Other News In Brief

England International On GBH Charge

An England international rugby player has been charged with carrying out a serious attack outside a Bath nightclub. Lesley Vainikolo, 29, who also plays for Gloucester is due at Bath Magistrates’ Court on 2 January to face a charge of causing grievous bodily harm, police said. The Tongan-born player, who lives in Cheltenham – nicknamed the Volcano – qualified for England through residency. He made his debut during this year’s Six Nations competition.

Glasgow Bus Company Fined

Glasgow bus company S & A Coaches Ltd, trading as City Sprinter, has been fined £7,600 by the Traffic Commissioner for Scotland, and had a reduction imposed in the number of buses they operate. The company's owner has been warned the firm could be banned from operating in Glasgow city centre if there are any further breaches reported. The firm appeared before Joan Aitken, Traffic Commissioner for Scotland for failing to run their services to the route and timetable registered, and for breaching the Traffic Regulation Condition which applies to Glasgow City Centre. The Traffic Commissioner's decision, made after the company appeared at Public inquiry in Edinburgh on 17 November 2008, states that S & A Coaches Ltd must reduce the number of buses they operate from 19 to 14 as of midnight 20 December 2008 and limit the number of services operating in Glasgow City Centre to one. They must also pay a fine of £7600 to Scottish Ministers by 31 January 2009.

£87m Congestion-Busting Boost For Dorset

A vital new road that will cut congestion, improve road safety and boost the South West economy has been given the go-ahead today by Transport Minister Paul Clark. The Department for Transport will invest up to £79.2 million in Dorset County Council's 7km single carriageway Weymouth Relief Road - and associated improvements to existing roads. As well as helping tackle congestion and improving road safety, the scheme will provide a new Park and Ride facility and improved facilities for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport.

London Children Compare Christmas Wishlists With Orphans

With less than a week to go before Christmas, London school children have been comparing their Christmas wish lists to those of children living in a slum in Kenya. The Kenyan children live in Korogocho slum on the edge of a stinking rubbish dump in Nairobi. They are beneficiaries of the Department for International Development (DFID) and Kenya Government Orphans and Vulnerable Children cash-transfer scheme. Through this scheme, 500 families with children in need in Korogocho receive approximately £25 every two months to pay for essentials like food, rent and school uniforms.

(JM/KMcA)