Food Waste 'Is Morally Repugnant', Say Lords

The scale of food waste, which sees 15 million tonnes of food dumped each year in the UK and at least 90 million tonnes across the EU, has been branded "morally repugnant" by a House of Lords committee.

The Lords EU Committee said supermarkets should abolish "buy one get one free" offers and not cancel orders of food from farmers after the produce has been grown, a practice which leads to edible food being ploughed back into the fields. 

They also suggested that more unused food sold by retailers should be donated to food banks, rather than sent for composting or landfill as is often the case at present.

In a report, the committee said EU efforts to reduce food waste were "fragmented and untargeted" and called for the new European Commission to publish a five-year strategy within six months of taking office later this year.

Committee chairwoman Baroness Scott said: "Food waste in the EU and the UK is clearly a huge issue. Not only is it morally repugnant, but it has serious economic and environmental implications.

The committee says taking action against food waste cannot be delayed

"The fact that 90 million tonnes of food is wasted across the EU each year shows the extent of the problem and explains why we are calling for urgent action.

"Globally, consumers in industrialised nations waste up to 222 million tons of food a year, which is equivalent to nearly the entire level of net food production of Sub-Saharan Africa.

"We cannot allow the complexity of the issues around defining and monitoring food waste to delay action any further.

"We are calling on the new European Commission, which will be appointed in November this year, to publish a five-year strategy for reducing food waste across the EU, and to do so within six months of taking office."

The report found that the carbon footprint of worldwide food waste is equivalent to twice the global greenhouse gas emissions of all road transportation in the US.

Lady Scott added: "We were shocked at the extent of food waste in the EU. Especially given the current economic challenges the EU faces, it is an absolutely shocking waste of resources.

"Some efforts are already being made, which is very positive, but much more can be done, and so we are calling on the EU, the Government, businesses and consumers to make sure it is."

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Tories Back Miller Despite Resignation Calls

The Conservative Party chairman has told Sky News that Culture Secretary Maria Miller should be "allowed to get on with her job", despite calls for her to resign.

A new poll suggests most voters think she should be sacked over the way she dealt with an investigation into her expenses.

But asked if she had his 100% support, Grant Shapps told the Murnaghan show: "Yes, she does. Maria Miller is a very, very hard-working minister.

Mrs Miller making her apology in Parliament on Thursday

"She has accepted fully the recommendations of the committee without reservation, and she should be able to get on with her job, and the Prime Minister has said that's what he wants her to do."

Pressed on whether she had his personal support, Mr Shapps replied: "Well, listen, I don't put her in the post ... She is somebody who, let's face it, has worked on a lot of tricky sensitive issues ... Leveson being one of them. So she has a portfolio which has happened to have been particularly complicated.

The messages on the Department's Twitter feed

"Yes, she has gone through a complete process. She has done exactly what the committee asked her to do... And the Prime Minister has been clear that he is then satisfied with that and so, of course, I am satisfied with it as well."

Prime Minister David Cameron has been criticised for standing by Mrs Miller and is under pressure from Labour to show leadership.

But the Survation poll for the Mail on Sunday found 75% of the public think Mr Cameron was wrong to support her, compared with 14% who backed his decision to stand by her.

Some 78% of those surveyed said Mrs Miller should forfeit her Cabinet post as Culture Secretary.

Mrs Miller's second home in London for which she wrongly claimed for

And 66% said she should lose powers over press regulation while 68% said she should be "sacked" as an MP - something which is not currently possible, as the Government is yet to introduce the power of recall promised in the 2010 Coalition Agreement.

The Culture Secretary has paid back £5,800 of expenses she had wrongly claimed for a second home and made the brief apology in Parliament for her "unhelpful" attitude towards the investigation.

But she remains under pressure after it emerged the 10-member standards committee overruled the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards' findings that she should return £45,000.

David Mellor, who resigned from John Major's Cabinet amid a scandal in 1992, told the Murnaghan show: "I don't think it matters whether she resigns or not.

"She won't be missed if she goes and she won't be noticed if she stays.

Mr Cameron has been criticised over his handling of the affair

"What this is all about is first of all the judgement of David Cameron, and secondly the integrity of the British Parliament."

Meanwhile, there was further embarrassment for Mrs Miller when a string of mocking messages was sent out on the Twitter feed of her own Department for Culture, Media and Sport on Saturday evening.

The first bogus tweet from the @DCMS account said: "Seriously though guys which one of us hasn't embezzled and cheated the taxpayer?? #FreeMariaMiller"

The next one, posted a minute later, said: "@Maria--MillerMP is like a modern day Robin Hood, she robs the poor to help the rich".

And the third tweet said: "Is Maria @Maria--MillerMP guilty? We will let the public decide".

A spokeswoman from the DCMS said the department had "absolutely no idea" who was responsible.

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Women May Get Right To Fight On Front Line

The British Army is "seriously considering" lifting its ban on women serving in combat roles in line with other countries such as the US, the Chief of the General Staff has said.

General Sir Peter Wall told The Sunday Times he wanted to show women that the army was "open to" women and an equal opportunities employer.

The Ministry of Defence, which under European Law must review the policy every eight years, said there would another review "before 2018".

The last statutory review in 2010 raised concerns that putting women and men together in small units for months at a time could undermine "team cohesion", but said women would be able to meet physical and psychological demands.

Women currently are allowed to serve on the frontline with the artillery and as medics, engineers, intelligence officers and fighters pilots but not in close combat roles.

UK Army women are currently not allowed to serve in close combat roles

Last year, the US lifted its own ban on women fighting on the frontline, joining other countries including Germany, Canada, France and Israel.

Sir Peter told the newspaper: "We've got to take a view on that fairly soon.

"We're in a minority of armies now in that respect. It's definitely something that we need to be considering seriously but we need to go about this with great care, especially with all the other changes going on."

He said: "We have always said that we will look at the evidence and base our decision on what impact it will have on operational capability.

"This isn't just about getting more females into the 30% of roles that are combat trades but getting more of them into the Army per se.

"Women need to see they have equal opportunities right throughout the organisation.

"Allowing them to be combat troops would make us look more normal to society but there will always be people who say the close battle is no place for female soldiers."

Women could soon be fighting alongside men

In 2011, the Government announced that women would be allowed to go to sea with their male counterparts on the Royal Navy's Submarine Service for the first time in its 110-year history.

An MoD spokesman said: "The vast majority of roles in the Armed Forces are open to women and hundreds are currently serving their country with distinction in Afghanistan.

"They are fundamental to the operational effectiveness of the UK's Armed Forces, bringing talent and skills across the board.

"A 2010 review into women serving in combat roles concluded there should be no change to the existing policy and another review will take place before 2018."

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Food Waste 'Is Morally Repugnant', Say Lords

The scale of food waste, which sees 15 million tonnes of food dumped each year in the UK and at least 90 million tonnes across the EU, has been branded "morally repugnant" by a House of Lords committee.

The Lords EU Committee said supermarkets should abolish "buy one get one free" offers and not cancel orders of food from farmers after the produce has been grown, a practice which leads to edible food being ploughed back into the fields. 

They also suggested that more unused food sold by retailers should be donated to food banks, rather than sent for composting or landfill as is often the case at present.

In a report, the committee said EU efforts to reduce food waste were "fragmented and untargeted" and called for the new European Commission to publish a five-year strategy within six months of taking office later this year.

Committee chairwoman Baroness Scott said: "Food waste in the EU and the UK is clearly a huge issue. Not only is it morally repugnant, but it has serious economic and environmental implications.

The committee says taking action against food waste cannot be delayed

"The fact that 90 million tonnes of food is wasted across the EU each year shows the extent of the problem and explains why we are calling for urgent action.

"Globally, consumers in industrialised nations waste up to 222 million tons of food a year, which is equivalent to nearly the entire level of net food production of Sub-Saharan Africa.

"We cannot allow the complexity of the issues around defining and monitoring food waste to delay action any further.

"We are calling on the new European Commission, which will be appointed in November this year, to publish a five-year strategy for reducing food waste across the EU, and to do so within six months of taking office."

The report found that the carbon footprint of worldwide food waste is equivalent to twice the global greenhouse gas emissions of all road transportation in the US.

Lady Scott added: "We were shocked at the extent of food waste in the EU. Especially given the current economic challenges the EU faces, it is an absolutely shocking waste of resources.

"Some efforts are already being made, which is very positive, but much more can be done, and so we are calling on the EU, the Government, businesses and consumers to make sure it is."

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Kate To Fulfil Ambition On Tour Down Under

By Paul Harrison, Royal Correspondent

The Duchess of Cambridge will realise a lifelong ambition when she arrives in New Zealand on Monday.

According to the New Zealand High Commissioner to London, Sir Lockwood Smith, right at the top of Kate's 'bucket list' is a visit to the Southern Hemisphere realm.

"I met the Duchess of Cambridge at a garden party at Buckingham Palace when she was pregnant with Prince George," he said.

"I said to her that I'd love her to come to New Zealand and she said: 'Well, there's a little matter I have to deal with first of course but I have to say coming to New Zealand is top of my bucket list.' And now she's finally making the trip."

Not only has Kate never visited New Zealand and Australia but it will be a first for son Prince George, who will likely one day be King of the two nations.

The tour will largely mirror that of the Prince and Princess of Wales' visit Down Under in 1983, when a nine-month-old Prince William conducted his first public crawl about.

Prince George, who is now eight months old, will arrive in Wellington, New Zealand after travelling long-haul for more that 24 hours.

To minimise the disruption to their son, William and Kate have decided to operate a hub tour in both countries, allowing them to return most evenings to be with George in Wellington and Sydney.

Kate and William travel to New Zealand and Australia with Prince George

Excitement surrounding the royal party's arrival in Wellington for the start of the three-week tour is muted at best, although one local told Sky News: "We don't like to shout about it, and although the flags aren't out, we are quietly excited."

Two women who found it hard to conceal their excitement, however, are the owners of Wellington jewellery business Tory & Ko, who have been commissioned to design three pairs of earrings and one necklace for Kate for her stay in New Zealand.

"It's a complete honour and we are really blown away," Kirstin O'Brien told Sky News.

"She is the most perfect person to wear our jewellery because she is beautiful, sophisticated and she has that lovely accessibility about her," 

The Cambridge family will first visit the North Island, before heading to the South Island where they will spend a night away from Prince George.

All three, accompanied by their entourage including Prince George's newly appointed nanny, Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo, will later travel to Sydney, Australia, for the second leg of their three week tour.

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Tories Back Miller Despite Resignation Calls

The Conservative Party chairman has told Sky News that Culture Secretary Maria Miller should be "allowed to get on with her job", despite calls for her to resign.

A new poll suggests most voters think she should be sacked over the way she dealt with an investigation into her expenses.

But asked if she had his 100% support, Grant Shapps told the Murnaghan show: "Yes, she does. Maria Miller is a very, very hard-working minister.

Mrs Miller making her apology in Parliament on Thursday

"She has accepted fully the recommendations of the committee without reservation, and she should be able to get on with her job, and the Prime Minister has said that's what he wants her to do."

Pressed on whether she had his personal support, Mr Shapps replied: "Well, listen, I don't put her in the post ... She is somebody who, let's face it, has worked on a lot of tricky sensitive issues ... Leveson being one of them. So she has a portfolio which has happened to have been particularly complicated.

The messages on the Department's Twitter feed

"Yes, she has gone through a complete process. She has done exactly what the committee asked her to do... And the Prime Minister has been clear that he is then satisfied with that and so, of course, I am satisfied with it as well."

Prime Minister David Cameron has been criticised for standing by Mrs Miller and is under pressure from Labour to show leadership.

But the Survation poll for the Mail on Sunday found 75% of the public think Mr Cameron was wrong to support her, compared with 14% who backed his decision to stand by her.

Some 78% of those surveyed said Mrs Miller should forfeit her Cabinet post as Culture Secretary.

Mrs Miller's second home in London for which she wrongly claimed for

And 66% said she should lose powers over press regulation while 68% said she should be "sacked" as an MP - something which is not currently possible, as the Government is yet to introduce the power of recall promised in the 2010 Coalition Agreement.

The Culture Secretary has paid back £5,800 of expenses she had wrongly claimed for a second home and made the brief apology in Parliament for her "unhelpful" attitude towards the investigation.

But she remains under pressure after it emerged the 10-member standards committee overruled the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards' findings that she should return £45,000.

David Mellor, who resigned from John Major's Cabinet amid a scandal in 1992, told the Murnaghan show: "I don't think it matters whether she resigns or not.

"She won't be missed if she goes and she won't be noticed if she stays.

Mr Cameron has been criticised over his handling of the affair

"What this is all about is first of all the judgement of David Cameron, and secondly the integrity of the British Parliament."

Meanwhile, there was further embarrassment for Mrs Miller when a string of mocking messages was sent out on the Twitter feed of her own Department for Culture, Media and Sport on Saturday evening.

The first bogus tweet from the @DCMS account said: "Seriously though guys which one of us hasn't embezzled and cheated the taxpayer?? #FreeMariaMiller"

The next one, posted a minute later, said: "@Maria--MillerMP is like a modern day Robin Hood, she robs the poor to help the rich".

And the third tweet said: "Is Maria @Maria--MillerMP guilty? We will let the public decide".

A spokeswoman from the DCMS said the department had "absolutely no idea" who was responsible.

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Spanish Police Hunt Ex-Lover After Brit Killed

Police are hunting for a woman suspected of shooting dead a British businessman at his home on Spain's Costa del Sol.

The wealthy jeweller, named locally as Andrew Bush, was found lying in a pool of blood with two gunshot wounds to his head at around 3am on Saturday morning.

Firefighters and police discovered the businessman's body after forcing their way into the beachside villa where he lived.

The businessman's girlfriend alerted police with an emergency call after the attack, which happened in a village between the resorts of Estepona and Marbella.

The pair are said to have been ambushed by a woman, who police suspect may be the man's ex-girlfriend.

She is thought to have been lying in wait for them inside the five-bedroom house.

Mr Bush, originally from Bristol, and his current girlfriend were returning to their home from a trip abroad together at the time.

The house is a village between the resorts of Estepona and Marbella

The unnamed girlfriend, who is said to be British, told investigators she saw the attacker flee and then called the emergency services after becoming locked out.

Early on Sunday, the killer was still on the run after escaping from the scene in her alleged victim's Hummer car.

Police are yet to officially name the victim, but he was identified locally as 48-year-old company director Mr Bush.

An Audi car believed to have been used by the attacker was taken away, along with a Porsche and Ferrari thought to be owned by the victim.

A gun found nearby was also taken away.

It has emerged Mr Bush's killer may have been inside the house for several days after letting herself into the villa with a set of keys she had kept.

Estepona is on the Costa del Sol

Detectives sealed off the villa, owned by a Spanish couple, on Saturday ahead of its examination by police forensic experts on Monday.

A source close to the investigation said: "It is being treated as murder and police are hunting the dead man's ex on suspicion of committing this crime.

"They are probing the possibility she may have let herself into the property while the occupant was away and waited for several days for him to return."

The businessman's body has been taken to Malaga for a post-mortem examination.

A family relative is believed to be en route to southern Spain.

The victim's terracotta-coloured villa lies in a quiet residential street in an area called Cancelada, between San Pedro and Estepona.

A National Police spokesman confirmed an investigation was underway but said he was not authorised to give out any more information.

A spokesman for the local emergency services said: "We received a call at 2.10am on Saturday morning from the partner of the dead man because she could not gain access to the property.

"Firefighters managed to get in and found the man lying dead inside with a gunshot wound to his head. Police are now investigating."

A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "We are aware of the death of a British national in Estepona, Malaga, on 5 April.

"We are in touch with local authorities and are providing consular assistance to the family."

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Badgers Should Be Gassed, Princess Anne Says

The Princess Royal has been criticised by animal rights campaigners after she described the gassing of badgers as a "much nicer way" to control them than shooting them.

Gassing has been banned since 1982 and is considered inhumane by animal rights activists. 

But Princess Anne said she believed most people "will tell you that gas is a much nicer way of doing it, if that's not a silly expression".

"Because of the way it works. And how it works is that you go to sleep, basically."

Speaking about the recent badger cull pilot programmes designed to reduce TB in cattle, Princess Anne said controlling the spread of the disease was just one reason for killing the animals. 

"From a conservation issue alone, you'd have to say there are too many badgers. A bigger growth in the badger population is not good for the balance of conservation anyway," she told the BBC's Countryfile programme.

A third of one cattle herd at Princess Anne's Gatcombe estate in Gloucestershire - where one of the pilot culls took place - has been wiped out by bovine TB over the past two years.

Princess Anne farms at her Gatcombe estate in Gloucestershire

An independent experts' report has found the "controlled shooting" of badgers could deliver the level of culling needed to bring about a meaningful reduction of TB in cattle.

Humane Society International UK executive director Mark Jones said a reintroduction of gassing would result in a "slow and painful" death for many badgers and possibly other animals.

"Gassing experiments carried out at Porton Down in the early 1980s were abandoned because of the appalling levels of suffering to which the badgers were exposed," he said.

"Lethal concentrations of gases in complex badger setts are difficult to achieve, making sub-lethal exposure and associated suffering highly likely."

His remarks were echoed by Green Party animals spokeswoman Caroline Allen.

The badger cull pilots sparked widespread protests

Ms Allen, a working vet, said: "It is very sad that a high-profile figure such as Princess Anne has chosen to weigh in to the badger debate showing even less awareness and even more ignorance on the issue than we have come to expect from Secretary of State Owen Paterson.

"Defra has clearly stated that gassing with cyanide should never again be considered and there are no alternate gases available without similar unacceptable effects."

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said last year that gassing badgers was being considered but would only be used if proven to be safe, humane and effective.

The Government recently announced the pilot culls would continue this year but will not be extended to other areas.

Princess Anne also spoke of her support for genetically-modified crops in the interview.

"I think the claims are probably slightly greater than most of the deliverables actually are. They do add to our ability to perhaps be more efficient users of the land," she said.

And she admitted she "seldom" discusses the subject with her brother Charles, who once suggested the method risked creating "the biggest disaster environmentally of all time".

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New Robot Mannequin Is Army's Latest Recruit

A new robotic mannequin - made using Formula 1 technology - will be used to test chemical and biological protective suits for Britain's armed forces.

Porton Man can run, walk, march, sit and kneel, allowing scientists to test suits against attacks such as nerve agents like sarin.

It was made by UK firm i-bodi Technology for the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) in Porton Down, Wiltshire, where military clothing is tested against chemical warfare agents.

Porton Man can run and march

Mannequins have been used by Dstl in the past, but the new £1.1m animatronic version has a raft of improvements and sensors all over its body that allow real-time analysis.

It is also much lighter than its predecessor - 14kg (30lb) instead of 80kg (176lb).

Jaime Cummins, of Dstl's Chemical and Biological Physical Protection group, said it is hoped the mannequin will help produce a new, lighter-weight protective suit for the future.

Jez Gibson-Harris, chief executive of i-bodi Technology, said his firm was tasked with producing a lightweight robotic mannequin based on data collected from 2,500 soldiers, that was easy to handle and had a wide range of movement.

He said: "Of course there were a number of challenges associated with this and one way we looked to tackle these challenges was through the use of Formula One technology.

"Using the same concepts as those used in racing cars, we were able to produce very light but highly durable carbon composite body parts for the mannequin."

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Cheers! More Booze-Free Bars For Britain

By Gemma Morris, Sky News Reporter

A growing number of alcohol-free bars cropping up across the UK could signal a shift in attitudes towards drinking.

Catherine Salway set up a dry bar in London last year after spotting a trend in young people wanting to be healthier and cutting back their drinking.

She said: "If you're 30 now, you've grown up in an environment where everyone is getting lashed all the time ... and really, as young people want to do, they are questioning the status quo which is to say why is socialising constantly linked with being drunk all the time?"

Catherine Salway spotted the trend for dry bars

Ms Salway funded her Redemption bar independently, but a number of other dry bars in the country have been backed by alcohol charities.

These have included venues in Nottingham and Liverpool.

Sophie Fordham, a university student who has blogged for Alcohol Concern, reckons younger people are becoming more open to the idea of alcohol-free bars.

"Say you go out three nights a week, if you replace that with one night at a chilled out, nice place, where you don't have to think about spending money on alcohol, you don't have to think about how you're getting home ... It's just a nice alternative," she said.

Instead of cocktails it's mocktails

Figures from the Office for National Statistics suggest UK alcohol habits are changing among young people.

The number of people, aged 25-44, who said they had had a drink in the previous week dropped from 74% to 63% for men and from 62% to 50% for women, between 2005 and 2012.

Other research appears to show a reduction in teenagers drinking alcohol too.

Former Coronation Street star Kevin Kennedy, better known to soap fans as Curly Watts, is a recovering alcoholic who hasn't had a drink for 17 years.

Kevin Kennedy, who has been sober 17 years, is hoping to join the trend

The actor is hoping to open his own dry bar in Brighton.

"I think in the UK we have got a kind of reputation of being just drunks, especially abroad and I think people are getting fed up of that. I think as a collective we are growing up," he said.

But when customers at a typical London pub were asked if booze-free nights can be as fun as alcohol-fuelled ones, the reaction was not overwhelmingly positive.

One drinker said: "I don't think it would be very fun because that's the whole point of a bar isn't it, that it serves alcohol?"

Another added: "Fun sometimes comes when you lose your inhibitions and alcohol helps you lose your inhibitions."

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