Crash pilot “top RAF instructor”
The captain of the RAF Nimrod MR2 who sent out several mayday calls before his aircraft crashed in southern Afghanistan killing 14 servicemen was one of the RAF’s top flying instructors (Michael Evans writes).
Flight Lieutenant Allan Squires, 39, from Clatterbridge in Merseyside, was described as an exceptional pilot and flying instructor whose experience and professionalism “will have touched a whole generation of air force pilots”.
Married with two children, Flight Lieutenant Squires was a gifted runner, but his passion was his family, his wife Adele, and his young daughter, Abigail, and son, Graeme.
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Details of the 14 killed in Saturday’s crash were revealed for the first time as the Ministry of Defence published eulogies of the men.
IT system cut
Ministers have been forced to abandon a new computer system designed to process all benefits payments, at the cost of £141 million to the taxpayer.
The Benefits Reprocessing Payments Programme was commissioned to bring together all information on all benefit claimants on one system.
Officials estimated that it would save £60 million. But “concerns about the progress” of the new system have prompted ministers to ditch it.
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The main trade union representing staff at the Department for Work and Pensions called for a full inquiry. Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union, said: “This is a huge waste of taxpayers’ money.”
A&E numbers up
The number of patients going to emergency departments with complaints that might be suitable for care by a GP has risen by 51 per cent since October 2004, according to a study carried out at Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham and Solihull Hospital. The increase has come since GPs opted out of providing 24-hour care.
Composers week
The BBC is to broadcast the complete works of Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky as part of a week celebrating the works of the two composers. From February 10, Radio 3 will feature historic and contemporary recordings and live performances, a television documentary on Swan Lake and ballet master classes.
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Obesity hits sight
Being overweight doubles the risk of loss of sight, according to a report by the Royal National Institute of the Blind. It says that obesity doubles the risk of age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of loss of sight in Britain, and increases tenfold the risk of diabetes, which can lead to diabetic retinopathy.
Thief escapes from custody
A 21st-century Raffles who dressed in designer clothes to steal from wealthy tourists and businessmen is on the run after escaping from custody during a medical appointment.
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Steven John, 45, who became a millionaire by stealing gems, cash and designer goods from hotels and apartments, had his handcuffs removed to visit the lavatory at Queen Charlotte’s Hospital in Hammersmith, West London.
He escaped from a window after being taken to the hospital last Friday with an abscess. He was being held at Wormwood Scrubs prison near by and had been due to be sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court that day but was deemed to ill to attend.
John was filmed on one raid at a hotel in Knightsbridge wearing a Prada jacket and trousers, Ralph Lauren jumper and a Dunhill hat.
Social guidance
Tony Blair has set out controversial plans to intervene early in the lives of children born to problem families. In a speech on social exclusion to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation Mr Blair said intervention was far more effective than picking up the pieces later on when the child could be in care.
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NHS chaplain call
The Most Rev Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Birmingham, has called on Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust to reverse its proposal to make six of its seven chaplains redundant. The National Secular Society urged the trust to stick by its decision and not to give in to religious pressure.
Research fears
Privatisation is driving away scientists and threatening important research into food safety, nature conservation and avian flu, a trade union has said. Prospect, the union for professional workers, said that budget cuts at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs could affect key areas of research.
Easing the load
A college has handed out hundreds of free MP3 players to students so that they can listen to lectures at their leisure. South Kent College in Dover handed out the £100 iPod Nanos as students enrolled for classes. The college said that it was happy for students to download music as well as lectures.
Pub of the year
A 17th-century coaching inn has been named Michelin’s pub of the year. Judges praised The Bell at Skenfrith, Monmouthshire, for the high quality of its food, service and accommodation. It beat 558 other entries from Britain and Ireland. The 2007 Michelin Eating Out in Pubs guide goes on sale today.