United Kingdom

    A Bristol company is planning to create an official “period policy” designed to allow women to take time off without being stigmatised in the hope it will make its workplace more efficient and creative. Bex Baxter, the director of Coexist, said the move an attempt to synchronise work with the body’s natural cycles. I have managed many female members of staff over the years and I have seen women at work who are bent over double because of the pain caused by their periods. Despite this, they feel they cannot go home because they do not class themselves as unwell. And this is unfair. At Coexist we are very understanding. If someone is in pain – no matter what kind – they are encouraged to go home. But, for us, we wanted a policy in place which recognises and allows women to t...

    A man injured when an explosive device detonated under a vehicle in Belfast is a prison officer, sources said. The incident happened in the Woodstock Road area in the east of the city. The extent of the man's injuries is not known. Security sources have indicated he is a serving prison officer. It is understood he was driving a van when the device detonated. Detectives are examining whether the bomb dislodged from the vehicle as it was going over a speed bump. The finger of suspicion will point at dissident republicans opposed to the Northern Ireland peace process. Police Service of Northern Ireland Superintendent Darrin Jones said: We believe a device has exploded under a vehicle. The incident was reported to police at 7.10am this morning Friday March 4. One man has been ...

    Police are hunting for a sex offender who fled court moments before he was found guilty of raping a child. Tariq Javed, 37, of Aspinall Street, Rusholme, absconded from Minshull Street Crown Court on Monday, February 29. Javed was found guilty in his absence of eight counts of sexual activity with a child under the age of 13. A sentence date was arranged for March 21, 2016 and a warrant for his arrest was issued. Javed is known to have links with the Stockport and Manchester areas of Greater Manchester. Greater Manchester Police believe Javed might try and flee the UK, reports the Manchester Evening News. Detective Inspector Ian Cottrell said: “Javed has been convicted of incredibly serious offences committed against children. “He is thought to be a flight risk and warning...

    Storm Jake is to batter the U.K. on Wednesday, with Britain's Met Office warning of up to 70 miles per hour gusts of wind and travel disruption. One particularly strong gust hit 81 miles per hour in Aberdaron in Wales. Gales are expected across the south-west of England, and rain, sleet and snow have brought tricky conditions, Britain's weather forecaster said. An official yellow warning for high winds was in place in the U.K. on Wednesday morning, meaning that several days of severe weather is possible. Temperatures are likely to remain wintry at between 4 and 6 degrees Celsius (39 to 43 degrees Fahrenheit). Met Office forecaster Calum MacColl said: "It's going to be cold, unsettled and windy the further west you go with plenty of showers pushing through from the north an...

    The towns are likely to feature easy access to public transport and safer cycling and pedestrian networks. Fast food-free zones near schools could soon be a reality in 10 NHS England-backed “healthy” new towns designed to encourage people to exercise more, eat better and live independently into old age. The NHS hopes that by helping to shape the way the towns are built it can begin to address major healthcare problems including obesity and dementia and establish a blueprint that will be followed elsewhere. The 10 towns selected, stretching from Darlington to Devon, will comprise more than 76,000 homes and 170,000 residents. They will be announced formally by the NHS England chief executive, Simon Stevens, at the King’s Fund in London on Tuesday. He said: “The much-needed p...

    Ten of the UK's 12 most struggling towns and cities are in the North of England, new research shows. Critics say the findings undermine George Osborne's plan to create a Northern Powerhouse to bridge the North-South divide. Rochdale's economy is declining most steeply, followed by Burnley, Bolton, Blackburn and Hull, according to a report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. They are followed by Grimsby, Dundee, Middlesbrough, Bradford, Blackpool, Stoke-on-Trent and Wigan. None of the top 12 struggling areas are in the South, and growth in most was found to be lagging significantly behind national levels. The table was compiled following a study of employment and migration rates in the areas, numbers of highly qualified workers and types of jobs. For the purposes of the rese...

    David Cameron David Cameron is planning to cull hundreds of Tory associations and strip local chairmen of their powers under controversial plans to rein in the Conservative grassroots. The Daily Telegraph can disclose that up to 90 per cent of the country's 650 Conservative associations could be axed under the biggest reforms to the party's structure in 18 years. Critics believe that it is a bid to reduce the influence of Tory members - which are typically eurosceptic - on the party's next leadership contest. It comes just weeks after Mr Cameron faced a furious response from Conservative members after telling MPs to ignore the views of eurosceptic associations in the build-up to the referendum. Senior Tories are growing increasingly concerned that George Osborne's chances ...

    A murder investigation has been launched after a man's body was found in a burnt-out car in Essex. Police were called to an area near Pitsea Road in Basildon, shortly before 5pm on Saturday, where they found the 30-year-old's body in a grey Audi A4. Essex Police are appealing for witnesses to come forward. Detective Inspector Steve Ellis said: "This happened in a residential neighbourhood so I am hopeful someone will have seen or heard something. "The vehicle has internal fire damage so I'm keen to speak to anyone who might have seen the vehicle or spotted anyone acting suspiciously in the area." Anyone with information should contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

    Britain is set to see a 'White Easter' as a polar plunge strikes the country, bringing snow , ice and temperatures as low as -14C. The plunge - the same phenomenon that triggered the 2010 Big Freeze - is expected to result in colder-than-average weather across the UK in late March. Temperatures will drop to below zero most nights throughout the month, leading to potentially dangerous snowy and icy conditions, forecasters say. Then, as the end of March approaches, the country is set to be gripped by a longer 'freeze', with a White Easter' expected from March 25 to 28. These snowy conditions, along with the two-week school holidays, are likely to see families facing transport problems at one of the busiest times of year for leisure travel. The Met Office said the cause of th...

    David Cameron has reportedly been told that he will face a leadership challenge unless he tones down his attacks on Boris Johnson and other Out campaigners. Tory ministers and senior backbenchers have even threatened a "no confidence vote if the Prime Minister fails to halt "blue on blue" attacks on fellow Conservatives, according to the Sunday Times. A senior backbencher told the newspaper they would have "no problem getting the 50 signatures needed to force a vote, adding: Cameron's position will be untenable even if he wins the referendum if he carries on like this. It comes after confirmation the Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond swore at one leading Tory Eurosceptic in a row over a confidential EU document. Conservative divisions over the EU have deepened after Mr Hamm...