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Steven Bouquet has been jailed for more than five years after he killed nine cats in night attacks.

Four men and a mother and daughter are detained over the fatal beating of Lee McKnight.

Festival-goers started arriving on Thursday, but some public arenas were affected by Storm Evert.

Katie Price calls for eight police officers to be sacked amid allegations they made comments about her son.

The Science Museum is under fire today for signing a “gagging order” preventing it from criticising Shell, the sponsor of its current “Our Future Planet” exhibition.

Documents obtained by FOI request by climate group Culture Unstained show that the museum signed a sponsorship agreeing in which it agreed not to do or say anything which “may reasonably be foreseen as damaging the goodwill or reputation” of the sponsor.

The documents, which were first reported by the Times, show that the museum was also in talks with a consortium of 12 other oil and gas firms over sponsoring the show.

The exhibition, which started on 19 May, is showcasing technologies such as Carbon Capture and Storage (CCUS), which are widely seen as crucial to preventing dangerous levels of climate change.

A spokesperson for the activist group said that the decision to sign such a clause “put its staff in a very difficult position and… should be of great concern to the museum sector as a whole”.

In response, the museum said that the clause was standard and appears in most such sponsorship agreements.

It added: “At all times the Science Museum retains editorial control of the content within our exhibitions and galleries. We entirely reject the unsubstantiated claim that our curators were in any way inhibited in carrying out their vital role in an expert, independent and thorough manner”.

Shell said: “We fully respect the museum’s independence. That’s why its exhibition on carbon capture matters and why we supported it. Debate and discussion — among anyone who sees it — are essential.”

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Salford City sign Birmingham City goalkeeper Zach Jeacock on a season-long loan deal.

Salford City sign Birmingham City goalkeeper Zach Jeacock on a season-long loan deal.

Key maps and charts explaining how the virus has spread around the world.

Britain's Luke Campbell, who won Olympic gold at London 2012, retires from boxing.

An 18-year-old man has been charged with possession of an offensive weapon following a fight between two people.

Major changes to lockdown rules have taken effect in England and Scotland, but some restrictions remain.

Major changes to lockdown rules have taken effect in England and Scotland, but some restrictions remain.

Major changes to lockdown rules have taken effect in England and Scotland, but some restrictions remain.

Major changes to lockdown rules have taken effect in England and Scotland, but some restrictions remain.

Major changes to lockdown rules have taken effect in England and Scotland, but some restrictions remain.

Major changes to lockdown rules have taken effect in England and Scotland, but some restrictions remain.

Officers have been examining CCTV footage in an attempt to identify and track down culprits.

People are to be asked for their comments as part of a review which aims to ensure Dorset’s town and parish councils continue to reflect the communities they represent.

Town and parish councils play a vital role in providing local services and acting for their communities. Through what is known as a Community Governance Review, Dorset Council wants to hear local people’s views on whether:

• the boundaries of the parish need changing
• an alternative set up would work better, ie for very small areas if a parish meeting would work better rather than a parish council.
• the parish should be divided into wards, or existing wards need altering
• the parish should be grouped with other town/parish councils

They can also give their thoughts on

• changing the number of town/parish councillors
• changing their town/parish council’s name

The consultation starts on 5 August, when the questionnaire will be available to complete.

Cllr Spencer Flower, Leader of Dorset Council, said: “Town and parish councils provide and maintain many essential services for their local communities, and are at the heart of our towns and villages.

“Needs and communities change over time, so this review is timely and required to be undertaken to keep local democracy up to date. It also gives an opportunity to harness the knowledge and experiences of local people to ensure their councils reflect local identities and interests.

“It is an appropriate time to undertake the review of all town and parish councils in the area, being just over two years since Dorset Council was formed.”

See full details of the review (link to online questionnaire will be available from 5 August).

As well as the online questionnaire, paper copies will be available at Dorset Council’s libraries or by calling 01305 251010 from 5 August.

Comments need to be submitted by 28 October 2021. The comments will be considered and draft recommendations prepared for Full Council on 14 December 2021. Further consultation will then follow and these comments will be considered before a decision is made by Dorset Council in April 2022.

Any changes to the town and parish councils will become effective from May 2024.

The review is a legal process and offers an opportunity to put in place strong, clearly defined boundaries, tied to firm ground features, and remove any boundary irregularities that may exist.

The Guidance on Community Governance Reviews issued by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government published in 2008 recommends that a principal council (in this case, Dorset Council) should undertake a review of its area every 10-15 years.

The process is:

• Public consultation for 12 weeks seeking proposals/initial submissions (5 August to 28 October 2021).
• Consideration of consultation responses and preparation of draft recommendations (to be agreed by Full Council – December 2021).
• Public consultation on draft recommendations (20 December 2021 – 28 February 2022).
• Consideration of further responses and then publication of final recommendations for Full Council – April 2022).

 

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The Eurozone economy is recovering much faster from the Covid crisis than experts’ forecasts as the vaccine rollout and the reopening of the services industry boosts consumer spending, shows new figures published today.

The Eurozone economy grew two per cent in the second quarter of this year compared to the same period last year, according to Eurostat, the area’s official statistics agency.

Year-on-year growth hit 13.7 per cent.

Read more: US economic growth falls short of expectations

Economists polled by Reuters had expected a 1.5% quarterly and a 13.2% annual increase.

The figures come as the US economy grew at a much slower pace than analysts had forecasted.

Portugal registered the highest quarterly growth rate, up 4.9 per cent, driven by an uptick in international travellers visiting the country.

Output in Germany, the Eurozone’s largest economy, grew 1.5 per cent in the second quarter of this year, while France’s economy grew a meagre 0.9 per cent over the same period.

Spain recorded the highest yearly growth, up 19.8 per cent, as the country’s recovery accelerated after the reopening of the cafes, bars and restaurants.

The accelerating vaccine rollout in the Eurozone has enabled countries to lift restrictions on sectors of the economy that rely on social and face-to-face interaction to generate income.

The services industry represents a significant proportion of output in the Eurozone, meaning the lifting of Covid measures has provided a boon for the area’s economy.

Bert Colijn, senior economist at ING, said: “A strong GDP figure confirms that the economic rebound is underway. It probably already started at some point in the first quarter as lockdowns have generally been eased since then, but the eurozone economy has experienced a bumpy ride.” 

Read more: Eurozone construction activity continues rebound from Covid lows

Eurostat also said Eurozone inflation accelerated to 2.2 per cent in July, the highest rate since October 2018 and higher than the European Central Bank’s target, up from 1.9 per cent in June and above the mean expectation of economists of two per cent.

Unemployment in the region fell slightly in June to 7.7 per cent.

The post Covid recovery: Eurozone economic growth outstrips forecasts appeared first on CityAM.

In what Google described as a “significant additional measure” to protect both its users and legitimate advertisers, and to prevent scammers exploiting its various platforms, the multinational tech giant recently announced its intention to clamp down on financial fraud by forcing all financial services advertisers to demonstrate that they are authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

From 30 August, there will be an update to Google Ads financial products and services policy: new certification requirements will be introduced for all financial services advertisers targeting the UK.

Alongside its fellow internet giants, Google has come under increasing pressure to take action over scam advertisements appearing on its platforms.

But according to Mark Kenkre, partner at litigation specialist law firm Keller Lenkner UK, depending entirely on FCA authorisation as a criterion for determining financial advertisers’ credibility and honesty is simply not enough. 

“Although this seems like a good start to deal with online financial advertising, it will not solve the problem because many companies which receive FCA authorisation still mis-sell their products and services,” Kenkre told City A.M.

Capital & Finance scandal

Kenkre singled out the London Capital & Finance (LCF) scandal as an example.

“This highlighted a particularly serious issue whereby firms can gain FCA registration for a limited scope and then use their “FCA regulated” badge to increase their credibility with potential clients and investors,” said Kenkre.

A mini-bond firm, LCF, collapsed in 2019 having raised £237m from 11,000 small investors. In her report on the demise of LCF, Dame Elizabeth Gloster found that the FCA had failed to properly regulate and supervise LCF.

Mel Stride MP, chair of the Treasury Select Committee, further noted: “The collapse of LCF is one of the largest conduct regulatory failures in decades. Dame Elizabeth Gloster identified a litany of failings at the FCA regarding its regulation of LCF, and highlighted a range of changes needed at the FCA under its new leadership.”

Kenkre explained that “many LCF victims have commented on the FCA’s apparent approval of LCF, saying that it gave them confidence to invest. But they were unaware that the FCA permissions held by LCF were not relevant to the activity which they undertook.”

He noted that the FCA register is difficult to search and that consumers cannot easily navigate their way around a firm’s profile in order to work out what that firm is and is not authorised to do. Then there is the question of timing.

“By the time the FCA get onboard and starts to investigate potential wrongdoing, it’s often too late,’ he said. “The companies in question have already headed into default or insolvency.”

Compensation

Receiving compensation via The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) or the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) is both time consuming, and more critically, limited in the amount of money that be recompensed to investors.

The solution, according to Kenkre, is for a more co-ordinated approach with the FCA engaging with all the various mediums used by fraudsters, including the online community.

“There needs to be much more publicity in order to create greater awareness of the problem, especially within certain demographics,” he concluded.

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