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.