Plants raided in horsemeat inquiry
ENVIRONMENT Secretary Owen Paterson will fly to Brussels today for a horsemeat summit – after two British processing plants were raided and shut down as part of the inquiry into the scandal.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA), accompanied by police, swooped on a slaughterhouse and a meat manufacturer after apparently uncovering “a blatant misleading of consumers”.
Peter Boddy slaughterhouse in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, and meat processing plant Farmbox Meats at Llandre in Aberystwyth, West Wales, had records seized and were temporarily shut down pending the outcome of investigations into claims they supplied and used horse carcasses in burgers and kebabs.
Anger as Kate bikini photos appear
THE Duke and Duchess of Cambridge face fresh anguish and frustration today after an Italian gossip magazine published photographs of Kate on a private Caribbean holiday.
The pictures, which have been condemned by St James’s Palace, reportedly show Kate wearing a bikini and strolling on a beach on the island of Mustique with William.
They were published today by Chi magazine, which last year provoked outrage from the Royal Family when it produced a 26-page spread showing the Duchess topless during a holiday in France.
Court to rule on GCSE grades review
THE High Court rules today on an unprecedented legal challenge over GCSE exam grades.
An alliance of hundreds of pupils and schools and scores of local councils, as well as teaching unions, are seeking judicial review.
They are accusing the AQA and Edexcel exam boards of unfairly pushing up the grade boundaries for English last summer in what amounted to “illegitimate grade manipulation” and “a statistical fix” involving exams regulator Ofqual.
Clegg in tax call amid Africa trip
GLOBAL action against tax-dodging firms is vital as the problem spreads from poor to rich countries, Nick Clegg said as be embarked on a visit to Africa.
The Deputy Prime Minister begins a three-day tour of Mozambique and Ethiopia today as part of the UK’s presidency of the G8 group of wealthy nations.
Tightening up the international tax system is one of Prime Minister David Cameron’s top priorities for progress at June’s summit in Northern Ireland.
Bank set to lower growth forecasts
THE Bank of England is expected to downgrade its growth forecasts today and warn of more financial pain for households after figures confirmed inflation remained above target last month.
Economists predict central bank boss Sir Mervyn King will paint a grim picture of rising inflation and difficult economic conditions when the latest quarterly forecast is released.
In an unexpected statement to support its decision to keep interest rates on hold last week, the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) warned inflation was likely rise in the coming months and might remain above the 2% target for another two years.
