General News

OFT: The Office of Fair Trading has launched its 2009 Scams Awareness Month to raise awareness of mass marketed scams, which cost the UK public £3.5bn a year.  Every year an estimated three million UK consumers fall victim to scams sent by post, email, text, the phone and internet.
 
This year's Awareness Month in February kicks off with a nationwide 'Scamnesty', run in partnership with nearly 90 Local Authority Trading Standards Services, which calls on consumers to ‘drop’ scam mailings they have received into designated 'Scamnesty' bins or boxes at local libraries and public areas across the country.
 
The information collected will help the OFT and enforcement partners to identify & develop strategies to combat the worst scammers.  A similar campaign was a great success last year, collecting more than 15,000 mailings.
Press release ~ Consumer Direct – Report a scam ~ OFT: 'Scamnesty'
 
CDConsumer Direct is advising people how to recognise if friends & relatives are falling victim to scams such as bogus lotteries, deceptive prize draws and fake psychic mailings as part of Scams Awareness Month which kicked off this week.  A new OFT DVD called 'Scams, Don't Let Them Con You' which features Angela Rippon is available free of charge by calling 0800 389 3158 and quoting reference OFT 1053
 
Although people from all age groups can become victims, research shows that older people are the most likely to be targeted and lose the most money. Someone regularly falling for mass market scams may:
* receive a lot of junk mail
* have a house full of cheap-looking goods such as jewellery and health products
* receive regular phone calls from strangers
* become secretive when discussing finances with family and friends
Press release ~ Scams – How to spot them ~ Research on impact of mass marketed scams ~ OFT guide for carers and care professionals
 
OS: Lord David Puttnam, the film maker and Labour peer, is calling for the use of serious video games and location-based information in the battle against climate change.  Speaking ahead of his keynote speech at Ordnance Survey’s Terra future conference, Lord Puttnam said: “Serious games based upon real-life geography should be vital tools in our fight against climate change.  Educating people about the impact of prolonged changes to our climate in an accessible way is the best catalyst for action I know.”
 
The Terra future conference, to be held at the Royal Geographical Society on 24 and 25 February, is aimed at business leaders, government policy and decision makers, community groups and academics.  It will explore the role of geography and mass collaboration in tackling sustainability, climate change and transportation. The Terra future initiative and its cross-sector participants will help generate and develop ideas and actions aimed at tackling these grand challenges.
Press release ~ Ordnance Survey’s Terra future conference ~ National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts ~ Futurelab ~ Royal Geographical Society
 
DWP: Disabled people will have the opportunity to take their case to the UN if they feel their rights have been breached according to, Jonathan Shaw, Minister for Disabled People, when he announced that the UK Government has committed to signing the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on Rights of Disabled People.
 
The Convention itself reaffirms that disabled people have - and should be able to enjoy - their human rights on an equal basis with non-disabled people.  The Optional Protocol builds on this by establishing two additional procedures in respect of implementation and monitoring of the Convention.  This includes an avenue that will enable individuals, who feel their rights have been breached, to bring petitions to the UN Committee set up to monitor implementation of the Convention.
Press release ~ UN Enable ~ UN Convention on Rights of Disabled People ~ Handbook for Parliamentarians on the Convention
 
NENatural England has heralded the launch of ‘Ocean in Google Earth’, part ofthe newest version of Google Earth. Dr Helen Phillips, Chief Executive of Natural England, said: “We are excited at the potential that ‘Ocean in Google Earth’ has to raise the profile of the state of our seas, as it will encourage people to discover an amazing 3-D underwater world from their computers.  
 
The companion website – ProtectPlanetOcean - portal for ocean conservation was developed by IUCN and its partners to complement the Marine Protected Area layer in ‘Ocean in Google Earth’.  It provides an easy-to-use interface for people from around the world to upload their own photos, videos and stories about our oceans.
 
The content uploaded will be included in the Google Earth Marine Protected Area layer, meaning that users can directly contribute to the world’s first multimedia map of our oceans.  Additional layers (e.g. fisheries) and ‘virtual tours’ of different types of MPAs will be made available on the web site following the launch by Google.
Press release ~ NE – Marine Protected areas ~ Google Earth (free) ~ Ocean in Google Earth ~ Protect Planet Ocean ~ International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
 
ScotGov: A new £1m annual prize fund to inspire innovative ways of improving the energy efficiency of Scotland's housing sector has been launched. The Scottish Energy Efficiency Design Awards will be open to applications from April 2009 and the Energy Saving Trust will manage the Design Awards.
 
The awards will focus on innovation and design solutions to encourage the development of low carbon buildings, with a particular emphasis on housing.  Applicants to the Awards should contact Jennie Devlin at the Energy Saving Trust on 0131 555 7900.
Press release ~ ScotGov - Housing ~ Energy Saving Trust - Scotland ~ Sustainable Development Commission Scotland
 
MonitorMonitor, the independent regulator of NHS foundation trusts has recently confirmed that Sandwell Mental Health & Social Care NHS Foundation Trust was authorised from 1 February 2009. The announcement means there are now 114 NHS foundation trusts in total, of which 32 are mental health NHS foundation trusts.
Press release ~ Monitor ~ 'Developing an NHS Performance Regime' ~ Foundation Trust Network
 
TfL: Work began last weekend on a £326m upgrade of Transport for London’s (TfL) Overground network.  When complete, passengers will see longer trains, more frequent services and benefit from reliable connections to the main London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Park in Stratford.
 
London Overground will run up to 8 trains an hour during peak times on parts of the network when the upgrade is complete, double the current number and with a more reliable timetable for those trains.  New & longer platforms at some stations will also allow more carriages per train, which will increase capacity and reduce overcrowding.  Work has been fast-tracked to ensure completion before 2012.
Press release ~ Network Rail ~ Olympic Delivery Authority – Transport Plan ~ TfL ~ Going for Gold: Transport for London's 2012 Olympic Games
 
DECC: Consent has been granted for 3 new gas fired power stations capable of providing approximately 4m homes with electricity to be constructed at Pembroke, King's Lynn and Hatfield. The approvals are subject to the design of each power station including the capacity to extract high pressure steam to supply nearby industries, should the demand materialise.
 
Consent was also given to build a second phase at Hatfield consisting of an integrated coal gasification combined cycle power station, which will use coal to produce hydrogen to fuel the station. As part of the phase two process of producing the gas, the company has applied to capture and remove the carbon.  This might involve piping it off-shore for long-term storage and possibly using a small volume for commercial purposes.
Press release ~ DECC
 
STFC: Know a young scientist who is a gifted presenter? The Award Lectures are prestigious awards presented to young scientists who are particularly gifted at presenting their research to a non-specialist audience. The selected Award Lecturers will be invited to present at the British Science Festival, in Surrey between 5 - 10 September 2009.  Deadline for nominations is 27 February 2009.
 
The British Science Festival attracts tens of thousands of people and generates thousands of column inches in the national, regional and international press.  The Award Lectures tend to receive excellent publicity and are also a very popular component of the programme among a wide audience.  
Press release ~ British Science Festival - Award Lectures ~ Science and Technology Facilities Council ~ RCUK
 
MoJ: Nottingham residents are being urged to have their say about local & global issues by Justice Secretary Jack Straw, who opened Nottingham's permanent Speakers' Corner last week on the edge of Nottingham's historic Market Square (junction of King Street & Queen Street).
 
The project, run by the Nottingham Speakers' Corner Committee, follows on from a highly successful Speakers' Corner Trust pilot in the city, which was sponsored by the Ministry of Justice's Innovation Fund.  Nottingham's Speakers' Corner - thought to be only the second permanent Speakers' Corner in the UK - will be used to promote democratic engagement and public discussion.
Press release ~ Speakers' Corner Trust ~ Nottingham Speakers' Corner ~ Ministry of Justice's Innovation Fund ~ Hyde Park Speakers' Corner
 
MoD: Traditional biscuits brown and corned beef hash are to be replaced with new products in ration packs distributed to front-line troops this summer. The forces will ‘feast’ on more suitable pasta lunchtime pouches, cookies and energy bars that replace some of the more traditional components of ration packs. The MCR trial will also include the introduction of 20 new menus for general use, plus six new menus for vegetarian, Halal, and Sikh/Hindu dietary requirements.
 
Over 300,000 of the new 24-hour Multi-Climate Rations (MCR) will roll off Vestey Food's UK production line to be trialled by deployed troops.  The MCR trial will run from May - October 2009 and follow on from the Hot Climate supplements currently in-theatre from May this year
Press release ~ Defence Food Services project team
 
Defra: Defra has added its approval to that of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Department of Health's Gene Therapy Advisory Committee to allow MedImmune Inc to conduct a research trial for a GM vaccine against two respiratory tract infections, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and Parainfluenza Virus Type 3
 
Last year the arrangements for the clinical trial were approved by the MHRA and the ethical aspects were approved by the Department of Health's Gene Therapy Advisory Committee. However, before the trial could proceed, approval was required from Defra for the release of the live GMO into the environment.
Press release ~ Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) ~ Department of Health's Gene Therapy Advisory Committee ~ Advice from Advisory Committee of Releases to the Environment (ACRE)
 
OS: Contracts for supplying a range of geographic information to central government for the next 4 years have been awarded to Ordnance Survey and its business partner, Landmark. The Pan Government Agreement (PGA), managed by the Department for Communities and Local Government, provides almost 100 national bodies with access to core geographic information at an affordable price and under consistent licensing terms.
 
PGA data supports a diverse range of applications, including monitoring agricultural payments, planning the digital television switch over, estate management and habitat mapping.
Press release ~ Pan Government Agreement ~ Ordnance Survey ~ Dotted Eyes
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