News In Brief

Anti-porn petition handed in on Thursday

INTERNET: A petition signed by more than 110,000 people demanding internet companies block access to hardcore pornography as a default setting to protect children will be handed to the government on Thursday.

Peers, MPs and church figures are among those who have signed the Safetynet petition organised by Premier Christian Media.

The petition claims one in three 10-year-olds has “stumbled upon porn online” and that youths aged 12 to 17 are the largest consumers of internet porn.

Breast cancer ads show real cases

CANCER: A groundbreaking new health campaign is the first in Britain to show real pictures of women’s breasts that have been affected by cancer.

Actor and comedian Elaine Smith, whose mother died from breast cancer, is fronting the awareness-raising campaign.

Television adverts, to be shown after the 9pm watershed, feature her holding up a series of placards showing breasts displaying symptoms of the disease.

Police numbers above target

SCOTLAND: The number of officers remains above a Scottish government target, according to official figures released today.

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill welcomed statistics which show 17,373 full-time officers across the eight regional forces.

This is an increase of 1,139 compared with March 2007 and higher than the 1,000 pledged by the SNP administration.