift for the franchise; perhaps moving away from the world shattering events for something more stealthy. We'll find out more as news gets released.
From the press release:
“Infinity Ward set the gold standard for first-person action for a generation, and they’re going to do it again with Call of Duty: Ghosts,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing, Inc. “Ghosts delivers an all-new story, all-new characters, an all-new Call of Duty world, all powered by a next generation Call of Duty engine, which is a leap forward for the franchise. Infinity Ward is going all-in to create the next generation of Call of Duty worthy of the world’s greatest fans."
“Everyone was expecting us to make Modern Warfare 4, which would have been the safe thing to do. But we're not resting on our laurels,” said Mark Rubin, executive producer of developer Infinity Ward. “We saw the console transition as the perfect opportunity to start a new chapter for Call of Duty. So we're building a new sub-brand, a new engine, and a lot of new ideas and experiences for our players. We can't wait to share them with our community."
Additionally, you can check out an exclusive first look at "Call of Duty: Ghosts" by tuning in 10AM PDT on May 21 for Microsoft's Next Generation reveal on Xbox.com, Xbox LIVE or SPIKE TV for the debut of the all-new game from Infinity Ward.
"Call of Duty: Ghosts" will release on Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation3 computer entertainment system and PC on November 5 as well as next generation platforms.

Lil Wayne hospitalized for seizure

(4) |
Lil Wayne performs in concert at the Cruzan Amphitheater in West Palm Beach, Florida on August 2, 2011. UPI/Michael Bush
Lil Wayne performs in concert at the Cruzan Amphitheater in West Palm Beach, Florida on August 2, 
 
Rapper Lil Wayne was hospitalized Tuesday night after suffering multiple seizures and was released this morning. Not long after, his bodyguard found him unconscious in his room, TMZ reports.
Wayne, 30, was rushed back to Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles but was not stabilized and was shaking uncontrollably.
He has been placed in an induced coma and is breathing through tubes. Sources at the hospital told TMZ that Wayne is still in critical condition but is stabilizing.
The prognosis is still uncertain, but his mother flew to Los Angeles last night in case she had to make any health decisions for him. Several other family members and friends in the rap community visited the hospital.
Wayne was hospitalized in March for severe seizures as well, according to Examiner. The rapper said in a radio interview that he had suffered from seizures much of his life as a result of epilepsy.
Doctors tested Wayne and found high amounts of codeine in his system, and sources suspect that he might have overdosed after being released from the hospital Tuesday. His stomach was pumped three times to rid his body of any remaining codeine.
The National Institutes of Health website says that codeine is usually combined with other medication, and that the outcome of codeine overdose depends on how well doctors are able to treat overdose of the other medications. The site lists seizures as a symptom of overdose, and says that even with successful treatment shock and brain damage may occur.
Representatives for the rapper told People he was "doing well," and despite being comatose, messages continue to be sent from his Twitter account.