General News

TfL: Commuters will be able to enjoy free WiFi at Tube stations for the rest of the year.  Virgin Media, which launched WiFi on the Underground in June 2012, announced the extension following the service's busiest day, where it received more than 1m web visits in 24 hours. Originally intended to be free for the summer only, the popular service is now available at 72 Tube stations, including Waterloo, Victoria, King's Cross St. Pancras and Oxford Circus.
Press release & links
 
CABOver 6m children in Britain have parents who are worried they won’t be able to afford their next energy bill.  And almost half of parents said they would cut back on their food shopping to pay for other household bills. This year Santa's purse strings have also tightened as1 in 2 parents say they'll spend less this Christmas.
 
So says Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland as they urged families & households across the country to save money on their fuel bills during Big Energy Saving Week: 22-27 October by checking they are on the best deal & cheapest way to pay, using less energy and keeping the heat in through insulation.
 
Citizens Advice are calling on people to 'check, switch & insulate' to make sure that they are making the biggest possible saving.  They also warned people not to wait until plans from Ofgem or the Government to sort our energy bills are rolled out as they won’t help to cut their bills this winter.
Press release & links
 
Defra: Wildlife around the world now has even greater protection thanks to an agreement reached at the Convention on Biological Diversity in Hyderabad, India. Countries from across the globe agreed to double the resources allocated to halting the decline in animal & plant species globally by 2020.
Press release ~ Convention on Biological Diversity in Hyderabad
 
FSAHome Farm Speciality Foods is withdrawing various savoury sauce products  because of inconsistent allergen information provided on the labels.  If you have an allergy or sensitivity to celery, sulphites or wheat, do not eat these products.  The Food Standards Agency has issued an Allergy Alert. .
Press release & links
 
FSANisa Retail Ltd has recalled a batch of its own-brand Heritage Digestive Biscuits, because some of the packs might contain pieces of metal. The Food Standards Agency has issued a Product Recall Information Notice. .
Press release & links
 
TfLTransport for London (TfL) has launched its latest campaign to reduce the number of teen casualties.  Posters across London, social media messages and an online game 'Stop.Think.Win' urge teens to look out for traffic when using the road.  In the game, players must avoid traffic as they navigate themselves and lead a group of friends on a walk across a city.
Press release & links
 
NE: The Government has announced that, at the request of the NFU, it has postponed badger control operations in the pilot areas of West Somerset and West Gloucestershire to Summer 2013.
Press release & links ~ WAG: Environment Minister announces programme of badger vaccination
 
STFC: Scientists have developed a way to produce 3D breast cancer scans with a spatial resolution 2 to 3 times higher, but with a radiation dose 25 times lower, than current hospital scanners.  The capacity for breast tissue to deal with radiation is one of the main obstacles for conventional CT (or computed tomography) scans.  In addition current scans are 2D, rather than 3D.
Press release & links
 
TfL: In 2013 London Underground (LU), the world's first underground railway, will celebrate 150 years since the very first Tube journey took place between Paddington & Farringdon on the Metropolitan Railway.  To mark this occasion, LU - working in partnership with London Transport Museum - will be organising a huge range of events & activities during the rest of this year and throughout 2013.
Press release & links
 
MonitorMonitor has found Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in significant breach due to its persistent failure to meet its A&E 4 hour target and concerns about its Board governance & financial performance.
Press release & links
 
TfLElectric vehicle owners who are members of Source London or Source East can now roam between the Capital and the east of England secure in the knowledge they will be able to charge their vehicles across both schemes. An agreement between electric vehicle charging the 2 networks means that members of both schemes will be able to use the other's charge points free of charge and have access to around 940 charge points.
Press release & links
 
OFT: The OFT has written to 29,500 state primary & secondary schools in the UK asking them to review their uniform policies as families could save tens of millions of pounds if schools removed restrictions. This follows an OFT survey of state schools across the UK which found that when uniform items can only be purchased from certain retailers or suppliers selected by the school or from the school shop, prices can be as much as £5 to £10 higher than if families were able to freely shop around.
Press release & links
 
ICO: The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is reminding organisations that sensitive personal information should be encrypted when being stored & sent electronically.  
 
The news comes as Stoke-on-Trent City Council receives a monetary penalty of £120,000 following a serious breach of the Data Protection Act that led to sensitive information about a child protection legal case being emailed to the wrong person
Press release & links
 
NHS Confed: Mike Farrar, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, has called for more investment in primary healthcare & community services and urged a move away from dependence on hospital-based care.
Press release
 
NHS Confed: Mike Farrar, chief executive of the NHS Confederation has responded to a report on maternity care by the NHS Litigation Authority.
Press release ~ Ten Years of Maternity Claims: An Analysis of NHS Litigation Authority Data,
 
RoSPA: The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents has appointed a head of international operations to link up with organisations & government departments in the Arabian Gulf region and drive forward health & safety on the roads, at work & in the home. Key target areas will include occupational safety and road safety training with driver & fleet services for private companies, training enterprises and the government sector.
Press release & links
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