New cracks have been found in one of the reactors at Hunterston B nuclear power station in North Ayrshire. Two of about 3,000 graphite bricks in the core of reactor four are affected. Plant operator, EDF Energy, said the cracking had been predicted to occur as the station aged and it would not affect the safe operation of the reactor. Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the issue was ‘hugely concerning’ to the public and that the Scottish government was seeking reassurances. ‘The Scottish government is seeking the information we need to assure the public about safety, because safety is absolutely paramount and cannot be compromised,’ she said. The cracks were found during a routine inspection which began in August. They have appeared since the last inspection in 2011

This week leading international scientists will warn a Parliamentary inquiry that the Government’s 3-parent baby plan raises serious public safety concerns and should not be permitted to go ahead. Currently, the proposed technique - known as ‘mitochondria replacement therapy’ - can only be used for research purposes, and involves transferring both parents’ DNA into a donor egg. Ministers say the procedure will help prevent mothers from passing mitochondrial disorders to their children. But in a letter to the Commons science and technology committee, the group of scientists will warn: ‘The safety of mitochondrial replacement therapy is not yet established sufficiently to proceed to clinical trials.’  An editorial in the New Scientist magazine warned that ‘we may have seriously underestimated the influence that mitochondria have’ in light of new research which ‘suggests that they play a key role in some of the most important features of human life.’

Growing numbers of domestic violence victims are being quizzed by their former partners in court due to cuts in legal aid which have led to a rise in litigation-in-person cases, family law specialists are warning. Emma Pearmaine, a family law specialist at Simpson Millar and director of the Leed's Law Society, said: ‘The number of women being cross-examined by abusive ex-partners in court has doubled in my experience since 2013. Judges do their best to step in and control cross-examination situations where it is a case for an injunction, or non-molestation order, for example, but they should be there to adjudicate on the case – not manage behaviour as a priority. These women are some of the most vulnerable in society and they now have no real protection. They are let down from start to finish. They suffer abuse at home then, torment from their abuser in court. For them there is no sense of justice.'

More than 2,000 care homes looking after elderly or disabled adults have no registered manager, according to figures to be published this week.12 per cent of all care homes in England lack the leadership required to ensure that vulnerable people, including frail pensioners with dementia, are cared for properly. According to a study presented at the Liberal Democrat conference on Tuesday this meant that Paul Burstow, the Lib Dem MP and former health minister who obtained the figures, said they showed that ‘a revolution’ in care homes was needed. ‘It is hardly surprising that people fear ‘going into a home’, he said, ‘We would never accept this in a healthcare setting and there is no reason why we should be prepared to accept it for people living in residential care.’ He called for ‘a lot more’ care home places to be created to meet demand from Britain’s ageing population.

The number of ritual child abuse cases linked to witchcraft being investigated in London is increasing. A total of 24 cases were passed to the Metropolitan Police in 2013, 19 in 2012 and nine in 2011. There have been 27 allegations in the past year, including two claims of rape. Allegations included a child being swung around and smacked on the head ‘to drive out the devil’ and youngsters being dunked in water. A number of child killings have been linked to these beliefs, including the murder of Kristy Bamu, 15, who was tortured and drowned by his sister and her boyfriend in 2010; and the death of Victoria Climbie in 2000. Since 2004, 148 cases have been referred to the Met

The Christian Legal Centre says proposals by the Conservatives to stop British laws being over-ruled by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg could cause problems for Christians. The Tories have said if they win the election they will change the law to say British courts wouldn't have to listen to the European Court of Human Rights. But the Christian Legal Centre says it could mean that believers who feel they've been discriminated against won't get a fair deal. Andrea Williams said, ‘What we have seen coming out of Europe when we've taken our Christian interest cases there is that the European Court gives the Christians more rights than we've been seeing in our national courts. It was the European Court of Human Rights that actually recognised the cross as a Christian symbol.

Twelve studies into the link between breast cancer and abortion have shown that on average, women who have had a prior abortion have a 54% greater risk of developing the disease. The President of the Population Research Institute (PRI), Steven W. Mosher, reports the findings from studies conducted in the Indian subcontinent between 2008 and 2013. He says the main reason the findings are so important ‘is that women in India and neighbouring countries are simply ideal subjects for studies; they marry early, do not use the pill, have multiple pregnancies, and breastfeed their babies.’ In other words says Mosher, ‘all of the other major risk factors for breast cancer are absent; such as marrying later in life, the use of oral contraceptives at a young age, the use of Hormone Replacement Therapy when older, having only one or no full-term pregnancies and not breastfeeding their babies.’

Thousands of people are being treated ‘like cattle’ by modern slavery gangs who tattoo them and force them to work for a pittance. The number of victims smuggled into Britain has soared by a fifth as organised criminals cash in on the lucrative market in human misery. They are expanding their operations from the sex trade and drug factories into hand car washes and bogus doorstep charity collections. Victims are bought and sold for as little as £200 and put to work in fear of violence against them and their families. Many are Eastern Europe children brought into the country to join street begging gangs while their handlers steal their generous benefits. Adults are duped into travelling here, often through recruitment websites or even dating agencies, with the promise of better paid work or education. When  they arrive they are forced to work as prostitutes, on illicit cannabis farms, as construction labourers or on isolated farms

The majority of Conservative councillors believe David Cameron was wrong to pursue legalising same-sex marriage, a poll for the BBC has revealed. Responding to a survey conducted by ComRes, 60 percent of councillors said they disagreed with the Prime Minister’s push for gay marriage. Nearly two-thirds of councillors said that legalising gay marriage made the Conservative party less electable. The survey also found that 58 per cent of councillors think redefining marriage will cost the party more votes than it gains at the next election. Writing for the Daily Mail Online this week, former Tory frontbencher David Davis picked up on why he thinks the party are likely to lose votes. He said the party has ‘abandoned traditional Conservative principles and made ourselves less appealing to those who supported us’. Davis argued that the party should not have focused on ‘fringe issues’ such as gay marriage because it is rarely in voter’s ‘top five concerns’.

A missing British girl believed to be heading to join extremists in Syria could become a ‘jihadi bride’ when she gets there. Extremism expert Haras Rafiq from the Quilliam Foundation said, ‘She’s not a professional, she’s not a doctor, she’s not an engineer etc. It’s more than likely that she will become a jihadi bride. At 15 she will marry a holy warrior and play a part in the jihad by producing the next generation of Jihadists.’ Yusra Hussein, is thought to have headed to Turkey with a 17-year-old girl from London. They will try to cross the border into Syria. Friends said Yusra had recently become tied to her mobile and computer after viewing extremist material on chat rooms and forums. As many as 600 Britons are believed to have joined Islamic forces fighting President Bashar al-Assad in the last three years. See also: l