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

Welsh parents warned on under-15s alcohol consumption

Parents in Wales have been warned that under-15s should not drink alcohol - even under supervision. This because of the claims that alcohol harms a child's physical development. The new guidance, You, Your Children and Alcohol, aims to help protect children and young people from the risk linked to alcohol consumption. Dr Jewell added that "Not only is there a clear immediate and long-term impact on health of alcohol misuse, there is the potential for young people to be at risk of being involved in anti-social behavior, crime, unwanted pregnancies or drugs... If we do not tackle this problem, the financial cost in the future will be significantly higher."

In my opinion I think the government is right to support campaigns like these since I'm strictly against extended overuse of alcohol under 16 years old. In my opinion it isn't the end of the world when a 14 year old gets a beer all for him/herself, but anything more than this is not OK in my eyes. Yet I do think that the UK government could do more in order to help this organization in for filling their goals, mainly through legislation on price, licensing and advertising.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/wales/10217751.stm

Grandmother's £2m gambling spree

A grandmother who stole from her employer to feed her gambling habit wagered £2m on a single internet gaming site. Eileen Evis, who is 71 years old, was jailed for the crime of stealing £140.000 from a company that she had to keep an eye on. While the original owners had to go to Canada for 2 years, Eileen was entrusted with the company TAG in Sidmouth. Little did the original owners know about Eileen her gambling addictions, which she was able to feed when she got a managing position at the company. Eileen has stolen over £2.000.000 in total in the past 10 months, leaving the company in a weakened and vulnerable state.

I admit that I first had to laugh when I read this article. Just picture it: a woman of 71 years old who has an internet gambling addiction? What if that was YOUR grandma gambling on the computer? It's hard to imagine isn't it? On a more serious note, I think that it is horrible that people their trust can be misused in such a way, and with such heavy consequences as well. Members of the company have 'effectively been ruined' because of the gamble addicted women. Perhaps the worst part is that the money is gone forever and will not be earned back so easily...


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/england/devon/10266903.stm

Prisons strategy 'could drive Muslims to extremism'

Muslim inmates could all be driven to extremism in prison because of a certain approach that treats them all as potential terrorists. Treating these Muslims as potential terrorists may cause the known 'self-fulfilling prophecy' effect in which Muslims are created into terrorists. "It would be naive to deny that there are, within the prison population, Muslims who hold radical extremist views, or who may be attracted to them for a variety of reasons,but that does not argue for a blanket, security-led approach to Muslim prisoners in general" said Dame Anne who published her research.

In one way I can understand the precaution that is taken around Muslim prisoners. Yet there is only a slight one percent of the Muslims prisoners that is behind bars because of acts as terrorism. Because of this I think it is more than wrong to be so judgmental to all of the Muslim prisoners. Prison should be a place where we send people to in order to learn from their mistakes and keep criminals out of our society. Not a place where we create criminals by sowing hate.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk/10259038.stm

Tears for friends and family lost in Cumbria shooting

An emotional memorial service was held in Whitehaven to remember the victims of gunman Derrick Bird, who went on a shooting rampage in west Cumbria previous Wednesday. Twelve candles, twelve victims. No one would have thought that Derrick Bird, who seemed to be an everyday taxi driver, would be capable of doing the unthinkable. Over one-hundred people, who consisted of family members and friends, gathered at the memorial service in search for consolation and support from close ones. Despite their strength however, there is no question that this community will never forget Wednesday the 2nd of June.

First of all I would like to say that I think it is horrible for what has happened previous Wednesday. In one way I think it is a beautiful thing to see relatives and loved ones come together to support each other in times like these. Yet I cannot understand why someone in their right mind would decide to do something as horrible and abdominal as this. It seems that some people will remain selfish and will not be able to understand how much pain and suffering their actions have caused. As for the relatives of the deceased ones; I hope that someday you will be able to find peace and acceptance.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/england/10251423.stm

Abortion ad sparks controversy in the U.K. (speakers corner)

Rage and uproar has been caused in U.K. because of a certain television ad that aired on the 24th of March. The two parties who are involved in this conflict are the MSI (Marie Stopes International) and the anti-abortion groups backed up by the Roman Catholic Church. MSI sees it of vital importance that more citizens of the U.K. are made aware of where and how they are able to find more information regarding unplanned pregnancies before it is to late to take any actions, while The Roman Catholic Church keeps exclaiming that 'abortion is not a consumer service, and should thereby have no right to be aired as an ad on television.


In my personal opinion I have to say that I think there's nothing wrong when it comes to information about matters as these. If what MSI says is really true, citizens of the UK should be made more aware of their options. Of course I do believe that a woman carries responsibility over the life that grows in her, yet this does not mean that I do not believe in reasons that justify an abortion. Rape or mental/physical disabilities can be an example of these justifications. the situation however changes when two people have had unprotected intercourse willingly. In this case I do believe that responsibility should be taken for the life that has been made.


http://wellness.blogs.time.com/2010/05/20/abortion-ad-sparks-controversy-in-the-u-k/