European Parliament president Sassoli dies at 65

 European Parliament President David Sassoli has died at the age of 65, his spokesman says.

The Italian former journalist and centre-left politician had been seriously ill for more than two weeks and cancelled all official activities.

Mr. Sassoli was admitted to hospital in Italy last month due to a serious complication with his immune system.

He died in the early hours of Tuesday in a hospital in Aviano, his spokesman, Roberto Cuillo, announced on Twitter.

In September, Mr. Sassoli was taken to hospital in Strasbourg where he was treated for a severe case of pneumonia caused by legionella. He later told his followers on social media that he had suffered a relapse while recuperating in Italy.

He worked remotely during October, officially resuming his political duties in November. But he was again hospitalised on 26 December, Italian media report.

“Pneumonia is an ugly beast the important thing is to avoid relapses and the convalescence must be adequate,” he told Italan outlet Corriere in September.

A vote to elect his replacement had already been planned for later this month, and Mr Sassoli had indicated that he would not seek re-election. Mr. Sassoli announced in November that he had been away from work due to a case of ‘bad pneumonia’

The former television newsreader became president of the 705-seat European Parliament in July 2019. He was the second Italian president since the assembly was elected by universal suffrage.

The role is considered one of the bloc’s top jobs, and involves chairing sessions and overseeing the parliament’s activities.

He beat three other candidates to the role, and in a speech following his victory he called for the EU to return to the spirit of its founding fathers who swapped warfare and nationalism for peace and equality.

Mr Sassoli left a three-decade career in journalism and became a member of the European Parliament (MEP) in 2009.

He was a member of the centre-left Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, the second-biggest grouping in the parliament.

A number of people have paid tribute to Mr Sassoli.

European Council President Charles Michel described Mr Sassoli as a “sincere and passionate European”.

“We already miss his human warmth, his generosity, his friendliness and his smile,” he said.

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Top judge hits out at proposal for new legal watchdog

 Scotland’s top judge and lawyers have issued a furious response to Scottish government proposals to reform how legal services are regulated.

Ministers are consulting on changes which could see a new regulatory body set up to oversee the legal sector.

Lord Carloway said the judiciary would “resist with all its strength” any attempt to interfere with its independence and the rule of law.

And lawyers said the plans were an “act of vandalism” and a “retrograde step”.

The government said it would “carefully consider” views before coming to any decision or drafting legislation.

Its consultation paper said it had not yet taken a position on potential models of regulation, which were drawn up as part of an independent review.

‘No longer fit for purpose’

Esther Robertson – a health chief who has formerly led NHS 24 and NHS Fife – was asked to chair a study of the regulation of legal services in 2017, in response to concerns that the existing system was “dated and no longer fit for purpose”.

Her report said the current system was too complicated, particularly in terms of how complaints were handled, and made 40 recommendations about how legal services should be regulated.

It also proposed three different models for a new oversight system, ranging from small “light touch” changes to a complete overhaul of the system with “a single independent regulator for all providers of legal services” at the top, reporting to MSPs.

The government admitted that the latter proposal had “largely polarised the views of those in the legal and consumer landscape” and launched a consultation to “build consensus where possible on the way forward”.

IMAGE SOURCE,PA MEDIA

Image caption,

Lord Carloway heads the judiciary as the lord president of the Court of Session

However, Lord Carloway – who heads the judiciary as the lord president of the Court of Session – said the consultation “appears to have proceeded on the fundamentally flawed premise that the legal profession in Scotland regulates itself”.

He stressed that this was “incorrect”, saying the lord president regulates the system while being independent from government, parliament and those he regulates, while having ultimate control over some “limited self-regulation by the professional bodies”.

His response to the consultation said that transferring regulatory powers to a separate body answerable to Holyrood would “create an unwarranted and unacceptable interference by the government and parliament with the judiciary”.

He said this would amount to “an interference with the rule of law”, adding: “The judiciary will resist with all its strength this, and any other attempt by government or parliament to remove the court’s regulatory powers”.

Lord Carloway’s response was echoed by leading lawyers, including QC Roddy Dunlop, dean of the Faculty of Advocates, who described the plans as “an assault on the rule of law that must be resisted, root and branch, with tooth and claw”.

The Faculty’s own response to the consultation called the plans “an act of vandalism”, adding that an independent judiciary was “fundamental to the operation of democracy in Scotland” and “cannot be sacrificed on the altar of perceived modernisation”.

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Meanwhile prominent defence lawyer Aamer Anwar said Lord Carloway’s response was “a devastating indictment” of the proposals.

He said: “The government cannot keep producing box-ticking consultations without rhyme or reason, or any real fundamental understanding of a system they propose to scrap.”

In its original response to the Robertson review, the government said it believed reform was required – but accepted there was “little consensus” on this or what should be done.

The consultation paper stressed that ministers were yet to “develop a position” on Ms Robertson’s key recommendation that an independent regulator be established.

Community safety minister Ash Denham said the government was “open to further views on how the report’s recommendations should be taken forward”, and wanted to “capture the fullest range of views” on what level of reform was supported.

Following Lord Carloway’s submission, a spokesperson said: “We thank the judiciary for their response to the consultation, which has generated a wide variety of opinions.

“Scotland has one of the best legal professions in the world – however improvements are needed to further support access to justice in modern Scotland. Ministers will carefully consider all the consultation responses and a report will be published in due course.”

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Covid-19 Outbreak:China locks down third city

 A third Chinese city has locked down its residents because of a COVID-19 outbreak, raising the number confined to their homes in China to about 20 million people.

It wasn’t clear how long the lockdown of Anyang, home to 5.5 million people, would last. Mass testing was being enforced, standard procedure whenever outbreaks pop up around the country.

Another 13 million people are locked down in the city of Xi’an and 1.1 million in Yuzhou, with restrictions imposed on the port city of Tianjin, only about an hour from Beijing, which is to host the Winter Olympics from Feb. 4.

A games official responsible for disease control, Huang Chun, said organizers are counting on the cooperation of athletes and officials to prevent an outbreak that could affect participation.

“If the mass cluster transmission happens, it will impact the games and the schedule for sure,” Huang said. “The worst scenario, if it happens, is independent of man’s will, so we leave our options open.”

Hong Kong also announced the closure of kindergartens and primary schools after infections were reported in students. Schools are to close by Friday and remain shut until at least the Lunar New Year holiday in the first week of February.

Hong Kong has tightened pandemic-related restrictions in recent days after discovering the omicron variant had spread beyond people arriving from overseas.

The lockdown of Anyang followed the confirmation of two cases of omicron on Monday that are believed to be linked to two other cases found Saturday in Tianjin. It appears to be the first time omicron has spread in mainland China beyond people who arrived from abroad and their immediate contacts.

Residents are not allowed to leave their homes, non-essential vehicles are banned from streets and stores have been ordered shut except for those selling necessities, according to a city notice shared by state media late Monday.

Xi’an and Yuzhou are both battling the delta variant and neither has reported any omicron cases. About 2,000 people have been infected in Xi’an, an ancient capital that is home to the Terracotta Warrior ruins and major companies in computer chips and aerospace, in China’s largest outbreak in recent months.

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Mental health: Ex-soldier builds castle to help people

 A former soldier with post-traumatic stress disorder has built a castle on a hillside to help others struggling with their mental health.

Mike Allen built the retreat so he could run sessions to help other people who have gone through similar issues.

As well as having PTSD, the 41-year-old, who served in Afghanistan, also used to be homeless.

“Building the castle has been a good coping mechanism,” said Mike. “It’s been really beneficial to help others.”

He began building it in 2019 after his first cabin was demolished because it did not have planning permission.

Other veterans and stone-wall specialists helped build it by hand, using stone and damaged trees.

• More help urged for forces veterans with PTSD
• Call for further improvement in mental health care

Now Mike, of Oakdale in Caerphilly county, is running a charitable project called Endex out of his castle above the hills in nearby Wattsville.

IMAGE SOURCE,MIKE ALLEN

Image caption,

Mr Allen served in Afghanistan with 2nd Battalion, the Royal Welsh

IMAGE SOURCE,ENDEX

Image caption,

The first log cabin that Mr Allen built was demolished

The scheme supports the rehabilitation of veterans and others suffering with their mental health. But construction of the site got off to a shaky start.

“A lovely farming family on the other side of the mountain contacted me and invited me onto their land to build something new,” said Mike, who served in Afghanistan with 2nd Battalion, the Royal Welsh.

“They gave me the opportunity to live in a caravan on their land for 18 months, so for the first 18 months it was just collecting stones, gathering the logs and building.

“We got so far – about 10-15% up – and then two gentlemen came along and said they would love to take it down.

“Then they said they were from the Drystone Association of Wales and said if we took it down then in two weeks they would come back and do it properly.

“They came back with some veterans and taught us how to do it right.”

Now the project is up and running, Mike said it had already seen a wide range of visitors.

Image caption,

Mr Allen has created a shelter people can sit inside and enjoy views of the valley

Image caption,

The castle is now home to Endex, a charitable project for veterans

“Visits have been ongoing constantly really, particularly through lockdown, the first summer lockdown was really, really busy,” he said.

“We’ve had special needs children, special needs adults, PRU (pupil referral unit) children, the local community, walking groups, fitness fanatics.

“There’s an outdoor gym there as well. We’ve run mediation classes, day yoga classes – there’s been quite a lot of different things going on.”

IMAGE SOURCE,ENDEX

Image caption,

Former soldier Mike Allen served in Afghanistan and suffers with post-traumatic stress disorder

Image caption,

An aerial view of the castle set in a quiet, secluded area

Mike added that he had noticed a marked improvement in his own mental health through the building process.

“I still have good days and bad days and I try to push forward as best I can,” he said.

“Building the castle has been a good coping mechanism, I guess. It’s been a way that I can keep myself busy. Everything has been collected by hand – it hasn’t cost money really.

“It’s been really beneficial to help others.”

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