Thousands of children are being sold "like cabbages" to China's booming factories as virtual slave labour.

Young people – some aged under 10 – are said to have been discovered being bought and sold at a street market in Sichuan, one of rural China's most overpopulated provinces.

According to investigative reporters, the children stood in line as they were assessed like cattle, before being driven on trucks to factories in the Pearl River Delta, China's manufacturing heartland.

Southern Metropolis Daily, a newspaper based in the delta, suggests that abuses remain rampant in factories despite efforts by campaigners within China and abroad.

The abuses might have become worse as wages have finally begun to rise in recent years, prompting businesses to seek new ways to cut costs.

The newspaper was tipped off by residents living close to the street market. One local man, Mr Shao, said he had watched children being "sold like cabbages".

A reporter, posing as a clothing factory manager, was allowed to inspect would-be "employees" by patting their arms and stomachs. He agreed to pay them 3.5 yuan an hour – about 25p.

Many had fake papers saying they were over 18; but, when asked, most were between 13 and 15. One was just seven, another nine.

The newspaper said that many came from the same area of Sichuan – Liangshan county – where 76 children have been reported as missing since the Chinese new year in February.

One of the most disturbing findings was that local officials seemed to be complicit. A foreman, who produced officially stamped documents concerning the children, said: "We have the complete right to manage them, by any means. You only need to sign a work agreement with us."

In a similar case last year, hundreds of young men were found to be working as slave labour in a string of brick kilns across northern China. Lured with promises of high wages, they were locked up and, in some cases, beaten to death.

The Southern Metropolis Daily was told stories of
hundreds of children being sent to electronics and toy
factories across southern China

(Abridged from a Daily Telegraph article)

BORIS JOHNSON LOOKS TO PERICLES FOR INSPIRATION

The man who would be mayor is looking to the classical past for inspiration, says his biographer and former colleague, Andrew Gimson

By next weekend, Boris Johnson could be the new Mayor of London. It is a prospect that astonishes the many people who wrote him off as a clown, prompting them to ask in a bewildered tone whether Boris has suddenly become "serious"

His jokes owe much to his father, Stanley, but on whom will Boris model himself if he becomes mayor?

With most of our politicians, confined as they are by their knowledge of only one language and only one time - the present - the best one could hope for would be an admiring reference to what Rudy Giuliani or Michael Bloomberg have done in New York.

Instead, this classicist takes us back to the first flowering of democratic politics in Athens: his hero is Pericles, leader of that city state in its golden age in the fifth century BC.

As far as I can see, none of the politicians and pundits who wonder whether Boris is "serious" has troubled to glance at Pericles.

It is not as if Boris has made any secret of his hero-worship: his Commons office is adorned with a bust of the great man, and when asked by a magazine who he would invite to a "fantasy dinner party", he replied: "You mean apart from Marilyn Monroe, Pericles, Aristotle, William Shakespeare and Descartes? I think I would have Scarlett thingy… Scarlett Johansson, my wife, and David Willetts, the Tory education spokesman."

Another interviewer asked: "Who is your historical pin-up, and why?"

Back came the answer: "Pericles. Look at his funeral speech. Democracy. Freedom. Champion stuff."

It is instructive, then, to read that great oration, delivered by the statesman in the winter of 431-430 BC at a funeral ceremony for the dead of the Peloponnesian War. For while these words, as given to us by Thucydides, were addressed to the Athenians, they are of the closest application to the United Kingdom, and especially to London:

"No one, so long as he has it in him to be of service to the state, is kept in political obscurity because of poverty. And, just as our political life is free and open, so is our day-to-day life in our relations with each other. We do not get into a state with our next-door neighbour if he enjoys himself in his own way, nor do we give him the kind of black looks which, though they do no real harm, still do hurt people's feelings. We are free and tolerant in our private lives; but in public affairs we keep to the law. This is because it commands our deep respect."

(From a Telegraph article)

Let's hope that Boris, if elected, will be able to live up to those high principles.

Further to my posting yesterday about Hewell Grange, I now bring you details of conditions in another of our places of incarceration for offenders.



INMATE BOASTS OF 'LUXURY LIFE' IN PRISON

A man jailed for repeatedly stabbing his wife has said he is enjoying a luxury life in prison and boasted that he was "better off inside".

Donal Kelleher, 37, an inmate at HMP Cardiff, said that his en suite accommodation was "outstanding" and revealed that he was paid £10 a week - to study for a maths GCSE - which he spends on cigarettes, chocolate and "other luxury goods".

A prison officer who has worked at Cardiff for 15 years said last week that inmates were simply sitting in their cells watching snooker on television or playing computer games.

He added that a new health care centre put local hospitals "to shame" and made it easier to see a dentist than on the "outside".

Glyn Travis, the assistant general secretary of the Prison Officers Association, said the latest disclosure confirmed his fears and that "we need to address the root of what prisons are all about".

Kelleher, a former Welsh Guard, stabbed his wife Leanne seven times in the chest and back after she told him she was leaving him. He was jailed in 2005.

But writing to a local newspaper from prison, he said: "I am better off in here. I could only imagine how cold it was this winter living on the streets."

He added: "May I just say that the food and accomadation (sic) is of outstanding quality here.

"We have coulour (sic) TVs, on sweet (sic) facilities, everything is provided for us eg toiletries, laundry.

"The staff are very friendly and helpful."

He stated that the education department at Cardiff was of a "very high standard". He said: "I'm currently doing a GCSE grade in maths which I am paid ten pound a week to achieve which I can spend on tobbacco (sic), chocolate and other luxury goods," he said.

A prison officer who did not want to be named, said the prison's new £10 million health care facility was "out of the world".

He added: "I've seen it and it would put any community hospital to shame.

"It will have an X-ray machine, dental facilities and can bed up to 16 of the prisoners at a time."

David Davies, the Conservative MP for Monmouth in South Wales, visited the prison last year.

He said: "I saw prisoners sitting in their cells watching television and playing computer games.

"It seems to be an unwritten rule if they are left alone to do whatever they want they won't cause any trouble.

"They have a right to be treated humanely but we have to remember they are in prison to be punished."

(Telegraph)

Hewell Grange

How would you like to stay free-of-charge in this Grade II-listed building, completed in 1894. It was the seat of the Windsor-Clive family - who were originally given the estate by Henry VIII.

Now you can stay there, subject to qualifying, with all your accommodation, meals and non-alcoholic drinks completely free.

Facilities inside the marble-floored house with oak panelled walls include a gym, a snooker room and a library where you can borrow CDs and computer games.

Outside you can relax and stroll in the beautiful gardens, with manicured lawns and colourful flower beds.

There is only one snag; it is a prison and to become a resident you must have committed a crime.

One inmate serving a 15-year sentence for kidnap said the facility was 'like a hotel, except it's free".

Sarah Davies was furious for being fined £75
for 'littering' after a small piece of a sausage
roll being eaten by daughter Chloe fell on
the pavement

A single mother has been fined £75 after her daughter dropped a piece of sausage roll on the pavement.

Sarah Davies, 20, was feeding Chloe, four, when the roll slipped from her grasp inches from her daughter's mouth and fell to the floor.

The incident happened in Hull city centre on Monday and a fixed penalty fine arrived in the post just three days later.

Miss Davies said that pigeons swooped down to eat the remains just moments later.

She said: "I had just picked up Chloe from nursery. We were both hungry so I got us a sausage roll to share. I had a bite and then bent down to give a bit to Chloe who was on her bike."

“A tiny bit missed her mouth and fell on the floor and seconds later some pigeons flew down and grabbed it. I crossed the road and was approached by two men - at first I thought they were canvassers as they were dressed in tracksuit bottoms.

“But one came up to me, said he was from the council and said I was going to be fined for dropping litter.”

She added: “I felt really small and humiliated. I was treated like I was a criminal. Where is the common sense? It was a small, bite-sized piece - just big enough for her mouth.

“I went back to take a picture of the 'litter’, but it had been gobbled by pigeons. There was no litter there at all.”

Hull City Council confirmed a fixed penalty ticket had been issued by a member of its Environment Crime Unit.

A spokeswoman for Hull City Council said: “The issuing of the fixed penalty notice is the result of the mother’s actions and not as a result of child’s.”

(Telegraph)

An action-man style doll of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler has gone on sale in the Ukraine, with saleswomen comparing the doll to Barbie.

Supermarkets in the capital Kiev are stocking the 40 centimetre high figure of the fuhrer, complete with jackboots, leather trench-coat and swastika armband.

The £100 figure has a spare head "with a kind expression on it," glasses and several changes of clothes.

The doll is dressed in long light-brown cloak, military uniform and jackboots.

It comes in a presentation box with the dates of Hitler's birth and death on it.

The decision to market the figure comes at a time of growing extreme right political sentiment in Ukraine.

There are also reports of increasing xenophobia and racism, and of some extremists supporting racism similar to that of Nazi Germany under Hitler.

Critics believe a cult of Hitler could spring up among disaffected youths, too young to remember the ravages Nazism wreaked on the country.

Around three million people died as a result of the Nazi occupation of the Ukraine, including 1.5 million Jews.

Hitler wanted to turn the country into a buffer zone with Russia peopled by slave workers working for the Third Reich.

Although Ukranian laws prohibit any form of fascism or propaganda, the dolls are already on sale and will be mass marketed this summer.

One saleswoman said: "It is like Barbie. Kids can undress fuhrer, pin on medals and there's a spare head in the kit to give him a kinder expression on his face.

"He has glasses that are round, in the manner of pacifist John Lennon".

All weather: The doll is equipped
for all conditions

The doll will also come with accessories like a miniature Blondi, Hitler's faithful Alsatian who died alongside the Nazi in his bunker in Berlin in 1945.

CONCENTRATION CAMPS AND GAS CHAMBERS TO FOLLOW:

According to the saleswoman, should the demand be high, manufacturers will go further and launch a series of themed Third Reich toys, including interiors of Hitler's chancellery, toy concentration camps with barbed wire, barracks and operating models of gas chambers and crematoriums.

(Daily Mail)

The Manche region as mapped by the EU

England has been wiped off a map of Europe drawn up by Brussels bureaucrats as part of a scheme that the Tories claim threatens to undermine the country's national identity.

The new European plan splits England into three zones that are joined with areas in other countries.

The "Manche" region covers part of southern England and northern France while the Atlantic region includes western parts of England, Portugal, Spain and Wales.

The North Sea region includes eastern England, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and parts of Germany.

A copy of the map, which makes no reference to England or Britain, has even renamed the English Channel the "Channel Sea".

Each zone will have a "transnational regional assembly", although they will not have extensive powers. However, the zones are regarded as symbolically important by other countries.

German ministers claimed that the plan was about "underlying the goal of a united Europe" to "permanently overcome old borders" at a time when the "Constitution for Europe needs to regain momentum".

The Tories are drawing attention to the plan today, St George's Day. Eric Pickles, the shadow secretary of state for communities and local government, said: "We already knew that Gordon Brown had hoisted the white flag of surrender to the European constitution.

"Now the Labour government has been caught red-handed, conspiring with European bureaucrats to create a European super-state via the back door."

(Telegraph)

Pope Benedict XVI has added some old-fashioned holy star power to a slick new recruitment drive launched by the Roman Catholic Church in New York in an effort to reverse the dramatic drop in young men joining the priesthood.

The campaign draws on modern advertising techniques, the power of the internet and catchy slogans to counter the lures of the secular world.

Posters and commercials bearing messages such as "The World Needs Heroes" and "You Have to be a Real Man if you want to become a Priest" have been distributed at college sports games and in cinemas.

And during an exuberant youth rally attended by an estimated 30,000 Catholics from across the country, Pope Benedict issued his own personal appeal to America's young men to consider the merits of pursuing a vocation.

He was given a rapturous reception by the masses of young believers chanting his name at St Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, just outside New York City.

The pontiff recalling his own youth under the "sister regime" of Nazism and urged his audience to avoid the traps of drugs and materialism and to seek the truth about life.

"As young Americans you are offered many opportunities for personal development, and you are brought up with a sense of generosity, service and fairness," he said.

During the celebration, videos extolling the merits of an ordained life, including footage of dashing priests on New York's mean streets, appeared on big screens, while clergy and seminarians from across the US took the chance to spread the word among the crowds.

St Joseph's own roll call tells the story of the shortage of new recruits to the priesthood in New York.

Hundreds once studied to become priests at the seminary, but nowadays its hallways and classrooms can be a lonely place. Just 60 men are currently studying there and only six will be ordained this year.

Church officials blame an increasingly secular and commercialised society for the long-term drop in young men seeking a vocation, but also acknowledge that the priest sex abuse scandal in America has exacerbated the decline.

And they have adopted some of the advertising practices of that culture - also available at www.nypriest.com - to put their own message across.

"We want to get material into and beyond the Catholic world, presenting the priesthood in a fully up-to-date manner to today's generation of young people and their families," said Fr Luke Sweeney, the director of vocations for the archdiocese.

"We are using these techniques to try to tap into a young man's heart and the desire for greatness that God places there, but that sometimes in the modern world gets pushed down by apathy and mediocrity."

(Edited from a Daily Telegraph article)

'NERDIC' IS FASTEST-GROWING LANGUAGE

It is claimed that more than 100 new words were added to the 'Nerdic' vocabulary in the past 12 months — more than three times the number the Oxford English Dictionary added to the English language.

Researchers reckon it might be the next Esperanto. Remember Esperanto? The language designed to be a second "international" language for everyone never really took off.

So what is it? It's a catchy name for all that techno jargon that has bubbled up with the internet and which although once the preserve of internet boffins in their bedrooms, has now trickled down to ordinary tech-loving folk.

Stuart Miles, the editor of gadget website Pocket-Lint.co.uk, said: "Technology has revolutionised the way we speak. With so many words and phrases being created all the time it's created a whole new way of communicating.

"Everyone knows what it means to Google something, and technology is moving at such a rapid pace these days that there are more and more new words coming into the English language.

"Fifty years ago development was much slower and TVs were just a square box in the corner of the room, but now there's new technology every couple of months."

He added: "If you're really into technology like me, it is actually possible to have an entire conversation in Nerdic, although not everyone else would be able to understand it."

Words created to describe technological breakthroughs can transcend other languages, the research found.

For example, the word 'internet' is understood and used throughout the world, even in non-English speaking countries.

In France, the translation of internet is 'toile d'araignee mondiale' - but most people still refer to the internet.

Top 10 nerdic words and phrases for 2008 (From Pixmania.com)

1. Wimax - Supersized Wi-Fi will give whole cities internet coverage, Milton Keynes already has it.

2. RickRoll - To intentionally misdirect internet users to a video of Never Gonna Give You Up by 80s one-hit-wonder Rick Astley.

3. UGC (user generated content) - The buzz word in the internet right now. Flickr, Facebook and YouTube all rely on the reader generating content on the sites.

4. Mashup - Take two or more really interesting elements from different websites or applications and make them into one - think Google Maps with an overlay of where you can buy clown outfits from.

5. RFID - Radio-frequency identification (RFID) will allow you to track your packages around the world or let you know how your bananas have travelled to you.

6. Android - Think iPhone but with a slightly different interface on phones from Samsung to HTC and with the ability for anyone to make applications for it.

7. HDMI - The new Scart lead allows you to connect High-Def devices together, like your TV to your new Blu-ray player.

8. Fuel-cell - Green water powered battery for everything from cars to laptops that will boost your gadget's life considerably over standard batteries.

9. HSDPA - The next step up from 3G on mobile phones. Makes accessing the internet on your mobile just as fast if not faster than your broadband connection at home.

10. DVB-H - Newly announced Mobile TV standard for Europe that allows you to watch TV on your mobile on the go.

N.B. 'Doorstop': a computer no longer considered fast enough and only useful for keeping doors open.

(Telegraph and other sources)

Fast seller

SUPERMARKET STAMPEDE AS WOMEN SLAP £2.49 BABY "BOTTOM BUTTER" ON THEIR FACES

Women have been putting Waitrose baby bottom butter on their faces

Supermarket staff were mystified when a cream for baby's bottom began selling like hot cakes.

Then they discovered the reason - mums were putting it on their own faces.

At £2.49 a pot, Waitrose's own-label 'Baby Bottom Butter' is only a fraction of the cost of designer products.

And its new-found fans claim it is the answer to their prayers.

The buying frenzy began after it was given glowing endorsements on parenting websites.

One contributor to mumsnet.com wrote: "I can't even remember what made me put it on my face one day but OMG - it is fab.

"I have been using it constantly for 2 weeks now and my skin now has the smoothest texture, which I don't think it's had since prepubescence.

"And it makes my foundation look super dewy and youthful too. It is SO much better than all the expensive face creams I have tried - including Creme de la Mer."

While some complained that it left their skin spotty or greasy, another mum gushed: "I have taken to putting it on twice a day, I am eighteen again!"

And a third added: "Really really impressed with how plumped and smooth it makes my skin look, especially around the eyes".

The butter is free from artificial chemicals and contains olive oil, camomile - for nappy rash - and lavender.

Waitrose says it has seen sales of "natural" baby toiletries rise by 38 per cent after it removed parabens, petrochemicals and colours from its own-label products.

Sales of 'Baby Bottom Butter' doubled to around 30,000 tubs in the first part of this year, taking its Hampshire-based supplier by surprise and leading to shortages on the shelves.

However, women keen to try it have been assured that new stock should be on sale from Monday.

Waitrose's baby care buyer Jo Maclaine said: "It seems that the botty butter gives softer cheeks wherever they are.

"The feedback we have had has been amazing and proof that looking good does not have to cost the Earth."

(Mail)

One of England's newest universities is offering tailor-made degrees in the management of selling beds.

Buckinghamshire New University in High Wycombe is offering a retail
management foundation degree developed in partnership with bed company Dreams.

This is the kind of collaboration between industry and higher education the government wants to encourage.

Most of the sector's expansion is through such two-year courses mixing academic and work-based learning.

Like the much-publicised "McDonald's A-level", the Dreams degree incorporates the existing company training package.

But Buckinghamshire New University vice-chancellor Ruth Farwell said: "Whilst we recognise the impetus behind the decision to allow companies such as McDonald's to award their own qualifications, we believe that it is better for employers to partner with universities in initiatives such as this one."

Dr Farwell added: "We pride ourselves on our work-based foundation degrees that are designed in conjunction with employers, and enable students to gain qualifications whilst they are working and on the basis of their work experience.

"Offering Dreams' managers this opportunity is a natural extension of our work, especially since Dreams' head office is in our home town.

"It fits perfectly with the government's drive for greater participation in higher education and the need to enhance the skills base of the nation."

Dreams founder Mike Clare said many of his staff had attended the university.

"The university's pragmatic approach and understanding of the challenges we face has enabled us to launch a development programme which will enable staff to continue their education whilst also focusing on their careers," he said.

The first course begins in mid-April, with 12 Dreams managers specially selected to be fast-tracked through the foundation degree in one year. Two years will be the norm for subsequent students.

(BBC)

Misplaced fears about terror, privacy and child protection are preventing amateur photographers from enjoying their hobby, say campaigners.

Phil Smith thought ex-EastEnder Letitia Dean turning on the Christmas lights in Ipswich would make a good snap for his collection.

The 49-year-old started by firing off a few shots of the warm-up act on stage. But before the main attraction showed up, Mr Smith was challenged by a police officer who asked if he had a licence for the camera.

After explaining he didn't need one, he was taken down a side-street for a formal "stop and search", then asked to delete the photos and ordered not take any more. So he slunk home with his camera.

"People were still taking photos with mobile phones and pocket cameras, so maybe it was because mine looked like a professional camera with a flash on top," he says.

"I wasn't very pleased because I was taken through the crowd and through the barriers at the front and people were probably thinking 'I wonder what he was doing.'

"To be pulled out of a crowd is very daunting and I wasn't aware of my rights.
"It's a sad state of affairs today if an amateur photographer can't stand in the street taking photographs."

Austin Mitchell MP has tabled a motion in the Commons that has drawn on cross-party support from 150 other MPs, calling on the Home Office and the police to educate officers about photographers' rights.

Mr Mitchell, himself a keen photographer, was challenged twice, once by a lock-keeper while photographing a barge on the Leeds to Liverpool canal and once on the beach at Cleethorpes.

"There's a general alarm about terrorism and about paedophiles, two heady cocktails, and police and PCSOs [police community support officers] and wardens and authorities generally seem to be worried about this."

Photographers have every right to take photos in a public place, he says, and it's crazy for officials to challenge them when there are so many security cameras around and so many people now have cameras on phones. But it's usually inexperienced officers responsible.

"If a decision is made to crack down on photographers, it should be made at the top. It's a general officiousness and a desire to interfere with people going about their legitimate business."

Child protection has been an issue for years, says Stewart Gibson of the Bureau of Freelance Photographers, but what's happened recently is a rather odd interpretation of privacy and heightened fears about terrorism.

"They [police, park wardens, security guards] seem to think you can't take pictures of people in public places. It's reached a point where everyone in the photographic world has become so concerned we're mounting campaigns and trying to publicise this."

"There's a great deal of paranoia around but the police are on alert for anything that vaguely resembles terrorism. It's difficult because the more professional a photographer, paradoxically, the more likely they are to be stopped or questioned.

P.S. In the case of Phil Smith, an official complaint about the Christmas lights incident helped sort matters out. Not only did he receive a written apology from Suffolk Police, but also a visit from an inspector, who explained that the officer, a special constable, had acted wrongly.

(Edited from the BBC)

Defenders of the French language were furious yesterday after it emerged that the country's entry for this year's Eurovision song contest will be performed in English.

Sebastién Tellier, a hirsute singer-songwriter with a penchant for cream suits, was selected by France 3, the state television channel, to perform his electro-pop track Divine at the annual contest, held this year in Belgrade on May 24.

But with lyrics almost entirely in English - a first for a French entry in 52 years of the competition - Divine has provoked controversy in a country sensitive about the encroachment of Anglo-American culture on its language and arts.

François-Michel Gonnot, an MP in President Nicolas Sarkozy's UMP party, said he was shocked by the choice. "Our fellow citizens don't understand why France is giving up defending its language in front of hundreds of millions of television viewers around the world," he said.

But Tellier's producer said that Mr Gonnot was engaged in a "rearguard battle". "Sebastién Tellier sings in English, French and even in Italian according to his inspiration," said Marc Teissier du Cros.

"This year, half the Eurovision candidates are singing in English and I don't think that singing in French is the best way to make oneself understood by the whole world."
'
There is general agreement that Divine' stands a far better chance of success than recent efforts. In 2006, France received nul points, while the last French victory came in 1977.

(The Telegraph)

CARLA BRUNI NUDE PROCEEDS SNUBBED BY HOSPITAL

A doctor who runs hospitals in Cambodia has refused a donation raised by selling a nude picture of France's first lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, because he said it would shock local morality.

Beat Richner, a Swiss paediatrician who runs a children's medical care group, said he had turned down an offer of $91,000 (£46,000) - the sum paid in a Christie's auction last week for the 1993 picture of the Italian ex-model, now married to the French president Nicolas Sarkozy.

"My decision was taken out of respect for our patients and their mothers", he told Le Matin Dimanche. "Accepting money obtained from exploitation of the female body would be perceived as an insult".

In Cambodia "use of nudity is not understood in the way it is in the West", he added.

He would not allow the Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital Association "to be involved in the media exploitation of Madame Bruni".

"The idea behind this gift was to get publicity for the auction and the photographer", Mr Richner was also quoted as saying. "It was a way of using us".

Michel Comte, the Swiss photographer who took picture of the then Miss Bruniposing naked with her crossed hands acting as a fig leaf, was quoted in the Swiss press last month as saying he had thousands more images of her, some more risqué - taken over a ten-year period.

"I have other nude photographs of Carla, far more explicit, but I would never sell them," he said last month.

The publication of the photo in Britain coincided with the arrival of the French first lady with her husband on a two-day state visit to the UK last month, when she received a rapturous welcome from the British public.

Mr Comte had persuaded the seller, German collector Gert Elfering, to offer the money through the sale to a humanitarian cause, said Le Matin Dimanche.

It will now be donated to a Swiss research institute working on turning used water into fresh drinking water in poor countries.

(From the Daily Telegraph)

I know children are growing up earlier nowadays and some develop physically more quickly than others - but this is ridiculous!

Supermarket giant Tesco has been heavily criticised for selling a padded plunge bra aimed at girls as young as seven.

The bra, which costs £4, is sold alongside vests in the supermarket's seven to eight-year-old age range.

It is the latest embarrassment for Tesco, which in 2006 removed a pole dancing kit from sale after being accused of "destroying children's innocence".

Yesterday teachers and children's groups criticised the decision to sell the bra.

A spokesman for the children's charity the NSPCC said: "It is important that products accessible to children are appropriate to their age and understanding."

A spokeswoman for the National Union of Teachers said: "There is already too much pressure on children to appear grown up.

"Making products for young girls which encourage them to wear inappropriate or sexually provocative clothes is irresponsible and merely adds to the pressure they are under.

"A padded bra for young girls is clearly inappropriate."

Fashion lecturer David Morris described the bra as "salacious".

He added: "I can imagine women being upset about their daughters buying these 'pocket money bras' without their mums knowing.

"The bra is modelled on a plunge style - it has a very low bridge connecting the cups. It means the shape and position is lower to expose the breast tissue."

Tesco, however, defended the bra. A spokesman said: "It is a product designed for girls at that self-conscious age when they are just developing.

"It is designed to cover up, not flatter, and was developed after speaking to parents.

"It is described as a padded bra for trade description reasons."

(Daily Telegraph)

Don't look down: Angela Merkel with Mr Stoltenberg at the Opera

Angela Merkel shows she's keeping abreast of foreign affairs on a State visit to Norway on Saturday.

Germany's Chancellor revealed her impressive decolletage while chatting to Norway's prime minister Jens Stoltenberg at the opening of Oslo Opera House.

And to his credit, Mr Stoltenberg maintained crucial, and diplomatic, eye contact with his guest at the inauguration of the cultural landmark.

(Mail on Sunday)

NOW THEY ARE TAGGING POLICEMEN

Every Metropolitan police officer will be "tagged" so that senior officers can monitor their movements on a tracking system, it has been disclosed.

The plan - which affects all 31,000 serving officers in Britain's largest police force, including the Commissioner, Sir Ian Blair - will augment the Airwave radio system used to help monitor officers' movements, the magazine Police Review reported.

The electronic tracking device, called the Automated Personal Location System (APLS), means that officers will never be out of range of supervising officers.

According to the service provider Telent, the technology "will enable operations centres to identify the location of each officer at any time they are on duty, whether overground or underground". Although police chiefs say the technology is aimed at "improving officer safety" and reacting to incidents more quickly, many rank and file believe it is simply a Big Brother-style system to keep tabs on them.

Some officers are concerned that the system - which will be able to pinpoint any officer to within a few feet of their location - will end community policing and leave officers purely at the beck and call of control room staff.

One officer, in Peckham, south London, said: "They are keeping the exact workings of the system very hush-hush at the moment although it will be similar to the way criminals are electronically tagged. There will not be any choice about wearing one."

Neither the Met nor Telent would provide Police Review with more information about how the system will operate.

Wine glasses are getting larger and 14% of licensed premises say they now offer only 250ml sized wine glasses - equivalent to a third of a bottle.

Now that is nearly half-a-pint.

Meanwhile, many pubs have increased spirit measures from 25 to 35ml and offer doubles as standard.

However, as fears about a binge drinking epidemic mount, the trend has triggered a backlash from senior doctors and politicians.

Professor Gilmore, president of the Royal College of Pysicians, warned: "There is no doubt at all that many people are drinking significantly more than they realise.

"People are aware of units, they want to stay within safe limits, but they are being pushed up way over those limits by just not realising what they are drinking.

"I think the industry is being irresponsible and needs to put its house in order."

However, the licensed trade insists it merely offers what customers want and that larger sizes are better value for money.

NOT IN MY CATHEDRAL

The Dean of Southwark has banned the singing of the hymn 'Jerusalem' in the cathedral, because he claims it is "not in the glory of God".

The words were written by William Blake in 1804 and later set to music in 1916 by Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry.

The verses are thought to have been based on a legend that Jesus came to England as a young boy and visited the town of Glastonbury, Somerset, where he established a second Jerusalem.

Christians have subsequently interpreted the meaning of the hymn in different ways and some believe that the word "Jerusalem" could be a metaphor for heaven.

'Jerusalem' has been banned before by clergymen who do not believe Blake's poetry to be Christian.

However, that has not stopped it being adopted by the English football team as their official anthem - and in 1996 Prime Minister Gordon Brown made a memorable appearance on Radio 4's Desert Island Discs in which he listed Jerusalem amongst his ten favourite records.

Of course for many years it was sung at the beginning of all Women's Institute meetings. I am not sure whether it still is.

I will not cease from mental fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand,
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England's green and pleasant land.

MRSA

Hospital trusts are allowing doctors and nurses to continue treating patients even after testing positive for potentially lethal superbugs including MRSA.

Hundreds of trusts do not take their staff off wards automatically if they are found to be carrying one of the most virulent hospital bugs, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which can be spread by human contact.

A survey of trusts revealed that few routinely screen staff for the infection, or even keep records of the number of employees infected with MRSA. They claimed such a policy was fully in line with government guidelines. The approach is backed by many unions – including one that warned that a hardline policy could damage its members' financial well-being and career prospects.

But the British approach to medical professionals with MRSA contrasts sharply with that in the Netherlands, where hospital staff are regularly screened and sent home if they test positive. The Dutch have one of the lowest MRSA rates in Europe.

Medical experts and patients' pressure groups last night condemned the "relaxed" attitude to the risks posed by doctors and nurses arriving for work on NHS wards every day.

Derek Butler, the chairman of MRSA Action UK, said the Government had to impose tighter rules on staff if it was to "get serious" about tackling an infection that contributes to more than 1,600 deaths every year.

"This is one of the hidden problems of MRSA," said Mr Butler. "We are talking about people who come in from the outside every day and could well be bringing this infection in with them.

"Staff should be screened regularly and if they are colonised with this infection they should be taken off duty until they are clear. Given that it is commonly carried in the nose, people who are carrying it should at least be required to wear a mask to prevent it being transmitted to patients."

Government guidelines on MRSA state that "screening of staff is not recommended routinely, but if new MRSA carriers are found among the patients on a ward, staff should be asked about skin lesions".

The advice continues: "In principle, only staff members with colonised or infected hand lesions should be off work while receiving courses of clearance therapy."

Professor Mark Enright, a microbiologist at Imperial College London, said the fact that some 30 per cent of the population carried MRSA could mean a tougher testing regime would damage the careers of health staff by banning persistent carriers from areas of risk, including operating theatres.

The Royal College of Nursing guidance on MRSA claims that forcing infected staff to stay away from work until they are clear "will lead to staff shortages and can affect the employment prospects, career opportunities and income of these staff".

But Professor Enright said: "There is an argument for tighter rules on staff. The impact it could have on careers is a big problem, but if the Government i