Eideard

A Lord Mayor has banned the traditional Christian prayers at the start of council meetings, calling the practice “outdated, unnecessary and intrusive“.

Colin Hall, who has just taken over the mayorship in Leicester, said the “majority” of councillors and city council staff were not practising Christians therefore there was little point in having the prayers…

“I am delighted to confirm that I will be exercising my discretion as Lord Mayor to abolish the outdated, unnecessary and intrusive practice.

“I personally consider that religion, in whatever shape or form, has no role to play at all in the conduct of council business. This particularly applies in Leicester where the majority of council members, myself included, do not regularly attend any particular faith service.”

Mr Hall said he was sure his position would be “positively received” by both council colleagues and the public, but last night he faced criticism from the Leicester Christian Fellowship…

There’s a fracking surprise. Few can whine as frequently or as loud as Christians – from a position of establishment and government support.

Mr Hall declined to comment but the Deputy Lord Mayor, Robert Wann, said he was supportive, adding: “We have many faiths within Leicester and we respect all faiths accordingly.

“Equally we respect people with no faith and on this occasion the Lord Mayor has decided not to have prayers and we will abide by that…”

Can you imagine even suggesting this in Congress? Or East Jeebus, Texas? You’d be lynched.

Rock on, Colin!

Kenneth Crocker, 70 – most important part of the operation

Doctors at a British hospital have carried out the first heart rhythm operation using a remote -controlled robot and say its success means patients could be treated by doctors in other cities, or even other countries.

Andre Ng, who performed the procedure on Wednesday from outside the operating theater, told Reuters it went very well and the patient’s irregular heart rhythm was restored to normal within an hour.

“It exceeded our expectations and we achieved what we set out to in very good time,” said Ng, a consultant cardiologist and electrophysiologist at Leicester’s Glenfield Hospital…

Ng said he was the first doctor in the world to carry out this type of remote-controlled operation on a human patient using a system called a Remote Catheter Manipulation System…

The procedure carried out by Ng involved inserting thin wires called catheters into blood vessels at the top of the groin and then threading them up into the chambers of the heart…

Despite being outside the operating theater during the procedure, Ng said he felt in “complete control” and could see and speak to other medical staff who were beside the patient.

The main advantage is that the doctor doesn’t have to wear heavy radiation shields such as lead aprons, which are normally required in the operating room because X-rays are used to show what is going on inside the patient.

Doctor Ng made the useful point already obvious to geeks in the crowd: “If there is a reliable enough link, then you could do it from any location in the world.”

Carmen Blake and baby Mariah — physiotherapist Helen Ivers who delivered Mariah

Mother-of-three Carmen Blake called her midwife to ask for an ambulance when she went into labour unexpectedly with her fourth child…

She said: “I phoned up the Royal Infirmary, it’s just across the road, and they said to go into a hot bath, and then to make my way over there.

“I went into the bath and realised she was going to come quickly. I didn’t think I’d be able to make it out of the bath, so I phoned the maternity ward back and told them to get an ambulance out.

‘They said they were not sending an ambulance and told me I had had nine months to sort out a lift…’

Eventually Ms Blake and her friends enlisted the help of a physiotherapist who happened to be passing on her way to work.

She dialled 999 and helped deliver baby Mariah while waiting for emergency services…

Today a spokeswoman for the University Hospitals of Leicester said: ‘We are disappointed that Ms Blake was not happy with the advice and care she received and will of course investigate any complaint.

Was that an actual human being who delivered the statement from the Royal Infirmary?

Sounds like same kind of robot bureaucrat that makes decisions like this.