Britain is the shoplifting capital of Europe, with more than GB pound 1.5 billion worth of products a year being stolen by customers.
Most of the goods will be stolen in the four weeks before Christmas, with GB pound 26.4 million worth of items disappearing from supermarket shelves, shops and off-licences every day. Another GB pound 1.6 billion worth of products will be stolen by employees or lost in the distribution chain.
As a result of the chronic theft, every household in Britain will have to pay an extra GB pound 150 for their goods this year.
– The Times
Iraqi soldiers held two US security guards along with several other foreigners travelling in a private security convoy after they opened fire in Baghdad, wounding one woman. The convoy was driving on the wrong side of the road in the central Karradah district when the shooting occurred.
– The Times
Nearly two-thirds of family doctors are poised to boycott the government’s scheme to put the medical records of 50 million NHS patients on a national electronic database, a Guardian poll reveals today.
With suspicion rife across the profession that sensitive personal data could be stolen by hackers and blackmailers, the poll found 59% of GPs in England are unwilling to upload any record without the patient’s specific consent.
– The Guardian
Counter-terrorism officials are rethinking their approach to tackling the radicalisation of Muslim youth, abandoning what they admit has been offensive and inappropriate language. They say the term “war on terror” will no longer be heard from ministers. Instead, they will use less emotive language, emphasising the criminal nature of the plots and conspiracies. The government in future, they add, will talk of a “struggle” against extremist ideology, rather than a “battle”.
– The Guardian
Four British servicemen died in a bomb attack in Iraq because there were no spare troops to ensure security at a bridge that was a known danger spot, an inquest has heard.
Their boat was blown up after a makeshift bomb mounted on the bridge was detonated as they passed underneath.
– The Telegraph