Councils want tougher powers to crack down on bookmakers
New powers are needed to curb the rise of betting shops which are ‘saturating’ high streets, according to the Local Government Association. The group, which represents English councils, also wants to see the maximum £100 stake on addictive betting machines reduced. It comes as a report finds higher stakes on gambling machines may hamper good decision-making. Councillor Tony Page, who speaks for the Local Government Association (LGA) on licensing, highlighted concerns that, ‘vulnerable people are losing money’ on addictive gambling machines. Fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs), known as the ‘crack cocaine of gambling’, allow gamblers to bet up to £100 every 20 seconds. There are over 30,000 of the machines around the UK. Mr Page concluded: ‘Councils ultimately need tougher powers to enable them to support local high streets and economies through ensuring diverse high streets.’
Trinity Broadcasting Network launchesTBN-UK on Freeview
Trinity Broadcasting Network, the world's largest religious television broadcaster, announced that on 5 January 2015 it launched its newest network, TBN UK, on Freeview channel 65, the UK's free-to-air digital terrestrial television service. The neworkt reaches 95 percent of the television households across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, bringing 24-hour Christian programming to a combined total of approximately 26 million UK homes. TBN Vice President Matthew Crouch said that the launch of TBN UK represents one of the most significant commitments in the history of the 42-year-old global faith-and-family television group, ‘While TBN has been available in the UK through cable and satellite,’ he explained, ‘this will be the first time that over 65 million individuals across the British Isles will have access to a broad range of faith-and-family programming 24 hours a day.’
The Queen spoke of Jesus as the Prince of Peace in her Christmas message
Over Christmas and the New Year, the Queen spoke of Jesus as ‘an inspiration and an anchor’. In her annual Christmas message the Queen spoke about reconciliation and forgiveness, describing Jesus as a ‘role model’ of these qualities. In the message, broadcast on Christmas Day, she said: ‘For me, the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, whose birth we celebrate today, is an inspiration and an anchor in my life. A role model of reconciliation and forgiveness, he stretched out his hands in love, acceptance and healing. Christ’s example has taught me to seek to respect and value all people, of whatever faith or none.’ The monarch’s annual Christmas speech, which was first delivered by George V in 1932, is one of the rare occasions when the Queen gives her own views on events in the nation and around the world
Egypt: Criticism of government's response to epidemics
Egyptian families in some Egyptian territories are not sending their children to school because of the simultaneous spread of four contagious viral diseases. - mumps, measles, chickenpox and bird flu. The Ministry of Health was faced with anger at its dealing with the diseases, especially after some patients died. A citizen even filed a complaint against the Minister of Health at the police station. Between September and December 1,823 cases of mumps, 1,115 cases of chickenpox, 1,356 cases of measles, and 15 cases of bird flu were reported. The Minister of Health said the government does not intend to carry out a mass slaughter of farm birds or domestic birds (unlike what happened earlier to deter the spread of bird flu). He said, ‘a committee has been formed to study the epidemiological evolution of measles’ and blamed parents for the spread of measles in schools accusing them of slacking in vaccinating their children.
