Coulson walks free from prison

Crime: Disgraced former News of the World editor and Tory spin doctor Andy Coulson walked free from jail yesterday after serving less than five months of an 18-month sentence for phone hacking offences.

Coulson left Hollesley Bay, an open prison in Suffolk. 

It is understood that he will have to wear an electronic tag until he has served half of his full sentence as a condition of his early release.

Gum-makers ‘must pay for clean-up’

Clean streets: Chewing gum manufacturers must help pay the multimillion-pound bill for cleaning up their products, councils are demanding today.

Town halls want firms to make a “substantial” contribution to the estimated £60 million annual cost of removing gum from Britain’s streets.

The appeal has been issued by the Local Government Association (LGA), which represents almost 400 councils in England and Wales. 

Scotland gains new daily paper

Media: A new daily newspaper The National is to be launched in Scotland next week, it was revealed yesterday.

The tabloid — owned by the Herald and Times group — will be the first daily newspaper in Scotland to support independence. 

Sunday Herald editor Richard Walker will oversee The National, according to media reports.

Sales of the Sunday Herald more than doubled after it backed independence during the referendum campaign.

Robinson under fire for Britain First snap

Media: BBC reporter Nick Robinson came under fire yesterday after being snapped with Britain First’s deputy leader.

The political editor faced an angry backlash after he posed with Jayda Fransen, the far-right group’s candidate in the Rochester and Strood by-election, during the count.

Mr Robinson, who once grabbed an anti-war placard stamped on it during a live broadcast, apologised — claiming he agreed to the snap without knowing who she was.