General News

WAG: The First Minister of Wales is using the People's Collection website to solve a family mystery as he adds items from his own personal collection to the national digital treasure trove of over 24,000 items that tells the story of Wales and its past through its people.
Press release
 
CEOP: Details of the 22nd convicted missing child sex offender to be published on the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre’s Most Wanted website have been released recently. Jason TRASK, 63 and a UK national, was last known to have been living in Holland, but has since returned to the UK.  He has links to Bradford, Huddersfield, Woolwich, Greenwich, Medway, Maidstone and Canterbury.
Press release
 
Ofgem: Ofgem proposes sweeping away complex & unfair pricing practices. Ofgem’s review found that competition is being stifled by a combination of tariff complexity, poor supplier behaviour and lack of transparency.  

Further, the degree of influence the big six assert on the retail market has not diminished since Ofgem’s 2008 probe.  The clearest example, being the finding that for the first time there is evidence that the Big Six have adjusted prices in response to rising costs more quickly than they reduced them when costs fell.
Press release ~ The Retail Market Review - Findings and initial proposals ~ DECC press release
 
EH: New isotope analysis & forensic facial reconstruction undertaken by a team led by English Heritage has shed new light on the doomed 1845 British voyage of Arctic exploration led by Sir John Franklin, in which all 129 people on board perished.  Analysis of the only surviving complete skeleton has offered new clues as to why the expedition was lost, a mystery that has sparked debate ever since.
Press release
 
ippr: A ground-breaking joint initiative between the Global Climate Network's (GCN) Nigerian member organisation and the country's Industry & Commerce Ministry will lead to an industrial strategy to promote low-carbon development in Nigeria, it was announced recently.
 
The initiative was launched during a high-level event organised by the International Centre for Energy, Environment and Development (ICEED-Nigeria) in Abuja, the first in 6 different countries, resulting from a study by the GCN to identify the key elements of such a strategy.
Press release
 
STFC: A brand new run of experiments is underway at STFC's ISIS neutron source, from looking at ways of developing new antibiotics, through creating more effective materials in dentistry, to research that could in the future lead to improving the efficiency of electricity transfer in the national grid.
 
ISIS, a set of 'super-microscopes' that allows us to understand the world around us at the atomic level, is back online after a 6 month shutdown period for planned maintenance work.  ISIS users include universities & industry as well as STFC's own scientists and engineers.
Press release
 
DFID: Special flood-resistant rice can breathe under water for up to two weeks, giving it protection during the monsoon season.  It will potentially benefit 18m farming households in Asia – providing them with valuable protection during the monsoon season.
 
The grain – known as scuba rice – has a flood-resistant gene and survives by extending its leaves & stems above the water's surface to escape drowning. It was developed by the International Rice Research Institute, and funded by the Department for International Development.  It was named the most effective eco-initiative by a Government or Statutory Body at the Climate Week Awards recently.
 
The rice will save millions of lives as rising sea levels & storms are forecast to cause a 15% drop in rice production in developing countries.  In a trial in Bangladesh, 95% of scuba plants recovered after flooding compared to just 12% for a traditional variety.  Also the sowing of scuba seeds could produce an additional 1m tonnes of paddy annually, making the country more food secure and creating export potential
Press release ~ Sowing the seeds of scuba rice ~ Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)
 
DCMS: From the very north of Scotland to the garden of England in Kent, a total of 11 sites across the UK & its overseas territories will form the new UK tentative list for potential nomination for world heritage status.
Press release
 
FSANatco Foods has withdrawn two batches of curried chick peas because the product contains mustard, which is not mentioned on the label.  This makes the product a possible health risk for anyone who is sensitive to mustard.  The Food Standards Agency has issued an Allergy Alert.
Press release
 
FSADairy Crest has recalled one batch of its FRijj Thick and Fresh Strawberry Milkshake because it contains low levels of listeria.  The Food Standards Agency has issued a Product Recall Information Notice.
Press release
 
FSA: The Food Standards Agency is working with port health authorities and other Government departments to ensure that food imports from Japan, mainly fish & shellfish, are screened for the presence of radioactive material. Only 0.1% of food imports received by the UK come from Japan, but any food that is found to have levels of radiation above the legal limits will be prevented from entering the country. 
Press release
 
Newswire – HPAWorld TB Day on 24h March 2011 commemorated the day in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch discovered the tubercle bacillus, the cause of tuberculosis. Over 9m new cases of TB (& nearly 2m deaths from TB) are estimated to occur around the world every year.  

TB kills more people than any other curable infectious diseases.  The World Health Organization declared TB a global emergency in 1993.  TB is curable with a combination of specific antibiotics, but treatment must be continued for at least 6 months. 
Around 9,000 cases of TB are currently reported each year in the UK.  Most cases occur in major cities, particularly in London.  TB is currently at the highest levels since the 1970s
Press release
 
CLG: Everyone will have the chance to become a part of London's history after the 2012 Olympic Games in a competition for the public to name the 5 neighbourhoods in the future Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The 'Your Park, Your Place' competition is asking the public to suggest names that reflect the history & character of the Park, from its recent past as a manufacturing centre to its aspirations for the future.
 
Entries that inspire a sense of local character & history will give the local community a real sense of ownership over the Park. People have 8 weeks to make their suggestions to the Olympic Park Legacy Company.
Press release
 
Newswire – RoSPA: With the UK having put its clocks forward last weekend, RoSPA is urging people to back its daylight saving campaign online - so that evenings stay lighter for longer all year round.   For decades, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents has been at the forefront of a crusade to give the UK an extra hour of evening daylight - citing research that shows brighter nights would save 80 lives and prevent more than 200 serious injuries on our roads each year.  
 
The initiative has generated powerful momentum in recent months, winning the backing of tens of thousands of people & organisations through 10:10’s Lighter Later coalition - of which RoSPA is a member.  
Press release
 
HO: A national search for the most innovative crime fighting projects has been launched. The Tilley Awards, now in their 13th year, recognise crime fighting projects where police, community safety groups and the public work together to tackle problems identified by their local communities.  There is a £2,000 prize for the winning project.
 
Projects designed to tackle anti-social behaviour, violence against women & girls, burglary, drug & alcohol related crime, criminal damage and arson have until 13 June 2011 to submit their entries. Projects that have used community activism, 'designing out' crime techniques, have been led by non-police agencies and projects that have tackled seasonal crime, must submit entries by 5 September 2011.
Press release
 
DfE: The first ever Church School Awards were held in London on 24 March 2011.
Press release
 
Ofsted: Ofsted has launched a report addressing the challenges schools must face up to if they are to modernise the design & technology (D&T) curriculum and help it keep pace with global technological developments.
 
The report identifies a lack of subject-specific training for teachers that is undermining efforts to develop pupils’ knowledge & skills.  Too many teachers are failing to keep pace with technological developments or expand on their initial training sufficiently to enable them to teach the technically demanding aspects of the curriculum.  This often results in an out-dated curriculum in the later years of primary schools and early years of secondary school.
Press release
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