Parkinson's results beyond researchers' wildest dreams

Health(wp/bbc):::

A treatment that has restored the movement of patients with chronic Parkinson's disease has been developed by Canadian researchers.

Previously housebound patients are now able to walk more freely as a result of electrical stimulation to their spines.

A quarter of patients have difficulty walking as the disease wears on, often freezing on the spot and falling.

Parkinson's UK hailed its potential impact on an aspect of the disease where there is currently no treatment.

Prof Mandar Jog, of Western University in London, Ontario, told BBC News the scale of benefit to patients of his new treatment was "beyond his wildest dreams".

"Most of our patients have had the disease for 15 years and have not walked with any confidence for several years," he said.

"For them to go from being home-bound, with the risk of falling, to being able to go on trips to the mall and have vacations is remarkable for me to see."

Normal walking involves the brain sending instructions to the legs to move. It then receives signals back when the movement has been completed before sending instructions for the next step.

Prof Jog believes Parkinson's disease reduces the signals coming back to the brain - breaking the loop and causing the patient to freeze.

The implant his team has developed boosts that signal, enabling the patient to walk normally.

However, Prof Jog was surprised that the treatment was long-lasting and worked even when the implant was turned off.

He believes the electrical stimulus reawakens the feedback mechanism from legs to brain that is damaged by the disease.

"This is a completely different rehabilitation therapy," he said. "We had thought that the movement problems occurred in Parkinson's patients because signals from the brain to the legs were not getting through.

"But it seems that it's the signals getting back to the brain that are degraded."

Countryside walks

Brain scans showed that before patients received the electrical treatment, the areas that control movement were not working properly. But a few months into the treatment those areas were restored.

Gail Jardine, 66, is among the patients who has benefited from the treatment.

Before she received the implant two months ago, Gail kept freezing on the spot, and she would fall over two or three times a day.

She lost her confidence and stopped walking in the countryside in Kitchener, Ontario - something she loved doing with her husband, Stan.

Now she can walk with Stan in the park for the first time in more than two years.

"I can walk a lot better," she said. "I haven't fallen since I started the treatment. It's given me more confidence and I'm looking forward to taking more walks with Stan and maybe even go on my own".

Another beneficiary is Guy Alden, 70, a deacon at a catholic church in London, Ontario. He was forced to retire in 2012 because of his Parkinson's disease.

His greatest regret was that it curtailed his work in the community, such as his prison visits.

"I was freezing a lot when I was in a crowd or crossing a threshold in a mall. Everyone would be looking at me. It was very embarrassing," he told me.

"Now I can walk in crowds. My wife and I even went on holiday to Maui and I didn't need to use my wheelchair at any point. There were a lot of narrow roads and a lot of (slopes) and I did all of that pretty well."

Dr Beckie Port, research manager at Parkinson's UK, said: "The results seen in this small-scale pilot study are very promising and the therapy certainly warrants further investigation.

"Should future studies show the same level of promise, it has the potential to dramatically improve quality of life, giving people with Parkinson's the freedom to enjoy everyday activities."

Manslaughter charge over Wigan mum's crash death

Crime watch(wp/bbc):::

A pick-up truck driver has been charged with manslaughter following the death of a mother in a three-vehicle crash.

The 34-year-old woman died in Saturday's crash in Bickershaw Lane, Wigan, and two others, including a four-year-old girl, were injured.

James Pownall, 26, is also accused of causing death by dangerous driving, kidnap and perverting the course of justice.

Steven Fairclough, 22, has been charged with perverting the course of justice.

Both men will appear at Manchester and Salford Magistrates' Court.

Greater Manchester Police said the driver and passengers of the Volkswagen Amarok pick-up escaped by forcing another motorist to drive them away.

The woman, who was driving a Volkswagen Polo, died in hospital.

Her passengers, a 29-year-old man and two girls, aged four and 13, were also taken to hospital.

'Dreadful incident'

The pick-up truck was later found in Bolton House Road.

The allegation of manslaughter is understood to be by transferred malice because of the Amarok driver's suspected intentions towards those travelling in a Mercedes also involved in the crash.

The occupants of the Mercedes, a 21-year-old man and two 20-year-old men, were initially arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

Two of the men have been eliminated from the investigation but arrested for causing criminal damage and released on bail.

One of the 20-year-old men remains in custody on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

Sgt Lee Westhead appealed for witnesses to the crash to contact police.

He added: "We continue to support the victims of this dreadful incident at this time and my thoughts remain with them."

Greater Manchester Police: 60% of crimes not fully investigated

Pic-Chief Constable Ian Hopkins met Theresa May following the 2017 Manchester Arena attack

Crime reporter(wp/bbc):::

About 60% of crimes reported to one of the UK's largest police forces are not fully investigated because of a lack of resources, its chief constable said.

Greater Manchester Police's Ian Hopkins said budget cuts meant officers had to prioritise more ruthlessly than ever.

He said about 600 offences a day, such as thefts from vehicles, were being "screened out" and not pursued because "we don't have enough officers".

The Home Office said it was "committed" to ensuring forces have enough funding.

The number of frontline police officers across England and Wales has fallen over the past decade, while violent crime is rising.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said it had lost about 2,000 officers during that time, down to about 6,200.

'Necessary evil'

"If your life is in danger, you've been seriously hurt, we will still turn up," Mr Hopkins told BBC Radio Manchester.

"If there's an immediate threat we will be there and we will be there in numbers.

"If your shed's been broken into, your bike's stolen, your vehicle's broken into and there's no witnesses, there's no CCTV and there's no opportunity for forensics, we'll be screening that out really quickly.

"Your likelihood of a police officer turning up to deal with that is almost non-existent and that's where the public have really started to feel it. That bit worries me."

One of Mr Hopkins' senior officers, Supt Rick Jackson, said screening out crimes was "a necessary evil".

GMP is not the only force to screen reported crimes on the basis of threat and the likely evidence available.

But Mr Hopkins publicly acknowledging the fact that the majority of crimes reported to his force are dropped is thought to be the first time a chief constable has put a figure on this practice.

One man told the BBC he had moved from Manchester to Rossendale in Lancashire after "finally being driven out of the house by crime".

He said: "I was burgled eight times in five years in Cheetham Hill and had vehicles stolen.

"The police would come round and take notes, but they weren't doing anything.

"You could tell by the attitude, there were no forensics done, there was nobody taking in-depth notes and no follow-up."

He said he was left "frustrated and annoyed", adding: "The police are a waste of time."

Bicycle thieves, pickpockets and bag snatchers not found

Police in Greater Manchester did not find a suspect in more than nine out of 10 bicycle thefts, thefts from people or vehicle crimes and in more than eight out of 10 burglaries.

Theft from the person includes bag snatchers and pickpockets but not muggings and robberies.

Data for the year March 2018 to February 2019 also shows that investigations into a quarter of violent and sexual offences were completed with no suspect identified.

The other outcomes, totalling more than four in every 10 recorded crimes, included everything from suspects sent to court to investigations that were not pursued because it was not in the public interest.

The data did not include antisocial behaviour.

Crime in Greater Manchester

Investigations closed with no suspect identified

Last outcome of crimes recorded between March 2018 and February 2019

Source: Police.uk

In 2018, the chief constable of West Midlands Police said budget cuts and falling police numbers meant his force sometimes provided "a poor service".

"We think the public want us to use our time productively and focus our resources where there is greatest harm and where we can secure a positive outcome," a National Police Chiefs Council spokesman said.

Police chiefs have expressed concern about the impact of falling officer numbers on "proactive policing that prevents crime, solves problems and helps people feel safe," he said.

'Stark reality'

The fall in police numbers is largely the result of changes in central government funding, which is down by almost a third in real terms since 2010.

Mr Hopkins said it accounted for about 80% of his budget.

"We've been promised a funding formula review and that hasn't materialised but that needs to happen," he said.

How many police officers are there?

Frontline officers in England and Wales

Note: Figures for 2010 to 2014 are estimates. Excludes officers in support roles.

Source: House of Commons Library "Police Service Strength" report

Increases in council tax, such as that announced in February, which will pay for an extra 320 GMP police officers, "are never going to give Greater Manchester the resources it needs", he added.

The new additions will take the force's strength to about 6,570, compared with 8,219 in 2010.

"The stark reality is that due to years of central government cuts the police simply cannot investigate every crime and have to take difficult decisions about where best to focus their time and resources," said Greater Manchester Deputy Mayor Bev Hughes, who has responsibility for policing in the city region.

"They - and I - wish this were not necessary but unfortunately it is."

• Reality Check: Is crime up or down?
• Police funding: Government pledges extra £300m
• Council Tax increase: why am I paying the police so much?

Manchester Central MP Lucy Powell said: "It's clear that the government's cuts to police funding is having a real impact on the front line, making it extremely difficult for officers to do their jobs effectively and respond to certain types of crime.

"This should be a wake-up call for ministers who should act to increase resources to tackle crime and disorder."

A Home Office spokeswoman said police funding this financial year would rise by the greatest amount since 2010.

"We recognise the impact crime has on victims and want offenders brought to justice.

"We are committed to ensuring police forces have the resources they need to carry out their vital work," she said.

UK watchdog urges EU to make financial market access flexible

Finance reporter(wp/reuters):::
The European Union’s system of financial-market access needs adapting to avoid disputes between the EU and Britain over rules after Brexit, a top UK regulator said on Tuesday.

Andrew Bailey, chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority, said future regulation in Britain will hinge on where the EU system of “equivalence” leads to.

Equivalence refers to Brussels granting foreign banks direct access to customers in the EU if it determines that their home rules are similar enough to those in the EU.

But for this to work after Brexit, it needs a “rules of the game” agreement setting out how equivalence is determined and a mechanism for handling disputes, Bailey said.

Equivalence should be based on whether the outcomes of foreign and EU regulation are the same, rather than on actual rules being written in the same way, Bailey said.

Focusing on outcomes was critical, since Britain has a history of common law and preference for broad principles, while the EU has moved to harmonized rules, Bailey said.

“Left to our own devices, I think the UK regulatory system would evolve somewhat differently,” Bailey said in a speech at Bloomberg.

The EU has said that equivalence was the most likely form of market access for Britain’s financial sector to the EU, its most important customer.

DANGEROUS

Critics say the system is patchy, unpredictable and access can be withdrawn at short notice, citing the four years it took for Europe and the United States to agree on clearing rules.

“We need to be careful here because I would submit that the record to date indicates that all of us are good at talking the language of outcomes but practicing the world of rules,” Bailey said.

Britain’s government has called for “enhanced” equivalence to avoid the UK becoming a “rule taker” or continually copying EU law, but Brussels has shown little appetite for radically overhauling its system.

Some lawmakers want the FCA to have a “competitiveness” remit after Brexit to cut the burden of rules and preserve London’s position as a global financial center, a step that could make equivalence harder to obtain.

Bailey said he was “not convinced” about having a competitiveness remit.

A debate about future relations with the EU was needed as it would be “dangerous” to have equivalence from Brussels without a “rules of the game” pact, Bailey said.

Faced with a major foreign financial center on its doorstep after Brexit, the EU has instead tightened access for foreign clearing houses and investment firms.

Banks, insurers and fund managers in Britain have opted to play safe and open new EU hubs.

Britain has introduced equivalence along with all EU financial rules into national law as part of its Brexit preparations.

The FCA is already fending off pressure for a tit-for-tat response to moves by EU regulators to ban trading of thousands of shares outside the bloc - including leading UK stocks - if there is a no-deal Brexit.

UK government focused on passing Brexit law, talks with Labour Party continue - spokesman

Political reporter(wp/reuters):::

Prime Minister Theresa May’s government is focused on passing the law it needs to ratify Britain’s exit from the European Union, May’s spokesman said on Tuesday.

The spokesman told reporters talks with the Labour Party on finding a way forward on Brexit would require compromise on both sides, and that the legislation could be introduced to make progress with the Brexit process.

Talks with Labour on Brexit are serious but difficult, May tells ministers

Political reporter9wp/reuters):::

Prime Minister Theresa May told her top team of ministers on Tuesday that talks with the opposition Labour Party aimed at finding a way forward on Brexit were serious but difficult in some areas, her spokesman said.

May’s spokesman said there was no specific timetable for the end of talks with Labour, but that the prime minister also told her cabinet that progress was needed to be made urgently to deliver Brexit.

UK regulator to publish final report on Sainsbury's-Asda on Thursday

Business reporter(wp/reuters):::

Britain’s competition regulator said on Tuesday it expected to publish its final report on supermarket group Sainsbury’s proposed £7.3 billion takeover of Walmart-owned rival Asda on Thursday, April 25.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) had said in its provisional report in February that the deal, agreed last April, should either be blocked entirely or require the sale of a significant number of stores, or even one of the brands.

The regulator identified 629 areas where there could be a substantial lessening of competition (SLC) in supermarkets, 290 areas where online competition could be reduced and 65 local overlaps in smaller convenience stores.

Sainsbury’s and Asda said last month the CMA’s analysis was “fundamentally flawed” but said they were willing to sell 125-150 stores to get their deal past the regulator - a number well short of what the CMA had said it was looking for.

Given the CMA’s concerns that the combination could lead to higher prices, most analysts and competition lawyers believe it is highly unlikely the deal will proceed.

That expectation has been reflected in Sainsbury’s share price, which has fallen 17 percent over the last three months.

State Visit by The President of The United States of America and Mrs Trump STATE VISIT BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND MRS TRUMP

The President of the United States of America, President Donald J. Trump, accompanied by Mrs Melania Trump, has accepted an invitation from Her Majesty The Queen to pay a State Visit to the United Kingdom from Monday 3^rd June to Wednesday 5^th June 2019.

Notes to Editors

Further details of the State Visit programme will be announced in due course.

President Trump and Mrs Trump previously joined The Queen for tea at Windsor Castle in July 2018.

The Queen has hosted two previous State Visits from Presidents of the United States of America; President George W. Bush and Mrs Bush made a State Visit to the UK in November 2003; and President Barack Obama and Mrs Obama made a State Visit to the UK in May 2011.

Several other Presidents of the United States of America have visited The Queen during Her Majesty’s reign. President Eisenhower paid a visit to The Queen at Balmoral Castle in 1959; President and Mrs Kennedy dined with The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace in June 1961; President Nixon had lunch with The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace in February 1969; President and Mrs Reagan made an official visit to the UK in June 1982; President George Bush Snr and Mrs Bush had lunch with The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh in June 1989; and President and Mrs Clinton visited The Queen in 1995 and in December 2000.

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh have made four State Visits to the USA, during Her Majesty’s reign; in October 1957 (President Eisenhower); in July 1976 for the US Bicentennial (President Ford); in May 1991 (President Bush); and in May 2007 (President George W Bush).

The Countess of Wessex will visit India

Her Royal Highness The Countess of Wessex, Vice Patron of The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, will visit India in her final overseas tour as Vice-Patron ahead of the Trust’s planned closure in January 2020. The Countess will see the work the charitable foundation has supported to tackle avoidable blindness in babies born prematurely and to hear about the impact of programmes successfully launched by Queen’s Young Leaders. Her Royal Highness will visit Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi from Monday 29th April to Friday 3rd May.

The Countess of Wessex will visit three hospitals across Hyderabad to see first-hand the work the Trust has helped to establish to prevent premature babies from losing their sight. Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) is a major cause of childhood blindness affecting thousands of preterm babies born in India – home to the highest number of preterm births in the world. The Countess will see the screening and treatment services that have been introduced to ensure babies at risk of the avoidable condition receive the timely treatment they need to prevent blindness. Her Royal Highness will meet with leading eye health professionals who have been instrumental in setting up and delivering the services, and parents and children who have, or have had, the condition.

In Mumbai, The Countess will visit a school where Her Royal Highness will meet Queen’s Young Leader, Deane de Menezes, whose project ‘Red is the new Green’ aims to destigmatise menstruation, improve access to menstrual hygiene and ultimately prevent female absenteeism in schools. The Countess will also visit a health centre where Her Royal Highness will meet Queen’s Young Leader Aditya Kulkarni whose pioneering ‘Care Mother’ antenatal app has helped to reduce maternal and child mortality rates in India. The Countess will meet health workers and mothers, and hear how the app has helped over 30,000 women from disadvantaged communities in India access antenatal care.

In New Delhi, The Countess will join the British High Commissioner in hosting a reception to celebrate the collaborative efforts to advance eye health in India. The Countess will deliver a speech in which Her Royal Highness will reflect on the progress achieved by the Trust in the name of The Queen and encourage efforts to continue and be taken to a greater scale so that vision is brought to everyone, everywhere. The reception will recognise the preparatory work underway to create a Vision Catalyst Fund – an endeavour inspired by the work of the Trust – which will see public and private sector organisations with expertise in eye health coming together with an ambition to accelerate systems change and expand universal eye health across the globe.

The Countess will also undertake engagements in New Delhi in support of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda (WPS) and championing the empowerment of women. Her Royal Highness will join a roundtable discussion on WPS to share ideas and hear how India is engaging in this area and consider how the UK and India can work more collaboratively in tackling challenges relating to gender based violence in conflict. The Countess will also learn about the Women on Wheels initiative which empowers young women from poorer communities to become professional drivers to enable them to have better employment opportunities. Her Royal Highness will conclude the visit by attending a reception celebrating a cross-section of remarkable women living and working in India.

Notes for Editors

The Countess of Wessex visited Malawi with The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust in March 2017 to see the work being done to eliminate blinding trachoma across the country and to champion youth leadership. Her Royal Highness also saw efforts by the Trust to tackle blindness caused by diabetes in Bangladesh during a visit in November 2017.

About The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust

The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust is a time-limited charitable foundation, established in 2012, to mark and celebrate The Queen’s 60-year contribution to the Commonwealth at the time of Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee. The Trust works in alliance towards eliminating avoidable blindness and to empower a new generation of young leaders.

To enable the Trust to make a tangible and sustainable difference in the name of The Queen within five years, its programmes have focused on tackling three major causes of preventable sight loss – blindness caused by trachoma, the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness; blindness caused by diabetes; and blindness affecting premature babies. In addition, the Trust has helped establish initiatives designed to tap into expertise across the Commonwealth to propel new and innovative approaches to eye care and to strengthen the eye health sector as a whole. Working alongside ministries of health has helped ensure that sustainable improvements are embedded into health care systems long into the future.

The Queen’s Young Leaders programme was launched in 2014 by the Trust in partnership with Comic Relief and The Royal Commonwealth Society as a four-year initiative to champion and connect young people who are addressing, in new and imaginative ways, the urgent challenges facing Commonwealth communities. 60 exceptional Young Leaders were chosen each year from across the Commonwealth to become Queen’s Young Leaders, with the last cohort awarded this honour by The Queen in 2018 in recognition of the remarkable changes they had brought about to improve people’s lives. The vibrant network of young change makers is set to continue to connect and collaborate with one another to continue to change lives for years to come.

The Trust will close, as planned, on 31st January 2020.

For more information about The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust visit www.jubileetribute.org

Social media

Twitter: @RoyalFamily / @qejubileetrust

Instagram: @theroyalfamily / @qejubileetrust

Facebook: TheBritishMonarchy / @qejubileetrust

Hashtag: #VisionForAll

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