Gove Rejects 'No Touching Pupils' Campaign

The Education Secretary has criticised moves to stop any physical contact between teachers and pupils, saying the advice played "to a culture of fear".

Michael Gove signalled the Government's stance in a letter responding to a series of videos released by the NSPCC and music teachers' groups.

He said the campaign entitled Keeping Children Safe In Music sent out "completely the wrong message" and reinforced the idea that any adult touching a child was guilty of inappropriate conduct.

Mr Gove was responding to a campaign launched by the national children's charity, the Musicians Union, Youth Music and the Associated Board Of The Royal Schools Of Music.

"It was because I want to support you in the great work you do that I was so disappointed by the content of the recently released video," he said.

Whether it's a showing how a trombone slide should work or introducing new subtleties in oboe playing, teachers should be trusted to touch children without feeling they are somehow transgressing the rules.

By telling your music teachers they should avoid any physical contact with children, it sends out completely the wrong message that any adult who touches a child is somehow guilty of inappropriate conduct.

"We must move away from this presumption and the Department of Education is taking steps to restore common sense to the whole area."

He said examples of necessary physical contact with pupils included the demonstration of musical instruments and certain sports.

Leading children away from trouble and comforting children were also listed as potential instances of appropriate touching.

"Whether it's adjusting the position of a violin or demonstrating how to handle drumsticks, showing how a trombone slide should work or introducing new subtleties in oboe playing, teachers should be trusted to touch children without feeling they are somehow transgressing the rules," Mr Gove added.

He also confirmed the Government's plan to ban the naming of teachers accused of committing a crime against pupils until a criminal charge is made.

Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, appeared to support the Government's stance.

"The NUT understands that teachers may be wary of having physical contact with pupils for fear of receiving unfounded allegations made against them," she said.

"It is however very important for teachers to be able to feel confident that contact where appropriate, particularly in subjects such as music and sport or when working with the youngest pupils, is a part of the job and should not be something they feel too intimidated to do."

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Control Orders 'Changed But Not Scrapped'

Controversial control orders for foreign terror suspects will be overhauled but the details have not yet been agreed, the Deputy Prime Minister has suggested.

Nick Clegg said people who believe the orders are "perfect" would be dissatisfied with the Government's proposals - but so would those who argue they should be "scrapped altogether".

The Deputy Prime Minister said the policy, which was introduced by Labour in 2005, amounted to "virtual house arrest" and made him "very uncomfortable".

However, he refused to reveal more about the coalition's proposals and said the details were still under discussion.

This admission follows speculation the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives have not been able to agree.

According to the latest figures, 12 people are currently subject to the orders which include curfews and restrictions on where they can go.

We need a proper replacement and I'm confident we'll agree one.

Prime Minister David Cameron

They are used on a small number of foreign terror suspects who, for a variety of reasons, cannot be deported or brought to trial.

The orders have been a significant issue for the coalition as the Liberal Democrats campaigned for them to be scrapped but others argue they are a necessary tool in the fight against terrorism.

Mr Clegg said it was "utter nonsense" to accuse him and other colleagues of viewing national security issues through a "party political prism".

He insisted the safety of British citizens came first and would always remain the priority.

YouGov poll for The Sun

Conservatives 39%

Labour 43%
Lib Dems 7%
YouGov questioned 1,862 adults between 5 and 6 January

On control orders, it is necessary to strike a balance between security and civil liberties, he added.

Earlier this week Prime Minister David Cameron said the measures "haven't been a success" and need a "proper replacement".

A review of the orders was announced in July but its publication was postponed in December amid speculation the parties were battling to find a solution they both supported.

The Deputy Prime Minister's speech on civil liberties, which also included a crackdown on "libel tourism" and plans to extend Freedom of Information powers, came after the Lib Dems' poll rating hit a 20-year low.

YouGov's poll for The Sun put Mr Clegg's party at 7%, the Conservatives at 39% and Labour leading with 43%.

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Supermarkets Withdraw Foods Over Egg Fears

Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsbury's are withdrawing a small number of products from their shelves after foods with contaminateIt comes after the Food Standards Agency confirmed that contaminated liquid egg from Europe had entered the British food supply but insisted the health risk was "very low".

In a statement Tesco said: "We would like to stress to customers that this is a purely precautionary measure and the FSA has stated there is no food safety risk."

:: See the bottom of this article for the full list of products.

According to the FSA, the liquified egg has been supplied to Kensey Foods in Cornwall, a division of Samworth Brothers, and Memory Lane Cakes Ltd in Cardiff, a division of the Finsbury Food Group.

Both food manufacturers used it to produce a range of short shelf life cakes and quiches, which were then supplied to supermarkets throughout the UK.

The FSA was unable to provide a definitive list of the supermarkets that sold the products.

d liquid egg were sold in some UK supermarkets.

Those eggs were... processed and then exported to the United Kingdom... as a 14-ton consignment of pasteurised product for consumption.

A spokesperson for the FSA said: "There is no food safety risk from eating these products.

"The majority of products will have been sold and most have passed their 'use by' or 'best before' dates.

"Supermarkets are removing the small amount of products that are still in date."

Public health officials are now trying to determine if and how the liquid egg has entered the food chain.

The alert came after it was discovered that poultry feed contaminated by dioxin, a by-product of burning rubbish and other industrial activities, was sent to more than 1,000 poultry and pig farms in Germany.

Some of the eggs from those farms were then transported to the Netherlands.

"These eggs were mixed with other non-contaminated eggs to make pasteurised liquid egg. This pasteurised liquid egg has been distributed to the UK," the FSA said.

"The mixing of the eggs will have diluted the levels of dioxins and they are not thought to be a risk to health.

"The FSA is currently liaising with the industry and will provide further updates as information becomes available."

European Commission health spokesman Frederic Vincent described how the problem had now reached Britain.

He said: "Those eggs were... processed and then exported to the United Kingdom... as a 14-ton consignment of pasteurised product for consumption."

Those eggs were... processed and then exported to the United Kingdom... as a 14-ton consignment of pasteurised product for consumption.

The problem appears to have originated when oils intended for bio-fuel became mixed with oil destined for animal feed.

The dioxin was discovered in late December but the extent of the problem was only revealed this week when German officials said 3,000 tons of feed were affected.

German police raided Harles und Jentzsch, the firm alleged to have supplied ingredients to around 25 feed makers, on Wednesday.

Dioxins have been shown to contribute to higher cancer rates and affect pregnant women.

Tesco's withdrawn products: Tesco Caterpillar Cake - Best Before 10/01/11, Tesco Coconut Sponge 5.5" - Best Before 15/01/11, Tesco Raspberry Sponge 5.5"- Best Before 07/01/11, Tesco Value Raspberry Sponge 5.5" - Best Before 13/01/11, 15/01/11, Tesco Vanilla Party Tray Bake - Best Before 11/01/11, Tesco Christmas Chocolate Tray Bake - Best Before 07/01/11, Tesco Chocolate Sponge Cake - Best Before 10/01/11, 15/01/11, Tesco Victoria Sponge Cake - Best Before 12/01/11, 13/01/11, 15/01/11.

Morrisons' withdrawn products: Caterpillar Cake 18 Jan; Chocolate Tray Bake 10 Jan; Mini Roll Bites (Cakeshop) 10 Jan, 17 Jan, 20 Jan; Victoria Sponge Sandwich Cake 13 Jan, 15 Jan, 18 Jan, 19 Jan, 25 Jan; Vanilla Tray Bake 11 Jan, 26 Jan; Value Raspberry Sponge 12 Jan, 17 Jan, 20 Jan.

Sainsbury's withdrawn product:
Sainsbury's Caterpillar cake - Best Before 10/01/11 and 11/01/11.

Please note, only the date codes listed are affected.

Row Over 'Pakistanis Groom White Girls' Claim

Former home secretary Jack Straw has sparked a row after claiming there is a problem with young Pakistani men grooming and sexually abusing vulnerable white girls.

The Blackburn MP talked of a "specific problem" involving Pakistani men who were "fizzing and popping with testosterone".

He added that a minority of these young men considered vulnerable white girls as "easy meat".

His comments have been attacked by fellow Labour MPs. One, Birmingham Perry Barr MP Khalid Mahmood, said Mr Straw's comments "perpetuated racist attitudes".

Mr Straw spoke after two Asian men who subjected a series of vulnerable girls to rapes and sexual assaults were given indefinite jail terms.

Abid Mohammed Saddique, 27, was jailed for a minimum of 11 years at Nottingham Crown Court (NCC). Mohammed Romaan Liaqat, 28, must serve at least eight years before being considered for release.

The pair led a group of men who befriended girls aged from 12 to 18 in the Derby area and groomed them for sex.

The judge said he did not believe Saddique and Liaqat's crimes were "racially aggravated".

But Mr Straw told Sky News: "There is an undeniable problem with a small minority of Pakistani-heritage men targeting vulnerable white girls.

"These white girls almost exclusively come from chaotic families, some are in care. Otherwise they would not be out on the streets, aged 12, 13, 14."

Mr Straw said he believed the young men were targeting white girls because Pakistani-heritage girls were "off limits".

He told Sky's Colin Brazier that the abusers often did less well at school than their white and Indian peers and drifted into crime.

But he added that it was important to acknowledge that sex offenders in general in the UK were "disproportianately white".

Mr Straw spoke to Sky after telling BBC Newsnight that Pakistani men were "fizzing and popping with testosterone, they want some outlet for that, but Pakistani-heritage girls are off limits and they are expected to marry a Pakistani girl from Pakistan, typically".

He continued: "So they then seek other avenues and they see these young women, white girls who are vulnerable, some of them in care... who they think are easy meat."

Leicester East MP Keith Vaz questioned why the ex-home secretary had not spoken out previously.

Mr Vaz, who chairs the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, said he did not believe there was a "cultural problem".

He told Sky News: "I understand what Jack Straw is saying, but I disagree. I think we should look at this issue primarily as one of criminality.

"I don't think we can make that jump necessarily to it being a cultural problem.

"This is about criminals behaving in a way against young women - they need to be prosecuted and they need to go to jail."

He called for a high-level investigation of such grooming across the UK and said nothing was gained by "lecturing communities about culture".

Mr Mahmood added: "It is not fair for Jack to make these anecdotal comments. Let's get some evidence before we start saying these things.

"All we are doing at the moment, with what Jack has said, is perpetrating racists attitudes towards the Pakistani community."

However Ann Cryer, former Labour MP for Keighley, supported Mr Straw's comments and said the Pakistani community should work to eradicate the problem.

She told Sky News: "There is no point saying the mosques should do it because these are not mosque men.

"But the mosques could have influence on the families of these men and tell them their behaviour is unIslamic, inhuman as well.

"I think this is something where men are bringing their families into disrepute and I think those families are our best hope for dealing with it."

Straw concern at abuse

Former Home Secretary Jack Straw has voiced concerns over Pakistani men preying on young white women. Speaking after two men were jailed for abusing a teenage girl in Derby, Mr Straw said there was a "specific problem" with men of Pakistani origin who "target vulnerable young white girls". Fellow Labour MP Keith Vaz hit back at Mr Straw's comments, however, saying it was "dangerous" to stereotype a community based on individuals' actions. 
Link Fromhttp://www.politicshome.com

'Birthers' Right?

The new governor of Hawaii is obviously trying to help.

Neil Abercrombie says he wants to release more information about Barack Obama's birth to dispel the conspiracy theory that he was born somewhere else and is therefore not a legitimate president.

Then the veteran political reporter Chris Matthews, on left-leaning news channel MSNBC, weighs in: "I am not a birther," he says. "I am an enemy of the birthers."

But he asks: "Why doesn't the president just say, send me a copy right now? Why doesn't (Robert) Gibbs and (David) Axelrod (White House advisors) say, let's just get this crappy story dead? Why not do it?

If it exists, why not put it out?"

I have a question too - why should they?

Because, as Matthews admits, no amount of official paperwork is ever going to convince everyone that Obama was born in the USA.

So far birthers have dismissed the 'certificate of live birth' produced by Hawaii, the word of state's health director that she had seen and verified the original records and two birth notices in Honolulu newspapers from the time of Obama's birth in 1961.

Why will they believe that a full birth certificate is any less 'fake' than all of that?

The birthers movement includes people who believe in some enormous conspiracy of silence being conducted in Washington.

And this conspiracy, of course, began with the election of Barack Obama - no-one, as far as I can tell, has ever demanded to see birth certificates of the previous 43 presidents.

It must also involve Obama's sworn political enemies, big names who really don't like his presidency and have genuine influence, but who are not jumping up and down about this?

Aren't people like Abercrombie and Matthews simply doing more to fuel the conspiracy theory?

After all, as the Associated Press reports "it is unclear what Abercrombie could do because Hawaii's privacy laws prevent the release of a certified birth certificate to anyone who doesn't have a tangible interest."

No-one can doubt his good intentions, he knew Obama as a child.

He told the Los Angeles Times: "What bothers me is that some people who should know better are trying to use this for political reasons.

Maybe I'm the only one in the country that could look you right in the eye right now and tell you, 'I was here when that baby was born.'"

But his hopes of putting the story to bed once and for all run the risk of backfiring. If he can't release that definitive piece of information, the birthers will simply say it adds to the unanswered questions.

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Mystery Of Mass Fish And Blackbird Deaths

Around 100,000 fish have been found dead along a river in the US state of Arkansas, where thousands of blackbirds dropped dead from the sky on New Year's Eve

The fish - all of the same 'drum' species - littered the banks of a 20-mile stretch of the Arkansas River near Ozark, theArkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) said.

State wildlife officials are conducting tests to find out what killed them.

Keith Stephens, of the AGFC, said fish kills occurred every year, but the magnitude of this one was unusual.

"The fish kill only affected one species of fish," he told CNN.

"If it was from a pollutant, it would have affected all of the fish, not just drum fish."

Meanwhile, officials are also investigating the mystery of up to 5,000 dead blackbirds in the town of Beebe, around 125 miles from where the fish were found.

There were some fireworks shot off at midnight and it is possible that the birds were on their roost and stressed so bad that it could have killed them.

Keith Stephens

The creatures began falling from the sky late on December 31 and continued into the next day, witnesses said.

"I came out here and saw a bird drop," said resident Stephen Bryant.

"It was horrible, you could not even get down the road without running over hundreds," said fellow resident Melissa Weatherly.

Beebe is a town of about 4,500 people located 30 miles northeast of the state capital, Little Rock.

Residents were not evacuated as a test of air quality found no toxins.

Officials are looking at various possibilities as to why the birds dropped dead - including being startled by fireworks, stress or hit by hail or lightning.

Mr Stephens said: "It could be weather-related or possibly stress-related.

"There were some fireworks shot off at midnight and it is possible that the birds were on their roost and stressed so bad that it could have killed them."

High winds and tornadoes struck Arkansas on New Year's Eve, with the hardest-hit area more than 150 miles to the west of Beebe.

The birds have been collected from rooftops, trees and yards and are being tested at facilities in Little Rock and Madison, Wisconsin.

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Violent Protests Over Bolivian Fuel Prices

There have been protests across Bolivia after the price of fuel rocketed in the South American country.Last weekend, the Government announced it could no longer afford to subsidise fuel prices, which had been frozen for six years.

The announcement led to a 73% hike in petrol prices and a leap of 83% in diesel prices.

As well as hitting transport, the increase has also led to a jump in food prices.

Protests in the capital La Paz began peacefully but there were clashes with police when demonstrators tried to enter the main plaza where the government palace is located.

Police used tear gas to disperse the protesters, who hurled stones at officers and government buildings.

In nearby El Alto, demonstrators set fire to a car and toll booths, while there were also protests in the cities of Cochabamba, Santa Cruz, Potosi and Oruro.

The protests have left a total of 15 police officers injured, two of them seriously.

The move has been the most unpopular decision taken during the five-year reign of president Evo Morales.

His government has announced measures aimed at offsetting the effects of the fuel rise, including 20% salary rises for public workers and assistance to rice, corn and wheat farmers.

However, demonstrators say the moves are not enough and are demanding fuel prices return to their former levels.

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Bomb Slaughters Egyptian Churchgoers

At least 21 people have been killed in Egypt by a suspected suicide bomber who targeted Christians as they emerged from a church following a service to mark the New Year.

Police initially said the blast was caused by a car packed with explosives which was parked outside the Saints Church in the northern city of Alexandria.

But the interior ministry later said the explosion was more likely to be by a suicide bomber on foot and there were indications of "foreign elements".

Following the atrocity, the Pope demanded protection for Christians as he urged world leaders to defend them against abuse and intolerance.

The governor of Alexandria, Adel Labib, accused al Qaeda of planning the bombing, state television reported.

If the terror network had a direct role, it could be a worrying development in Egypt, where the government has persistently denied the group has a significant presence on the ground.

Egypt is mostly Muslim, and Christians make up about 10% of the population of 79 million people.

The interior ministry said the blast happened just after midnight in front of the church after a Mass to see in the New Year.

It claimed the blast damaged a mosque near the church and eight Muslims were among the wounded.

A total of 43 people were hurt in the bombing, which led to hundreds of Christians taking to the streets in protest.

A witness said some Christians and Muslims threw stones at each other, and cars were set on fire.

Police used tear gas to disperse the protest and dozens of officers surrounded the area to prevent a repeat of the unrest.

An al Qaeda-linked group, the Islamic State of Iraq, issued a threat against the Church in Egypt in November.

It was over its treatment of women which the group said the Church was holding after they had converted to Islam.

Since the threat, the country has stepped up security around churches, banning cars from parking directly outside them.

The Islamic State of Iraq had claimed an attack on a church in Baghdad in November.

Following the Alexandria attack, a witness said: "This is a scene from Baghdad."

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Military Supply Drops To Flood-Hit Oz City

Military planes are flying supplies to the flood-ravaged Australian city of Rockhampton - as the disaster caused a second fatality.

Flood waters covering an area the size of France and Germany combined are draining slowly toward Australia's northeast coast.

They are bursting rivers and have swamped at least 22 towns and cities in the region, known for its cattle and fruit farming.

A 41-year-old woman who was swept to her death in front of her family on Saturday in Burketown, Queensland, was the first victim of the floods.

Officials have now reported a second fatality, after the body of a 38-year-old man was recovered in central Queensland.

The man died after his boat was swamped by water on Saturday near the mouth of the Boyne River at Tannum Sands.

The victim and his companion attempted to swim to safety after the boat began filling with water and he was last seen stranded on a sand bar.

State authorities say about 200,000 people have been affected by the floods, and Prime Minister Julia Gillard has extended emergency relief to those affected.

That included low-interest loans to farmers to begin cleaning up and get their businesses running again.

"This is a major natural disaster and recovery will take a significant amount of time," Gillard said in a statement.

In Rockhampton, a coastal city of about 75,000 people, waters from Fitzroy River closed the airport and cut the main highway leading to the state capital of Brisbane.

It sent scores of families to abandon their homes for relief centres set up on high ground.

Authorities warned the Fitzroy would continue rising until late on Tuesday or early Wednesday local time.

Officials have been evacuating Rockhampton residents for days.

Mayor Brad Carter warned about 40% of the city could be affected by the surging waters.

Residents emptied supermarket shelves of food and bottled water in recent days as they stocked up to reduce the need to get around in the waist-deep waters.

Some residents said cars and homes had been broken into and items stolen.

The wet weather that triggered the flooding has eased, and water levels are dropping in some towns.

But officials said about 1,000 people were living in evacuation centres across Queensland, and it may be a month before the floodwaters dried up completely.

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Still No Water For 4,000 In Northern Ireland

Around 4,000 homes are still without running water in Northern Ireland as engineers battle to repair pipes which burst in the recent big freeze.

About 12,000 other properties are on a rotating supply, which means that one hour they have it and the next they do not.

Officials from the province's water company have promised to fix most of the remaining leaks within days.

But it means water may not be restored to all households in Northern Ireland until the middle of the week.

Padraic White, chairman of Northern Ireland Water (NIW), promised locals they would see a "gradual improvement" to the situation over the next few days.

"Reservoirs are gradually refilling," he said, adding that the situation was better in the north and west but reservoirs in Belfast were still in "the most precarious position".

Customers will remain on a rotation system - where their water is periodically switched off - until the middle of the week, Mr White said.

By then, he expects all but the most remote households to be connected again.

Regional Development Minister Conor Murphy said an independent probe would examine the causes of the crisis.

But he insisted that restoring water supplies to homes and businesses was the first priority.

Arctic weather conditions, followed by a sudden thaw, caused large numbers of burst pipes in buildings and in the mains supply.

This meant unprecedented amounts of water were drained from the system.

Mr Murphy said: "On behalf of the Executive and this department, I want to apologise to people for the abysmal response there has been to real problems and distress that people have faced over the last week.

"We have a crisis currently ongoing, we have a lot of people facing very severe hardship and distress.

"The focus and the priority was to deal with that issue and that means that we need to shore up, to encourage, to challenge the people who are tasked with delivering that service to do it properly."

Scotland has already provided 120,000 bottles of water while the UK government has offered to provide extra call centre staff, water tankers and engineers.

Northern Ireland's political leaders have denounced NIW as "shambolic" and vowed to hold its executives to account.

NIW has pointed to years of underinvestment in the supply network and blamed much of the leakage on private property owners not checking their premises.

NIW chief executive Laurence MacKenzie has ignored calls to resign, saying he is focused on restoring supplies and the relief effort.

:: Click here for a list of emergency water supply venues in Belfast.

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