Bald man wins police hair drug test appeal

A bald man whose application to join the police was rejected because he did not have enough hair for a drugs test. Today he successfully appealed the decision. The man apparently already managed to withstand the previous police tests, when suddenly problems arose over the drugs testing. Because of his baldness, the man was not able to give hairs of up to 3cm in length. The man was also unable to provide about 200 body hairs as an alternative. When hearing about the problems of his flaw, the man started a legal challenge in which the would-be policeman claimed that the decision was irrational and discriminatory. Meanwhile an alternative way of testing has already taken place.

I could not stop laughing when I read this article. I simply cannot believe that a person who already passed so many tests, suddenly gets tackled in a way like this when it comes to a simply drug scan. I think that this lawsuit has shaken up the local authorities and made them realize that their power has certain limits to its extend. Still I am glad to see that the would-be policeman was able to win this case and will be able to complete his policeman training.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/10393803.stm

Teenager dies after Rotherham lake search

A teenager has died after being found by police divers in a lake in South Yorkshire. After some research it became clear that the boy had been swimming with a couple of his friends, when he suddenly got carried away by a strong current. Police searched the area looking for the male and at about 1400 BST police divers pulled the body of a young man from the water. When the buy was finally found paramedics gave medical treatment to the boy before taking him to Sheffield Children's Hospital where he was declared dead at about 1420 BST. The parents of the teenager were informed shortly after.

I can not imagine to think how it must be for a parent to loose his or her child in a tragic accident like this. The article remains unclear if the teenagers swam in a restricted area. If the area was not marked dangerous by sign posts or anything then I think the government should be hold accountable for this. Still it does not help anybody to just point the finger to someone else. What happened here is something tragic and my heart and mind goes out the the family.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/south_yorkshire/10394503.stm

Fury over England big screen ban in Dover

Football fans have reacted with fury after a Kent council decided not to show England's World Cup game against Slovenia on the town's big screen. The Dover Council said that the necessary precautions that would have to be taken in order to 'peacefully' watch the match between England and Slovenia would cause too much disruption, such as road closure and marshalling. "We are appalled. They have let the people of Dover down very, very badly," said fan Peter McHugh. Mr McHugh, who started a Facebook campaign to get the council to change its mind, furthermore added: "They originally said these matches would be shown up to and including the quarter finals, should England get that far.

I think it is a bit weird and a bit unprofessional as well to first promise the citizens to show all the matches on the big screen up to and including the quarter finals, should England get that far, and suddenly not hold up your end of the bargain. I can understand the frustration of the football fans since the previous two matches did not cause any kind of trouble. Alcohol is even prohibited in Market Square, which makes the football fan meeting practicably harmless. I am curious if the football fans will eventually win this or not.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/10387110.stm

Witney evictee's tarantula goodbye gift

Roger Sutton of 62 years old, was removed from his house in Colwell Drive, Witney, on 9 June following complaints over the noise and smell of his 40 dogs. When the old men had been removed from his property, house cleaners were in for the scare of their lives when they found 20 tarantulas locked away in jars. The African Baboon Tarantulas were part of the man's collection and could grow up to 9cm long (3.5 inches). In March Mr Sutton was fined £2,000 fine and ordered to pay £500 costs after failing to comply with a noise abatement notice over his barking dogs.

Oh my God... I think that pretty much sums it up about what I thought when I read this article... What man in his right mind would keep up to 40 dogs in his household? Not to mention the 20 tarantulas?! The special crew of cleaners (yes you are reading this right... a special crew actually needs to come over to the household in order to make it liveable again) says it will take weeks before the household can be declared clean and be put up for sale again. I seriously feel sorry for the man's next neighbours... Although they will probably not allow this man to keep any kind of pets anymore.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/england/oxford/10390275.stm

Rapper inundates Manchester Police with 999 calls

A rapper is tying up police emergency lines by bombarding a force with nuisance calls. The 'so-called' rapper dials 999 and starts rapping to operators at Greater Manchester - who are not allowed to cut the rapper off in case there might be a real emergency. In the past three months the rapper made 700 phone calls all lasting from two till five minutes, and thereby slowing down the response for callers who actually dó need immediate help. Despite officers blocking over 60 SIM cards, the rapper has plagued the number since January 2009.

I think it's absolutely outrageous that a childish mind like this one thinks it is even funny to do things like these. What if one of these calls actually hold an operator occupied while someone who was actually in trouble did need help? In my own personal opinion I think that, if they catch this guy, they should make him visit 700 999 victims. Hopefully that will teach him not to abuse this line because there are people in the world who sometimes desperately need help.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/england/manchester/10386731.stm

Sisters are given lifetime pub ban in Darwen

Two sisters have been given lifetime bans from all of their local pubs and bars after carrying out a vicious attack on a teenage girl in Lancashire. The two sister Zoe en and Zara of 24 and 30 years old brutally kicked in the head of a 19 year old girl outside of the Roxy night club. Both plead guilty on assault and were sentenced to 16 weeks of jail before this incident. Forty-six people are currently banned from Darwen's pubs and clubs under the scheme, which has been running for 11 years. But it is the first time anyone has been ordered to stay away for the rest of their lives. The motive for this brutal beating remains unknown.

I think it's a very smart and effective idea to restrict some people from being pored alcohol in clubs. These bans make people think twice before they decide to do something as stupid as beating someone up. If I may by fair I think that more countries and cities should have a combined 'ban-list' in which they ban specific persons from drinking alcohol in clubs in a whole city. I think its to bad to see that some people cannot handle any sort of responsibility when it comes to drinking alcohol. These people simply ruin the fun for those who cán be responsible.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/england/lancashire/10318140.stm

Mother-of-four dies after Blantyre street fight

A murder inquiry has been launched following the death of a mother-of-four in Blantyre, south Lanarkshire. Strathclyde Police said 26-year-old Gail Russell was killed after a fight in Small Crescent on Saturday. The woman was taken to the hospital but died from her injuries later on in the evening. Neighbours paid tribute to the mother and described her as a 'very polite and nice woman'. The neighbours claimed she had only moved into the new neighbourhood a few months ago. Custody over the four children is still being discussed, since the father of the four youngsters is in jail.

I think it is horrible to hear that a woman has been beaten to death, let alone a mother of four. Although the motive of the murderers has not been clarified yet, an incident like this remains tragic. The ironic thing is that the mother had moved from her previous house to escape crime related incidents like these. I hope that the four children which this mother left behind will be taken care of with care and that a suitable foster family will be found to take care of these children.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/10304158.stm