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(Bloomberg) -- China detained a U.K. consulate staffer from Hong Kong for visiting a prostitute, a Chinese newspaper alleged, a new twist in a case that has raised concerns Beijing is trying to warn the British government against meddling in its former colony. China's Foreign Ministry confirmed Wednesday that Cheng, a Hong Kong citizen, was being held in administrative detention in Shenzhen on allegations of violating local laws, but didn't specify any allegations. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses economic issues associated with the benefit sanctions being implemented in the British welfare system. Topics explored include the imposing of sanctions for failing to comply with universal credit requirements, comparison of the sanction rate for universal credit and jobseeker's allowance claimants, and the unemployment rate in the country.

The article reports on the need of the British government to suspend the benefit sanctions system due to the mental health damages and failure to attrack the people back to work based on the psychological therapy bodies in Great Britain.

The article focuses on the decision of the European Parliament to include owner-drivers within the Working Time Directive (WTD) which implements working time regulations. It says that 13 European Union (EU) member states such as Ireland and Great Britain will face penalties for not following the June 2010 decision of the European Parliament to stop the derogation of self-employed drivers. It states the European Commission (EC) conducted the infringement proceedings.

The article focuses on the notice issued by the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) in Great Britain to awarding organisations to justify the sizes allocated to many of their qualifications by June 2016. Topics include the need to include Total Qualification Time (TQT) value and Guided Learning (GL) hours to determine the size of the qualification, the enforcement action to be implemented to those not in compliance with the rules, and the categories for qualifications.

The author deplores the decision of the British Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) to hand to the Treasury the fine it collected from the Network Rail debacle instead of spending it for the improvement of railway information systems. The ORR says its decision enhances effectiveness of the penalty but people within the industry thinks the decision is nonsense. He believes that the ORR, can find a more user-beneficial way of ensuring compliance than merely participating in a bureaucratic money-go-round with government otherwise it will earn the public's ire.

The article discusses the issues regarding the Dart Charge remote payment system that affect the trucking companies in Great Britain. It states that the penalty charge notices (PCNs) make up large volume of the system's cost to hauliers. It notes the instances of payments wrongly taken from the users of the system. It mentions that operators using hired trucks are required to manually add and remove individual to their account.

The article reports on the possible penalties to be faced by various hospitals in Great Britain if their patients are readmitted within 30 days of being discharged.

This article reports on a warning issued by the British Financial Services Authority (FSA) on the interest of traders in debt deals in 2009. The FSA considered the practice as tantamount to insider trading. But attorneys believe that the warning will not push through because of the lack of penalties in a high-profile case.

The article focuses on the plan of the Financial Services Authority (FSA) of Great Britain to revise its penalties for financial firms. The agency aims to increase the potential size of fines and link them more closely to firm and individual incomes. Abi Jones, an FSA spokeswoman, clarified that there is no preferred option yet and they will consider the choices based on industry feedback. Comments from Richard Sims of Simmons & Simmons and Andrew Hart of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer are given.

The article offers the views of several executives regarding the probable prosecution of parents who take out their children from primary school during week of education on gay issues in Great Britain. General Secretary Chris Keates states that parents who pulled back children in classes that involves LGBT is bigotry that must not be tolerated. While chief executive Jeremy Todd of Parentline Plus stresses that parents should be involved rather than threatening them with penalties.

The article discusses proposed British legislation that would require schools to give teachers adequate time to prepare lessons and grade students. Under the proposed legislation, schools that fail to give teachers sufficient preparation time could receive penalties such as budget withdrawals or the appointment of governors. The legislation also details the creation of a negotiating body for school support employees.

The article reports on the vagueness of policies on plagiarism at higher education institutions in Great Britain, according to a research for the Joint Information Systems Committee Plagiarism Advisory Service. Baroness Deech, the student complaints ombudsman, raised concerns about the variation in penalties for plagiarism. Lecturers at different universities expressed their views on the range of sanctions for plagiarism.

The article reports that an Appeal Committee of the British Psychological Society has convened on October 19, 2006 to hear an appeal filed by Robin Lascelles against the sanction imposed by a Conduct Committee in April 2006 in Great Britain. The Conduct Committee had heard a case detailing how Lascelles obtained money from a client's bank account without their consent while employed as a care worker to an adult with learning difficulties. Its decision was to expel Lascelles from the Society.

Reports on the promise of ministers to rethink on the reform for penalizing schools that will overspend to the allocated funding system in Great Britain. Reduction of the power of local authorities; Recommendation of education through higher council tax; Differentiation of the level of funding.

Reports that sanctions imposed on guilty doctors by the British General Medical Council are to follow a framework drawn up by the Commission for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (CHRE). Creation of the Indicative Sanctions Guidance of CHRE after it identified inconsistencies in approaches taken by the nine health care regulators; Intention for the template to be adapted by each regulator to create an authoritative statement of its approach to sanctions; Assurance of the sanctions being fair and proportionate.

Provides tips on how to deal with a school governor who frequently fails to do her task properly in Great Britain. Sanctions imposed to the governor for initiating lack of school attendance; Need for Local Education Authority to know the misconduct of the governor; Effect of misconduct on the demoralization of school management.

Reports the empowerment of headteachers to issue parents with truancy tickets to address school attendance and behavior problems in Great Britain. Penalties for parents failing to improve the behavior of their children; Implementors of the program; Revision of the exclusion appeal panels.

Focuses on the threat issued by Great Britain lifelong learning minister Malcolm Wicks concerning the implementation of financial sanctions against mismanaged colleges. Role of the Learning and Skills Council; Motion carried at the annual conference of Natfhe organization; Need for the reconstitution of the Hefce board.

The article reports on the launch of the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) scheme by the Environment Agency in Great Britain. It mentions that the scheme is applied to many as 30,000 organizations in the nation. It states that the organization would be penalized when it has used more than 6,000 megawatts per hour of metered electricity during 2008.

Several tables on penalties imposed on Great Britain's truck drivers for a range of offences are presented including endorseable offences, non-endorseable offences and potential offences related to tachographs installation and use.

Presents updates on several issues related to agriculture in Great Britain as of February 2005. Penalty to be imposed by the Welsh Assembly to farmers who fail to complete and return their Soil Management Self Assessment forms by the deadline; Information on a plan launched by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society to upgrade and improve its headquarters in North Yorkshire, England.

The article presents information on two organisations that have been served by Great Britain's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) with the first monetary penalties for serious breaches of the Data Protection Act. The first penalty was issued to Hertfordshire County Council, amounting to 100,000 pounds. The second monetary penalty was of 60,000 pounds to the employment services firm A4e.

In this article, the author discusses vitality of the authorization given to Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) to levy the Graduated Fixed Penalty notice for some traffic offences in Great Britain in 2009. He asserts that in the first three months of acting these powers, VOSA has issued 11,000 fixed penalty notices for a range of offences. He adds that the powers give to VOSA will enable foreign hauliers to be punished for committing a variety of offences in the region's roads.

The article presents information on graduated fixed penalties (GFP) system of Great Britain, which came into effect on April 1, 2009. Police and Vehicle & Operator Service Agency (VOSA) enforcement officers can issue GFP to drivers for a variety of offences including overloading and unroadworthy vehicles. Jim Fitzpatrick, Minister for the Department of Transport, said foreign drivers who break the law can not find any hiding place in Great Britain.

The article reports on the decision of the Great Britain's Vehicle and Operator Service Agency (VOSA) to defer the issuing of graduated fixed penalties until the end of May 2009. A VOSA spokeswoman, as reported, has said that the agency has taken the decision so that hauliers in the country get the time to become aware of the new legislation and its meaning. The new rights to issue penalties, as reported, were to come into power from April 1, 2009.

The article reports on the low rate of criminals who were prosecuted for assaulting employees of the National Health Service (NHS) in Great Britain. Government records revealed that only 1.6 percent of offenders were reprimanded either through fines or imprisonment. A spokesperson for the NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Services admitted that violent incidents have decreased since 2004.

This article reports on the plan to introduce fixed penalties for Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) offences in Great Britain in 2007. The Driving and Standards Agency said the CPC is being introduced from September 2009 under the European Union compulsory training directive. The Freight Transport Association and the Road Haulage Association expressed their concerns over the initiative.

Financial penalties may be imposed on universities if excessive numbers of nursing or midwifery students fail to finish their courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article comments on the increasing delays caused by the authorities in dealing with the aftermath of a road traffic incident. It criticises the British government's fondness for setting road targets and penalties instead of reopening roads after accidents. It raises issues over the Vehicle & Operator Service Agency Hotline.

Presents information on the enacted Hazardous Waste Regulations 2005 in Great Britain. Aim of the regulation; Exemptions; Penalties; Risk of prosecution.

Focuses on the penalty imposed on the vehicles of Freight Intermodal by South Eastern & Metropolitan Traffic Commissioner Christopher Heaps for non-compliance of the company with the O-licensing requirements in Great Britain. Findings of the maintenance investigation conducted by vehicle examiner William Groves; Justification made by company director Stephen Debruin for the offences committed by the firm; Claims of Debruin on the attempts of the company to introduce a drivers' defect reporting system.

Focuses on the Experts' Protocol implemented by Master of the Rolls Lord Phillips for the whole of the civil justice system in Great Britain on June 22, 2005. Background on how the protocol codifies and builds on best practice; Information on the sanctions for breaching the protocol; Way in which the protocol deals with pre-action expert involvement.

Reports on developments involving sectors in the public finance as of September 9, 2004 in Great Britain. Punishment for the civil servants in Department for Work and Pensions for downloading pornographic materials at work; Reaction of Labour MP Gerald Kaufman on the removal of Chancellor Gordon Brown from the Department for Treasury; Probable penalty of the British National Party over its failure to file its annual accounts with the election regulator.