Kids 'Growing Up In No-Work Homes'

Almost a quarter of children in London live in households where no one is working, official figures show.


The figure of 23% is well above the national average of 15%, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The North East, North West, West Midlands and Wales all have a disproportionate amount of children in the same situation, with a rate of 18%.

The report also shows regional differences in the types of family children live in, their health, education and sentencing for crime.

An ONS spokesman said: "Although there are differences between regions, the data suggest that the most significant influence on children's experiences growing up is likely to be income deprivation."

The report also found London topped the list of regions with the highest number of families headed by lone parents - 31% compared with 29% in the North East, 28% in both the North West and Wales, and just 19% in the South East.

Two-thirds of families with dependent children in Northern Ireland and the South East involved married couples, compared with fewer than 60% in the North East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber and Wales.

The report also found child obesity rates were high in urban areas such as Hackney in east London (16%), Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester, and low in Brighton and Hove (6%), Wokingham, Stockport, Sheffield, Windsor and Kingston upon Thames.

A lower proportion of young people in urban areas achieved five A*-C GCSEs or equivalent, compared with their rural counterparts.

London bucked the trend, largely because its non-urban areas cover a very small minority of pupils.

But there was also a significant variation in levels of attainment between urban areas, with more than 65% of children attaining five A*-C grades in Gateshead, Trafford, Wakefield, Solihull and Belfast in 2006/07.

Fewer than 55% attained the same results in Sheffield, Barnsley and Bradford, Coventry, Derby, Nottingham and Leicester.

The report's unveiling coincided with the release of a study by the Centre for Cities which warned the Government had to do more to tackle the problem of long-term youth unemployment.

Union: Lloyds Cut 240 Bank Jobs

Lloyds Banking Group has announced plans to cut 242 jobs in the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, the Unite union says.

Unite said it believed 182 of the posts were going to be lost from its operations in Jersey, with the rest of the staff affected in the Isle of Man and Guernsey.

Lloyds was not able to comment on the claims.

Rob MacGregor, Unite national officer said: "Despite the difficult economic conditions, these hard working employees battled to give this section of the business a very healthy pre-tax profit in 2008.

"Even after recent the spate of job loss announcements by Lloyds Banking Group, this news still comes as a bitter pill to swallow for our members.

"Unite will continue to negotiate with the bank and push them to recognise the dignity of their Jersey, Isle of Man and Guernsey employees to ensure that the job losses are avoided."

Unite said it was demanding no compulsory redundancies and has called on the bank to do its utmost to protect the jobs.

Italian PM: 'I Never Paid For Sex'

Italy's prime minister has told a gossip magazine he never paid for sex amid scandalous claims about women at his parties.

Silvio Berlusconi has been dogged by suspicions stemming from his purported fondness for young models and starlets.

The 72-year-old billionaire gave his first direct response to the claims in an interview with Chi magazine.

Boy's Runaway Car Miracle Escape

A young boy has walked away unhurt after being hit by a runaway car which hurled him through the air.

CCTV footage broadcast on Turkish television showed the vehicle flying off the street and hitting four-year-old Muhammet Dirlik, knocking him down a flight of steps.

The youngster can then be seen picking himself and walking away.

Iranian Diplomats Expelled From UK

The UK has expelled two Iranian diplomats after Iran forced two British envoys to leave.

Gordon Brown told MPs: "Iran yesterday took the unjustified step of expelling two British diplomats over allegations which are absolutely without foundation.

"In response to that action, we informed the Iranian ambassador today that we would expel two Iranian diplomats from their embassy in London.

Iraq Hands Over Two Bodies To UK

Two bodies feared hostage in Iraq in 2007 are feared dead after bodies were handed to British officials in Iraq.

Mr Miliband said forensic tests were being carried out on the remains to see if they were of two of the five Britons who were captured in Iraq in May 2007.

He said his thoughts were with the families of the men and "they will fear the worst for their loved ones".

Iran Police Crack Down On Protests

Defeated Iranian presidential candidate Mirhossein Mousavi has said he is "ready for martyrdom" as his supporters clashed with police in Tehran.

His backers were demonstrating over the re-election of hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who won by a landslide despite opposition claims the result was rigged.

The protesters defied a call from the country's supreme leader for the demonstrations to end.