STOCK MARKET WATCH - Tuesday, 31 January 2012

[Ghost Dog]

18. Aaargh.

Rate of deaths in custody is higher than officials admit

The number of people who have died after being forcibly restrained in police custody is higher than officially stated, an investigation by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism and The Independent reveals today.

The investigation has identified a number of cases not included in the official tally of 16 "restraint-related" deaths in the decade to 2009 – including a landmark case that changed the way that officers carry out arrests. Some cases were omitted because the person had not been officially arrested or detained...

/... http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/rate-of-deaths-in-custody-is-higher-than-officials-admit-6297270.html

One technique is so-called "prone restraint", which involves forcing a suspect face down on the floor, cuffing their hands behind their back and then putting pressure on their torso, shoulders and neck. Stricter guidelines on the use of prone restraint in prisons were brought in during the mid-1990s following a spate of restraint deaths. Prison service rules now state that "pressure should not be placed on the neck, especially around the angle of the jaw or windpipe. Pressure on the neck, particularly in the region below the angle of the jaw (carotid sinus) can disturb the nervous controls to the heart and lead to a sudden slowing or even stoppage of the heart."

/... http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/restraint-techniques-that-have-an-everpresent-risk-of-death-6297269.html

Former MI6 chief Sir Mark Allen sued over rendition

Two men who say they were rendered to Libya with the help of the UK have begun an action to sue one of Britain's most senior former MI6 officers.

Libyan dissidents Sami al-Saadi and Abdel Hakim Belhadj allege that Sir Mark Allen was complicit in their rendition and torture...

... Both men say that they were illegally detained and flown to Libya with the help of the UK.

Their wives and children were also rendered to Libya. Mr Belhadj says that his wife was also subjected to ill-treatment...

/... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16804656

UK told to prepare for mass floods in future

Flooding caused by heavier rainfall will be the major threat to Britain from climate change in the coming decades, potentially costing the country billions a year, a new assessment of the risks of global warming concluded yesterday.

New research commissioned by the Government shows that if no further plans are made to adapt to changing flood risks, as temperatures rise and population grows, by the 2080s damage to buildings and property could reach £12bn per year, compared with current costs of £1.2bn. In the worst-case scenario, five million people could be affected. Flooding is regarded as the most serious of 100 separate challenges from a changing climate to Britain's economy, society and natural environment, which have been identified in a comprehensive new study, the Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA).

These include increased health problems for vulnerable people in hotter summers, increased pressure on the UK's water resources, droughts affecting farmers and the potential introduction of new pests and diseases.

/... http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/uk-told-to-prepare-for-mass-floods-in-future-6294672.html

Water and sewerage bills are to rise by around £20 from April, regulator Ofwat has said.

The average bill will increase by 0.5% above inflation to £376, taking into account a rate of inflation of 5.2%, the water companies' watchdog said.

/... http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/water-bills-set-to-rise-to-an-average-of-376-6297347.html

Teenagers turn their backs on a university education

Universities have suffered the steepest fall in applications since records began, with the total number of students seeking places this autumn plummeting by 8.7 per cent as the true impact of tuition fee increases is felt.

Last night, there were warnings that the decline would lead to course closures and redundancies at campuses across the country. An even more marked drop of 9.9 per cent was recorded in applications from students in England, where fees are rising to up to £9,000 a year.

/... http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/teenagers-turn-their-backs-on-a-university-education-6297253.html

Just a small sample of today's news stories from that place.