In Focus

Issues statement and timetable

Mr Christopher Lake and Mr Stephen Knight, the directors of a group of companies which claimed to sell financial and other business opportunities to people with poor credit histories have been disqualified from acting as company directors for a total of 16 years following an Insolvency Service investigation.

David Willetts, Minister for Universities and Science, today announced the appointment of two new Trustees to the board of the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA).

British companies doing business in China will be helped by a new agreement between the two nations on copyright.

The Red Ensign will fly over the headquarters of the Department for Transport today to mark the UK's eleventh Merchant Navy Day.

Installers, designers, maintenance firms and manufacturers of electric gates, are being urged to seriously consider new safety advice issued by the Health and Safety Executive today, following the recent deaths of two children involving these gates.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has issued an alert to employers who use its Employer CD-Rom to help run their payroll systems.

UK Border Agency officers have foiled an attempt to smuggle a mysterious brief case full of dead pigeons into the UK.

The Maritime & Coastguard Agency in conjunction with RWE npower renewables, the RNLI and RAF Search and Rescue, are due to exercise communications, co-ordination and response to a series of mock-maritime incidents in and around the wind turbines at the North Hoyle and Rhyl Flats Offshore Wind Farms.

Early this morning a red Avocet kayak answering the description of the one used by missing female kayaker, Elizabeth Ashbee, a member of Shrewsbury Kayak Club, was found on the beach at Morfa Nefyn on the Lleyn peninsular. There is no apparent damage to the craft. It has now been confirmed that the craft was the one being used by Ms Ashbee.
The North Wales Police were informed who have now inspected the vessel and the maritime search and rescue operation has now resumed. The family of the missing woman has been informed.

The meeting took place at the Royal Society.

Business sets out ways to tackle underage sales

Her Majesty’s Coastguard have suspended the maritime search for missing Shrewsbury kayaker, Elizabeth Ashbee, 53, after she went missing yesterday afternoon in her red kayak. The search in the maritime sector will remain suspended pending any further information whilst the land search and rescue led by North Wales Police will continue.

Just before 5.00 pm this afternoon Belfast Coastguard heard from the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service of an accident involving a young boy at Cranfield Bay, near Kilkeel, Northern Ireland.

At approximately 1 o’clock this afternoon, Yarmouth Coastguard were alerted to a distress beacon transmitting either inland or close inshore near Saltfleet in Lincolnshire. Due to the possibility of a vessel being in distress, the Humber all weather lifeboat was asked to assist. Coastguard Rescue Teams from Donna Nook and Mablethorpe were also sent to the approximate area  and assist in the search. RAF Rescue Helicopter 128 was also requested to assist in the location of the beacon.

Yarmouth Coastguard have been warning leisure boaters and regular marine traffic to a significant amount of lost cargo from the 79 metre Norwegian registered vessel ‘Sally’ in heavy seas off the east coast of the UK. The cargo loss is about 55 miles due east of Lowestoft and the vessel was travelling from Sweden to the UK. The vessel has a crew of 6 on board.

Coastguard are asking walkers and leisure boat users to keep a watchful eye out today for a female paddler who went missing yesterday afternoon in her red kayak.

Around 7.30 yesterday evening Holyhead Coastguard were notified of a missing kayaker who had last been seen at around 2.00 pm (Sunday) afternoon.

With two years until the start of the Paralympics, Ministers today urged companies to see improving disability access as a way of becoming more profitable as well as more socially responsible.

Humber Coastguard have been co-ordinating assistance to a 49 year old male diver this afternoon who, it was reported, was unconscious and very poorly after returning from his dive. He had no particular medical history and he had dived to 13 metres over 30 minutes. It was his second dive of the day.

Brixham Coastguard have been co-ordinating assistance this afternoon to two seriously injured men, a 41 year old father and his 25 year old son from Stoke on Trent, who were both thrown from their vessel, a 17 foot Dory with an outboard engine.

The July data from Land Registry's flagship House Price Index shows an annual price increase of 6.7 per cent which takes the average property value in England and Wales to £166,798. The monthly change from June to July is an increase of 0.4 per cent.

The following statistics were released today by the Department of Health:

The following statistics were released today by the Department of Health: