28 April 2009

Other News In Brief

Woman And Daughter Rescued From Fire

A woman and her teenage daughter have been rescued from a fire at a block of flats in Edinburgh. Fire crews were called to the blaze at the second floor at Hutcheson Cottages in Sighthill just before midnight on Monday. The 48-year-old woman and her daughter, aged 15, were both given oxygen at the scene. Neither had to be taken to hospital.

Man Arrested Over Railway Death

A man has been arrested after another man died when he was hit by a train while running across the tracks at a Hampshire railway station. The 21-year-old was struck by the 1.30pm Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour rail service at Hilsea on Monday, British Transport Police (BTP) said. A spokeswoman said the death was not being treated as suspicious but it was not a suicide. After the death a fight broke out at the station and one man was arrested. The spokeswoman said: "It is believed the man was running across the tracks from one platform to another when he was struck." She added: "BTP officers attended the incident alongside Hampshire Police officers and paramedics from the local ambulance service. Following the fatality one man was detained by Hampshire Police in connection with an altercation at the scene."

Woman Dies In Car Crash

A woman has died after her car left the road and collided with a tree on the M1 in Derbyshire. A 12-year-old boy and a girl, three, who were also travelling in the Red Ford Ka with the 37-year-old, were not injured. The incident happened around one mile from junction 29, near Chesterfield, on Monday afternoon. A Derbyshire Police spokesman appealed for anyone who witnessed the incident or saw the car travelling prior to the crash to come forward.

Plans To Improve Free Bus Pass Scheme

Plans to improve the delivery of the concessionary bus pass scheme were announced today by Transport Minister Paul Clark, as he launched a consultation on possible changes to the way the scheme is administered. One option being considered is to give county councils responsibility for running the scheme. Currently administration of the scheme is mainly handled by district councils, but the Government believes a change will simplify the system and allow for the more accurate distribution of funding. Local Authorities receive around £1 billion to fund the statutory concessionary bus pass scheme in their area, which gives 11 million older and disabled people free off-peak bus travel across England.

UK Protects Working Time Opt Out

Talks on the EU Working Time Directive have broken down without agreement being reached. The collapse sees the end of the European Parliament's proposal to phase out the opt-out in three years. The UK and other countries have consistently held firm against this proposal. A conciliation meeting in Brussels between the Member States, European Parliament and the European Commission was unable to resolve the long-standing differences between the European Parliament and member states over whether to retain the opt-out or not. With the deadline for reaching an agreement rapidly approaching, and the differences between the parties too great, it was agreed there was no value in continuing the negotiations any further.

(JM/KMcA)