Risk of more floods as rivers swell
SWOLLEN rivers are still at risk of flooding over the next few days, the Environment Agency has said, as icy temperatures take hold of the UK.
The Environment Agency (EA) warned that some rivers, including the Thames, Trent and Severn, remain at very high levels despite the improving weather.
It could take much longer for floodwaters to subside, as teams work around the clock to shore up defences and clear blockages from watercourses, it added.
SAS sniper in jail sentence appeal
AN SAS sniper jailed for illegally possessing a pistol and ammunition is today hoping to get an 18-month sentence quashed.
Lawyers representing Sergeant Danny Nightingale, 37, are due to ask appeal judges to analyse the case at a hearing in London.
Sgt Nightingale was sentenced to 18 months’ military detention earlier this month by a judge sitting in a military court.
Labour bids to retain commons seats
LABOUR will hope to retain three Commons seats in by-elections today despite signs of a strong showing for smaller parties.
Voters go to the ballot boxes in Croydon North and Middlesbrough following the deaths of MPs Malcolm Wicks and Sir Stuart Bell.
And also up for grabs is Rotherham, the seat vacated by Denis MacShane when he resigned after being condemned for abusing parliamentary expenses.
Civil servant challenges suspension
LEGAL action is being taken today by one of the civil servants suspended following the West Coast rail franchise fiasco.
The High Court will hear an application by Kate Mingay, the Department for Transport’s (DfT) commercial and technical services director, who was one of three DfT officials suspended after the Government pulled the plug on the West Coast bidding process earlier this autumn.
Mr Justice Kenneth Parker, sitting in London, is to hear an application in the case, which is listed as Mingay v Secretary of State for Transport.
‘Record numbers’ living with HIV
A RECORD number of people in the UK are living with HIV, with the number of people with the virus reaching nearly 100,000, new figures show.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said there were about 96,000 people who have the virus – an all-time high.
But health officials warned a quarter of people who have the human immunodeficiency virus are not aware they have been infected.
