22/02/2010

Other UK News In Brief

Brighton Murder Charges

Detectives in Sussex have charged a man with a murder in Brighton. Stephen Thomas Joseph Dunne, 40, of Chates Farm Court, Brighton, is accused of killing Gordon Ian Stalker. He will appear at Brighton Magistrates' Court later today. Mr Stalker died on the morning of Monday 15 February at Elm Grove, Brighton, as a result of stab wounds to the chest and side of his body.

Appeal For Missing Boy

Police in Somerset have appealed for the public's help to trace missing 15-year-old Jake English. He went missing Friday 12 February at about midday when he boarded a bus in Chard town centre, which was due to travel to Taunton. Jake is described as a white youth, 5ft 2ins tall of slight build with short mousey brown coloured hair. He has brown eyes and has two piercings in his left eyebrow. On the day he went missing he was wearing a black woollen hat, black hooded top, blue jeans and white and blue training shoes with white laces. Police have received a report that Jake has been seen in Bristol since he went missing.

Scotland's Big Games Industry Future

The computer games industry is key to the future economic success of Scotland, UK Minister for Digital Britain Stephen Timms said today. He was visiting to Abertay University to meet staff and students on their undergraduate and postgraduate industry accredited computer games courses. The University’s video games centre of excellence is receiving £2.5m of investment from the UK government to help it expand. Minister Timms said: "This new investment will strengthen Dundee University as a centre of excellence for the games industry. Investing now means that firms can start to build and grow for the future."

DUP Slams Iris Reports

Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has robustly rebuffed reports concerning Iris Robinson printed in yesterday's tabloid newspapers. A spokesman for the party described some of the allegations made as "ruthless lies". According to one paper, Mrs Robinson was preparing to make a 'Tiger Woods-style' public apology for her indiscretions. The disgraced politician resigned as MP and MLA for Strangford, and a Castlereagh councillor, over a business deal made on behalf of her teenage lover. Last night a DUP spokesman confirmed Mrs Robinson, the wife of Northern Ireland's First Minister, was continuing to receive acute psychiatric treatment and remained on a 24-hour suicide watch. Meanwhile, officers from the PSNI's organised crime branch searched the offices of Castlereagh Borough Council on Saturday over allegations involving the former MP's financial dealings.

TV Viewers Cut Off

Viewers in Oxfordshire who have been experiencing problems with their TV reception have been told that Digital UK is carrying out maintenance on the television mast at Beckley in preparation for digital switchover, due in 2011. The BBC has received many enquiries from viewers, some who have bought new equipment after suffering signal loss. Digital UK said the work was essential, and hoped it would be complete by the beginning of April.

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