UK News: Drug addicts face up to losing benefits

DRUG addicts who refuse treatment could have their welfare benefits withdrawn.

The Home Office is considering a "financial benefit sanction" for claimants who fail to address their drug or alcohol dependency. It will revive a scheme planned by the Labour government to get drug users back into work.

Libya's bomber warning

THE UK government warned Libya not to celebrate the return of the Lockerbie bomber today, the first anniversary of his release.

Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al-Megrahi was freed from Greenock prison on compassionate grounds last year following his diagnosis with terminal prostate cancer.

Call for swifter action to tackle legal high woes

SWIFTER government action is needed to tackle the problems posed by legal highs, a Home Office minister said today.

Powers for year-long bans that can be put in place quickly will help take new substances off the market while a comprehensive review of their potential harm is carried out, crime prevention minister James Brokenshire said.

It comes after the legal high Ivory Wave was blamed for the death of a chef on the Isle of Wight on Saturday.

Cancer survival hope

WOMEN with cervical cancer were given new hope today after research showed a combination therapy cuts the risk of dying by 23 per cent. Cisplatin is a widely-used chemotherapy drug which damages cancer cells and is used for cancers including cervix, bowel and lung.

Now, research has shown that adding cisplatin to radiotherapy to treat cervical cancer cuts the chance of dying.

X Factor with added Spice

THE X Factor is set to return to TV screens with Geri Halliwell sitting in as a judge for Dannii Minogue, who is on maternity leave.

The first up to impress the judges were would-be stars in Glasgow and London. Halliwell's non-stop chatter left her fellow judges stunned.

Bedford: Three boys were being questioned today over the death of an angler who collapsed after an apparent attempt to steal his bike.

The youths, aged 12, 13 and 15, were being held after father-of-three Josip Jovanovic, 57, died following a confrontation with a boy while fishing on Wednesday.

West Midlands: Police chiefs were accused of nannying colleagues after telling them what underwear to put on.

Revised guidelines by West Midlands Police advised staff and officers to make sure their undergarments are appropriate and "inconspicuous".