Abram death: Man killed in 'horrendous attack'

Pic:William Livesley's mother said he would "always be my baby"/bbc/wp
Crime reporter(wp/bbc):
A 21-year-old man has died in what police said was a "horrendous attack".

William Livesley was taken to hospital after the assault on Bickershaw Lane in Abram, Wigan, on Friday night, but died the next day. Greater Manchester Police are treating the death as murder.

Mr Livesley's mother Sylvia described her son as "one in a million".

Post-mortem tests showed Mr Livesley died of a head injury. Two men arrested in connection with the attack have since been released.

A 57-year-old man arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit attempted murder was earlier released while inquiries continue.

A 38-year-old man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder has since been released with no further action.

'Destroyed our family'

Mr Livesley's mother said her son was "idolised" by his younger relatives.

"Billy was one in a million. Those responsible haven't just killed my son, they have destroyed me and our entire family.

"We will always love him and he will always be my baby."

Local football team Abram FC posted a tribute on Facebook, saying: "You were brilliant on the pitch and a brilliant lad off the pitch."

Det Ch Insp Stuart Wilkinson said: "This was a horrific attack on a young man who has tragically lost his life at the hands of others.

"We have specialist officers supporting Billy's family who have understandably been left completely devastated by this and my thoughts are very much with them at this incredibly difficult time."

He thanked local residents for their assistance and support, and urged anyone with information to contact the force.

Minority take up 'life-saving' free health check

Health reporter(wp/bbc):

Fewer than half of people eligible for a NHS health check in England have taken up the offer, despite it being free to everyone over 40.

The routine check can pick up heart problems early and help to prevent dementia, plus highlight the need to stop smoking, NHS England said.

The check-up takes 20 minutes and is carried out by a GP or nurse.

It involves tests on blood pressure, weight and height, and is offered every five years up to the age of 74.

Around 7.15 million people have had a free health check since 2013, yet 15 million are eligible, NHS stats show.

NHS England said identifying people with an irregular heartbeat or high blood pressure and giving them treatment would help to prevent dangerous blood clots which could lead to strokes.

And if more people went for their health check, the number of people having a stroke or other heart problems would reduce, potentially preventing thousands of cases of vascular dementia.

Who can have an NHS health check?

Anyone between the age of 40 and 74 who is generally healthy and doesn't already have any diseases.

You should automatically get an invitation through your GP surgery or local authority every five years.

After the age of 74 you can request a health check-up from your GP or nurse.

What problems can they spot?

By checking blood pressure, family history, lifestyle, height and weight, it is possible to give an idea of your risk of getting heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and type 2 diabetes.

Research shows that people with a history of heart diseases are at least twice as likely to develop vascular dementia.

You will receive personalised advice on how to lower your risk of all those conditions, usually by:

• improving your diet
• taking more exercise
• taking medicines to lower blood pressure or cholesterol
• losing weight
• stopping smoking

If you are 65 or over, you will be told the signs and symptoms of dementia to look out for.

Why this could be a 'life-saving step'

Alistair Burns, national clinical director for dementia and older people's mental health for NHS England said: "Heart disease and dementia are two of the biggest health risks facing people in our country.

"Attending a free NHS health check is a great opportunity to discuss existing health conditions, and to work out how to reduce the risk of developing dementia and other illness in the future."

He said the start of a new year was the right time to commit to "taking a simple, free and potentially life-saving step towards a healthier life".

Public Health England said the check looked at the top causes of premature death and ill health and supported people to take action to reduce their risks.

South Western Railway strike to hit New Year's Eve trains

Staff reporter(wp/bbc):

Passengers on some of the country's busiest rail routes face disruption on New Year's Eve as workers stage a day of strike action in a long-running dispute over guards on trains.

Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) workers on South Western Railway (SWR) walked out at midnight.

The RMT claimed SWR will be "bailed out" by the government for revenue lost as a result of the strike action

The rail operator said it would run a reduced service across the network.

The 24-hour strike will affect services across the south of England, including London Waterloo, the capital's busiest station.

Some rail replacement bus services will be in place and SWR said it would "do everything we can to keep customers moving and reduce disruption".

"The RMT continues to play politics with their ongoing strike action, causing misery at a time when people just want to be with friends and family or get to work," it added.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: "Official parliamentary answers have shown that the government is preparing to bail out South Western Railway for revenues lost as a result of strike action.

"Passengers will be outraged to know that instead of taking steps to resolve this dispute rail ministers are instead prolonging it by using tax payers' money to prop up South Western Railway on strike days."

Which services are affected?

• Basingstoke to London Waterloo: Reduced service with one train an hour running in each direction
• Salisbury to London Waterloo: An hourly reduced service will run
• Guildford to Ascot: A bus service will be in operation
• Portsmouth to London Waterloo: Due to planned engineering works there will be a reduced service and rail replacement services between Woking, Guildford and Haslemere
• Portsmouth to Southampton: Trains will run between Southampton Central and Fareham, with one service every two hours
• London Waterloo to Reading: Two trains an hour will run between Clapham Junction and Reading
• London Waterloo to Weymouth: Hourly trains will run between Waterloo and Bournemouth, with a shuttle service between Bournemouth and Weymouth
• Salisbury to Romsey via Southampton: No services

More information is available on the South Western Railway website.

Councils 'failing' to prosecute blue badge abusers

Staff reporter(wp/reuters):

A disability charity says it is "disgraceful" councils are failing to take action against people misusing blue-badge parking permits.

Analysis by the Press Association found 94 out of 152 (62%) local authorities in England did not pursue anyone for abusing the scheme in 2017-18.

Phil Talbot, from charity Scope, said thefts of disabled permits were rising.

The Local Government Association said councils had to take "tough decisions" on enforcement with limited resources.

Mr Talbot added: "Stealing blue badges isn't a crime without consequences. They are a vital lifeline for those who genuinely need them."

The analysis of the Department of Transport data showed the number of blue badges reported stolen totalled 4,246.

Zero prosecutions

It found 31 councils did not catch anyone despite claiming to have a policy for prosecuting offenders.

Local authorities in Nottingham, Middlesbrough, Shropshire, Luton, Milton Keynes, Bournemouth and Reading were among those to record zero prosecutions.

Martin Tett, transport spokesman for the Local Government Association, said gathering evidence and mounting a prosecution could be "time-consuming and expensive".

About 2.4 million disabled people in England have blue badges, which are issued by councils.

Almost every case involving the 1,215 prosecutions across the country involved drivers using someone else's blue badge.

The permits allow holders to park for free in pay and display bays and for up to three hours on yellow lines, except for where there are restrictions. Holders in London are exempt from the congestion charge.

The largest number of prosecutions were made by the London boroughs of Hammersmith and Fulham (137) and Newham (88), with Leeds (78) in third place.

Mr Tett claimed the disparity in enforcement levels across England was likely to reflect "different levels of pressures on available parking".

Bangladesh election: Sheikh Hasina wins new term as prime minister

Political reporter(wp/bbc):

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has secured her third consecutive term with a landslide victory, Bangladesh's Election Commission said on Monday.

Her ruling party and its allies have won 288 of the 300 parliamentary seats contested, surpassing its previous election wins.

The opposition has condemned the vote as "farcical," marred by violence, intimidation and vote rigging claims.

They won just seven seats and have demanded a new vote.

Bangladesh's parliament has 350 seats in total, 50 of which are reserved for women and allotted proportional to the overall vote.

"We urge the election commission to void this farcical result immediately," opposition leader Kamal Hossain said.

"We are demanding that a fresh election is held under a neutral government as early as possible."

• Bangladesh grows tired of its battling leading ladies
• More on life in Bangladesh

The Bangladesh Election Commission told Reuters news agency that it had heard vote-rigging allegations from "across the country" and would investigate.

At least 17 people have been killed in clashes between ruling party supporters and the opposition.

What are the allegations?

Sheikh Hasina's Awami League has run Bangladesh since 2009, but one of the leading opposition parties has accused it of using stuffed ballot boxes.

A spokesman for the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) alleged there were "irregularities" in 221 of the 300 seats being contested.

Soon before polls opened, a BBC correspondent saw filled ballot boxes at a polling centre in the port city of Chittagong. The presiding officer declined to comment.

Only ruling party polling agents were present at that and several other polling centres in the second-largest city of the country.

Human Rights Watch South Asia director Meenakshi Ganguly said on Twitterthat "with serious allegations of voter intimidation, restrictions on opposition polling agents and several candidates seeking a re-poll, there are concerns about the credibility" of the election.

At least 47 candidates from the main opposition alliance withdrew before polling closed, alleging vote rigging and intimidation.

Activists, observers and the opposition party had warned that the vote would not be fair, but the governing party accused the opposition of peddling false claims.

Ms Hasina told the BBC on Friday: "On the one hand, they are placing allegations. On the other hand, they are attacking our party workers, leaders. That is the tragedy in this country."

EDITORIAL:::BANGLADESH ELECTION WINNER AWAMI LEAGUE LEAD MOHAJOT

CONGRATULATION BANGLADESH&ITS GREATEST   PEOPLE WHO DONE A GREAT ELECTION AND ELECTED NEXT GOVT FOR NEXT 5 YEARS WITH A VERY PEACEFUL AND MOSTLY PARTICIPATED PEOPLE VOTING. AND THE NAME OF PARTY WHO WIN WIN THIS -IS BANGLADESH AWAMI LEGUE..PARTY CHIEF PRIME MINISTER SEIKH HASINA PLANNING TO DEVELOP VASTLY BANGLADESH IN ALL SECTOR FOR NEXT 5 YEARS WHICH SHE PROMISED IN HER ELECTION MANIFESTO.

BANGLADESHI PEOPLE ARE VERY HAPPY AND HOPE THEY GET VERY GOOD GOVERNMENT WHOM WORK CONTINUE AS THEY DID LAST 10 YEARS OF THEIR POWER.

WORLD LEADER ACROOS THE WORLD WELCOME AND CONGRATULATION NEW GOVERNMENT AND SEIKH HASINA FOR GREAT WIN. 

BANGLADESH WILL DIGITAL COUNTRY IN RECENT YEARS .A DIGITAL WORLD NATION EXPLORE AND PEOPLE HOPE FREEDOM FIGHTER WHOSE ARE   NATIONAL HEROES LIFE THOUSE ARE SECRIFICE FOR  COUNTRIES IN 1971 BLOODY FIGHT AND MAKE INDEPENDENCE FROM PAKISTAN THEY  DREAM A RESPECTFUL COUNTRY IN THE WORLD -ARE SUCESSFULLY RESPECT BY PEOPLE REFLECET THEIR OPINION AND VIEW BY ELECTION VOTING YESTERDAY AND REJECT WAR CRIMINALS AND VILOENCE DONE BY PAST YEARS .

WE HOPE BANGLADESH WILL BE GREAT COUNTRY AND ITS PEOPLE HONOURED WORLDWIDE BY  EVERYPEOPLE ACROSS THE WORLD.WE WANT TO SEE THAT DAYS

EDITORIAL:::31ST NIGHT&THE WORLD

WORLD CELEBRATE 31ST NIGHT WIDELY .ALL TYPE  OF PEOPLE ARE INVOLVED FOR THIS GREAT CELEBRATION.

PEOPLE ARE GIVE FAREWELL 31ST NIGHT AND READY FOR NEW HOPE NEW ERA NEW YEAR.

WE HOPE PEOPLE ACROSS THE WORLD CELEBRATE   31ST NIGHT PROPERLY.

WE WAIT FOR NEW YEARS NEW HOPE..PEACEFULL,WAR FREE WORLD

UK watchdog plans to overhaul treatment of whistleblowers

Business correspondent(wp/reuters):

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said that it would announce details of the plan in the new year but was looking at how it maintains whistleblower confidentiality; how information is shared between supervision and enforcement teams; and how it can enhance senior oversight of investigations.

The plan was first reported by the Financial Times.

The watchdog has called for better protection of people who come forward but has also faced criticism for its own treatment of whistleblowers.

Earlier this year, it was told to apologize to a former Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS.L) employee for having revealed his identity to the bank in a whistleblower case in 2013.

The Financial Regulators Complaints Commissioner, which handles complaints against watchdogs, said that the FCA had failed to take sufficient care to establish whether the complainant had sought anonymity.

Last month, the FCA said that most British banks are not assessing and escalating whistleblower concerns consistently, adding that some of them need to improve arrangements to protect those who lift the lid on wrongdoing from victimization.

The regulator received its highest number of disclosures from whistleblowers after its director for supervision, Megan Butler, warned financial firms in May about failing to tackle sexual harassment.

The disclosures related to racism, physical bullying and homophobia, as well as issues around gender, Christopher Woolard, the FCA executive director for strategy and competition, said this month.

($1 = 0.8741 euros)

Hammond accused of failing to release funding for no-deal Brexit - The Telegraph

Political reporter(wp/reuters):

Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond has been accused by his colleagues in the cabinet of failing to release the necessary funding required to prepare Britain for a no-deal Brexit, the Telegraph newspaper reported late on Sunday.

British Communities Secretary James Brokenshire has written to the Treasury saying his department was given 35 million pounds for helping councils prepare for Brexit, the amount being less than half of what had been requested, the newspaper reported.

At least another department had made a similar complaint about Hammond’s failure to release more money, the newspaper reported without mentioning further details.

Brokenshire said his department does not have enough to prepare for Brexit whether Britain leaves the European Union with or without a deal, the report added, citing the British Communities Secretary’s letter to the Treasury sent shortly before Christmas.