Other News In Brief

Two Arrested After Man Dies

Two men have been arrested after a 35-year-old man was found unconscious at his home in Merseyside. Officers and paramedics were called to an address in Dursley, Whiston on Tuesday afternoon where the victim was found unconscious. The man was taken to hospital but died on Wednesday morning. A 31-year-old woman from Prescot and a 31-year-old man from Whiston have been arrested and are being questioned by detectives.

Crash Death Woman Named

A 52-year-old woman who died in a road crash in East Ayrshire has been named as Edna Watson of Crosshouse, Kilmarnock. She was involved in a two-vehicle collision on the B751 Gatehead Road, between Crosshouse and Gatehead at around 11.25am on Monday. Emergency services were called but Ms Watson died at the scene. A 22-year-old man driving the other car was taken to hospital for treatment. Police have appealed for witnesses to the crash to contact them.

Rick Parry To Chair Sports Betting Integrity Panel

Rick Parry, Chief Executive of Liverpool Football Club, has been appointed by Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe to chair an expert panel on sports betting integrity. The panel, which will bring together representatives from the betting industry, the police, players, fans, sports governing bodies, the legal profession and the Gambling Commission, will address issues threatening the integrity of sport. This will involve assessing the current rules on sports betting to ensure they are as robust as possible, ensuring better communications between those involved in tackling sports betting corruption, as well as the education of sportsmen and women on the issue.

One Dead, Others Injured In Crash

A woman died and four people, including a child, were treated in hospital when a car overturned on a dual carriageway. The five, from Balsall Heath, Birmingham, were in a Toyota Aventis travelling along the A38 London Road, in Weeford, Staffordshire. Four people were taken to two hospitals in the area. A three-year-old boy was described as "uninjured but shaken". The accident happened on Tuesday evening and the road was closed for four hours. Police said the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Another woman in her 30s was airlifted to hospital with serious stomach injuries while a woman in her 60s was treated for chest, leg and shoulder injuries. A man in his 40s suffered severe back pain.

Man Arrested Over Rape Allegations

A man has been arrested on suspicion of rape after a woman was found injured in a street in Suffolk. Police said the 21-year-old woman was found in Cromwell Square, Ipswich, in the early hours and taken to hospital for treatment to facial injuries. St Nicholas Street has been cordoned off to allow a forensic examination. A 22-year-old man from Ipswich has been arrested on suspicion of rape and is due to be questioned by detectives at Ipswich police station.

Contract Workers At Longannet Continue Strike

Around 300 contract workers at the Longannet power station in Fife are to continue their unofficial action in support of strikers at the Lindsey refinery in Lincolnshire. Total, the company who run the refinery, are now actively encouraging talks. They had previously insisted that negotiations would only take place if staff returned to work. The 647 sacked workers have been told to reapply for their jobs. They were dismissed after around 1,200 workers staged unofficial walkouts at the plant over a dispute involving job cuts taking place while vacancies were available elsewhere on the site. Worker insist bosses have gone back on assurances given in February following a dispute in which they believed foreign labour was being used to exclude British contractors and to undermine conditions. Thousands of workers across England and Wales have also walked out in support of the Lindsey Oil Refinery workers.

(JM/BMcC)