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Ministers are planning to give couples a ‘divorce app’ to help them through the painful process of separation.
The web-based application will give people who are splitting up access to guidance on how to divorce amicably – including advice on how not to quarrel in front of their children.
The 14million scheme will help pay for the downloadable app – or ‘widget’ – for divorcing parents’ computers and mobile phones.
Not appy: Ministers are planning to release a 'divorce app' for splitting couples like Kate Goldsmith and Ben Goldsmith
It comes just days after the Government threw its weight behind a pack for parents to educate children on how the media alters images and to inspire them to be confident in their bodies.
Critics will be outraged that millions are being spent on such ‘nanny state’ policies at a time of austerity, but Ministers say the ‘divorce app’ will actually save money because it will encourage parents to reach their own post-separation financial deals, rather than relying on the expensive Child Support Agency.
The Department for Work and Pensions said yesterday that the 14million will go to groups to create a menu of support services for parents who are separating –accessible via the app.
The advice will include guidance on avoiding arguments, sorting out child support payments and how to cope with meeting an ex-partner’s new boyfriend or girlfriend.
Nanny state: The Government was criticised for throwing its weight behind a pack which advised parents how to educate their children on body image
There will also be help for wives dumped in favour of a younger woman, those who have second thoughts about breaking up, and those concerned about how to deal with stepchildren.
When the new app is launched, it could be based on websites that parents already visit, such as Mumsnet.
Ministers want charities and private organisations to bid for part of the 14million fund so they can run innovative family support services.
Families minister Maria Miller said: ‘We all want the best for our children, which is why we’re making it easier for parents to access the help they need during this time.
‘The fund will be for interventions that can help parents work together, including intensive counselling, emotional support and mediation, as well as online and telephone advice.’
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
Sussex commuters face new timetable for Olympics - thisissussex.co.uk
Commuters from Sussex face disruption to rail services to London during the Olympics.
Southeastern rail users are bringing in a new timetable to use during the Olympics which the government says must take priority.
The new timetable is designed to make it easier for spectators travelling to the Olympic Games.
The timetable will be used from the 28th July to the 12th August and again from the 29th August to the 9th September.
Some of the changes that commuters can expect to face during the period include having to queue to get onto trains at some London stations to limit the number of people on platforms and to keep queues moving.
The high speed rail service will change to become the Javelin shuttle service. This will operate between St Pancras, Stratford and Ebbsfleet.
Southeastern Rail Company wants to promote to rail users that services will be extremely busy at certain times over the Olympic Games and to stress to users the importance of planning their journeys in advance.
Spokeswoman Sarah Boundy said: "There won't be the normal high speed service and actually mainline and metro services alter significantly as well.
"For the majority of those services, they are going to be carrying around 25,000 people an hour into and out of Stratford. High speed customers will need to change trains."
The new timetables are available online at the Southeastern website and paper copies will be available from stations from the start of July.
Source: www.thisissussex.co.uk
Sussex Police officer who kicked man in head is sacked - The Argus.co.uk
Sussex Police officer who kicked man in head is sacked
3:38pm Monday 25th June 2012 in News By Emily Walker, Chief Reporter
A Sussex Police officer has been dismissed from the force after being found guilty of gross misconduct in using excessive force during the arrest of a man in Brighton.
PC Sebastian Day was cleared of assault by a court earlier in the year despite admitting kicking a man in the head whilst trying to arrest him.
However he has now been dismissed after being found to have used excessive force by the force's internal professional standards department.
PC Day who had been based at Brighton, appeared before a disciplinary hearing at Sussex Police HQ in Lewes on Wednesday and Thursday. He was dismissed without notice and left the force immediately.
Deputy Chief Constable Giles York said: "Sussex Police expects the highest personal and professional standards from anyone who works for us, even under duress.
"We will rigorously investigate any incidents where these standards are not maintained and as in this case, we will take action to ensure the integrity of officers and staff."
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Source: www.theargus.co.uk
O.C. divorce rate one of highest in nation - msnbc.com
Here's a marriage tip: Don't come home and announce, "So, I was talking with this divorce mediator today..."
That is, don't say something like that unless either you're columnist wanting to eat dinner alone or are really serious about breaking up. But if you are serious, you're not alone.
Orange County has one of the highest divorce rates in the nation. On average, 33 people in the O.C. initiate divorce proceedings every day -- including weekends.
That's a lot of broken vows, broken homes and broken hearts.
True, life can be like a country song. Many find happiness after dumping their lyin', cheatin', thievin' spouses.
But as I sit down with a divorce mediator to learn about one of society's most popular rituals, I wonder if this woman is some sort of bottom feeder. After all, she makes a living helping families break apart.
By the time I accidentally freak out my wife, I have new thoughts on divorce.
I'll admit I walk into divorce mediator Lynne Diamond 's office with a bias, a bias I still have when I get home -- really honey!
My take on marriage problems is as simple as a magazine tip I read long ago: Within five years, the problem likely will gone. Of course, there may be a new problem. But there also is a deep richness to having a shared history, a shared future -- and having weathered struggles.
Just as country songs capture the joys and aches of marriage, country roads reflect the realities. Most marriages have rough patches, some are short, some are, well, not so short.
But Diamond, with 17 years as a divorce mediator, explains that marriage for many is rougher than the worst country road. Regardless of her role, the vast majority of her clients are going to get divorced.
For Diamond, who has dual master's degrees from Columbia University in education and counseling, the goals are to reduce the stress, speed the process and keep down costs.
Despite having mediated thousands of divorces, emotions sometimes get in the way. Her most difficult cases? When a spouse hires an attorney.
With a law degree from Concord Law School, Diamond is quick to explain she has nothing against divorce lawyers. But they are costly, and not just for couples.
If you're like me, you focus so much on taxpayer costs for criminal courts, you forget taxpayer costs for family court. As Diamond points out, court fees typically are under $1,000 whether you have a few filings or dozens.
I pour over a six-page list of one couple with 31 court filings. He ended up calling his attorney so she called hers. Attorney fees, Diamond says, totaled $150,000 for each spouse. The cost to taxpayers?
Custody evaluations alone average $10,000.
And those figures don't include the emotional costs most couples face.
The national divorce rate is about 50 percent. In California, it's 60 percent. According to the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, in Orange County it's 70 percent.
I admit that the D-word has floated through our house. "Most couples," says Diamond who has never been divorced, "think about it."
But thinking and doing are a lifestyle apart. Diamond tells of one woman who looked forward to greener pastures on the other side of divorce. "But all she discovered was dirt."
A trained mediator, Diamond doesn't sugarcoat her business. "The impact of divorce is devastating."
A mother of two sons, she explains that the ripple effects of divorce are exactly what led her to launch Divorce Wizards Inc. It was the early '90s and Diamond was a vice president with Merrill Lynch. She left for new beginnings and happened to witness a series of divorces on her cul de sac in San Clemente.
"My heart went out to those children," Diamond recalls. "There were 3-year-olds who didn't know what home to go to."
In 1997, Diamond founded one of the first online divorce sites as an alternative to hiring attorneys. Even with a proliferation of do-it-yourself Web sites, she estimates that today 90 percent of her clients see her in person.
Source: www.msnbc.msn.com
Sussex Online TV What’s on around the county - Chichester Observer
THIS week on SOTV – Pinero’s classic comedy, Dandy Dick, is the inaugural production of Theatre Royal Brighton Productions.
The play’s first major revival for 40 years will star Olivier Award-winner Patricia Hodge and run at the Theatre Royal, Brighton, from Thursday, June 28, to Saturday, July 7.
Other attractions this week include The Electric Light Orchestra’s Greatest Hits Show, at the Assembly Hall, Worthing, on Saturday, June 30.
Plus, Michael Winslow, best known for his role as Sergeant “Motor Mouth” Jones in the Police Academy films brings his show to the White Rock Theatre, in Hastings, on Thursday, June 28.
Our film preview this week is Storage 24 which sees London in chaos as a military cargo plane crashes, leaving its highly classified contents strewn across the city.
In motoring news, Audi has released two new exclusive editions for the A1 and the A1 Sportback.
Source: www.chichester.co.uk
Running battles break out between police and picket line protesters at British fuel refinery threatened with mass job cuts - Daily Mail
- There were three arrests at the Coryton refinery in Essex where at least 200 workers will lose their jobs this week
- Members of the picket line tried to blockade the site before trouble flared
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Running battles have broken out between police and protesters outside a British oil refinery facing mass job cuts.
Today violence erupted at the Coryton plant in Essex where its Swiss-based owners Petroplus have collapsed and left at least 200 out of work.
Essex police have arrested three people at the scene after they clashed with union members and political activists.
About 850 people work at the refinery in Stanford-le-Hope near Thurrock, and it is feared that unless another company steps in all the workers could lose their jobs.
Out of hand: Protesters blockaded the site in Essex and police were called in to break it up
Battle: A protester is cuffed and dragged off as violence breaks out at the Coryton refinery in Essex this afternoon
Anger: People are on a picket line at the site because around 200 people could lose their jobs
Just yesterday Labour leader Ed Miliband said the Government's decision not to give financial backing to the refinery was 'completely wrong'.
'I think they are showing an absolute abdication of their responsibility to the workers at Coryton,' the Labour leader said.
The Department for Energy and Climate Change claimed it would not be sustainable for the government to provide assistance.
Administrators PricewaterhouseCoopers have said the 200 jobs would go this week, which led to the picket line outside.
Trouble: This man is cuffed and detained by two police officers today
Fury: A young man screams at a policeman as he tries to push the line of people back away from the gates
Meanwhile The UK's second biggest oil refinery, near Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, reported a big financial loss but its new owner said an efficiency drive will help it make money even when oil prices fall.
India-focused Essar Energy bought the Stanlow refinery, which accounts for 15% of production from UK refineries and produces around 1.5 billion litres of kerosene a year for aircraft fuel, from oil giant Shell in July.
The operation made an underlying loss of 30.2 million US dollars (19.4 million) in the first eight months under new ownership as refining margins in northern Europe were squeezed by overcapacity.
Support: Around 100 Coryton Oil Refinery workers and their supporters were there as 200 workers lose their jobs this week
Battle: Police push people back from the refinery gates but soon afterwards violence breaks out
Stuck: Drivers were unable to move their trucks out of the refinery today when trouble flared
But its plans to make efficiency savings and diversify the business into producing more oil-based chemicals and diesel are expected to add two to three US dollars on the margin on a barrel of oil over the next three years.
This would mean that the operation would provide 'attractive returns' throughout the market cycle.
The company said: 'In the UK, work is well under way on various projects aimed at increasing margins at our Stanlow refinery following its acquisition at the end of July 2011.
'Stanlow is operating in a tough European refining market, but we continue to see signs that uneconomic refining capacity is being removed from the market which we expect to have a positive impact on margins.'
Stanlow, which supplies Manchester airport with jet fuel, saw supplies disrupted earlier this month, leading to some flights being delayed.
The group saw profits slump nearly two-thirds to 129 million US dollars (82.7 million) in the 15 months to March 31 compared with the previous 12 months.
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
Essex: Talks get under way in bid to stop fire strike - East Anglian Daily Times
Talks will take place today in a bid to end the threatened fire strike
By Brad Jones
Monday, June 25, 2012
9:00 AM
TALKS will get under way today in a bid to avert strike action by firefighters in Essex.
A team from the Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) is expected to meet senior managers from Essex Fire and Rescue Service, and then officials from the Fire Brigades Union in a bid to break the deadlock.
The FBU announced last week its members were set to strike on five dates – June 28, July 7, July 18, August 18 and October 18.
It follows a three-year dispute with Essex fire chiefs, with the FBU claiming one in five frontline firefighters will have been lost since 2008 if the current round of planned cuts go ahead.
They also claim response times to house fires are slower and specialist rescue equipment is not as readily available.
Adrian Clarke, FBU regional secretary, said: “There are separate meetings with ACAS on Monday and we will review any developments or progress.”
However, he added: “It has been confirmed to us that top fire authority councillors and national fire service conciliators continue to be barred from attending.
“The key to resolving the dispute is getting the right people in the room at the same time. The only way of breaking the stalemate is to ensure those doing the negotiations have the power to broker a deal.”
He added: “Essex firefighters do not relish strike action. But our attempts to broker an agreement or get talks with the key parties who have the power to reach a deal have been confounded.”
He said the FBU had been unable to get fire service managers and fire authority in the same room at the same time to meet the union.
Chief Fire Officer David Johnson has said he hopes talks with union officials would go ahead today.
And Assistant Chief Fire Officer Dave Bill said last week: “Clearly the best result for all sides and for the Essex community is for no strike action to take place and for the union to accept the offer of mediation.”
More than 100 firefighters have signed resilience contracts guaranteeing their availability to provide cover during any periods of staff shortage.
Dozens of retained crews will also continue to provide cover for local communities.
Source: www.eadt.co.uk
TOWIE sisters must have splashed a Faier amount of cash on swimwear - The Sun
After their trip to Marbella to film a special episode of TOWIE, the sisters have now flown to Las Vegas to soak up some more sun.
The siblings were spotted arriving at a club with special guest DJ Wyclef Jean.
Splashing around in a pool at the midday party, the ladies made sure they didn't overheat in the rays.
Billie showed off her ample chest in a beige bikini with a frill, and Sam donned a printed monokini for the bash.
Sam has been telling fans that she is missing her boyfriend Joey Essex while away in the US.
She wrote: "Loving Vegas having best time with all my girls ... @JoeyEssex_ have a food night miss u loads x x."(sic)
And Billie posted online: "Having the best time in vegas with all the girls!!! ;-) xxx."
The Only Way Is Essex returns later this year.
angharad.llewellyn@the-sun.co.uk
Source: www.thesun.co.uk
Will "Call Me Dave" & Nick Clogg be using this? K.P.
- K.P, Northumberland, 25/6/2012 18:13
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