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General News
ScotGov: Promising opening discussions with the US over the long-standing import ban on authentic Scottish haggis have led to renewed hopes that Americans & expat Scots will soon be enjoying the national dish. Imports of Scotland's iconic dish have been banned in America for almost 40 years and the move to allow its import into the US has been backed by organisations, such as renowned haggis maker Macsween.
FCO: A survey carried out by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office has shown that over 80% of students are unaware of the recruitment process which could lead them to successful career opportunities within the European Union Civil service, especially asjust under half of the UK nationals employed will be retiring in the next 10 years.
Encouragingly, the professional expertise of UK nationals and English language skills are highly sought after. The FO is working with partners in academia & beyond to spread the word about the job opportunities available in the EU for bright graduates with French or German language skills.
HL: Jenny Edwards, Homeless Link's Chief Executive, has commented on front page story in the Standard on
homeless men sleeping in dustbins reported on Monday 17 January 2011:
EH: All 7 Historic Environment Managers have succeeded in securing employment after completing English Heritage's Historic Environment Traineeship (HET) Scheme, set up to boost the next generation of heritage professionals.
FSA: Tesco is recalling all of its own-brand Chocolate Delight No Added Sugar (49g) and Instant Custard Mix (74g), because some packets of the products contain small pieces of metal. The Food Standards Agency has issued a Product Recall Information Notice.
Press release ~ Tesco Stores Ltd recalls all of its own brand Chocolate Delight and Instant Custard Mix due to possible contamination with metal
FSA: Aytac Foods has withdrawn packs of its Dried Apricots and Golden Jumbo Raisins with a ‘best before end’ date up to & including December 2011, because the products contain sulphur dioxide, which is not mentioned the product labels. The Food Standards Agency has issued an Allergy Alert.
Press release ~ Aytac Foods Ltd withdraws certain batch codes of dried apricots and golden jumbo raisins due to incorrect labelling information
FSA: Hovis has withdrawn some of its own-brand pancakes because they contain egg, which is not mentioned in the allergy advice box on the label. The Food Standards Agency has issued an Allergy Alert advising anyone with an allergy or intolerance to egg to not eat this product.
Press release ~ Hovis withdraws certain date codes of own-brand Pancakes due to incomplete allergen labelling of egg
FSA: Sainsbury’s is recalling its own-brand French Raclette Slices with a ‘use by’ date of 23 January 2012, because the product has been labelled with the incorrect use by date. The correct use by date is 23 January 2011. The Food Standards Agency has issued a Product Recall Information Notice.
Press release ~ Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd recalls one date code of its own-brand Raclette Slices due to incorrect date coding
BHF: New research says a stress management programme could help heart patients avoid further cardiac incidents after scientists studied the health of people who had just been diagnosed with heart disease. They found that patients who took part in a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) course had a 41% lower risk of having a fatal or non-fatal cardiac incident.
MoD: In a stark diversion from his traditional role, a Company Sergeant Major in Helmand is helping his unit to talk through any problems they may have and overcome any mental health issues. He operates the TRiM (Trauma Risk Management) system which teaches soldiers to spot signs of mental distress in their colleagues.
The aim is to encourage troops to talk about their problems and seek help at the earliest stage from the team of community psychiatric nurses and consultant psychiatrists who are on hand in Afghanistan to provide any care & treatment needed.
Newswire – RoSPA: Faulty electric blankets are putting too many people across Northern Ireland at risk of injury & fire, say accident prevention campaigners following a series of safety events. Nearly 75% of electric blankets tested by Home Accident Prevention groups failed safety checks. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) is urging all electric blanket owners to have their blankets serviced regularly.
Directgov: A scheme that provides funding for Second World War veterans, their spouses, widows & carers to return to the places where they saw action has been extended for another year. So if you would like to make a commemorative trip in 2011, you have until 31 January 2012 to apply for funding.
NA: Old Money, a new mobile phone application which uses records from The National Archives to convert old money into present day values, is now available to download (compatible with iPhone, iPad & iPod Touch). The application uses historic price data from documents held at NA to see what a sum of money from the past would be worth today and the spending power it would have commanded at the time.
MoD: A new group has recently been set up to make sure that Defence tackles any criminal activity that is targeted against the supply of equipment & support to the military. The Defence Crime Board will align & focus the investigation of crime, the Department's prevention & deterrence initiatives and the recovery of stolen assets & monies defrauded across all of the MOD & the Armed Forces.
FSA: The Food Standards Agency and the Medical Research Council (MRC) have announced a joint call for research to help improve understanding of the biological mechanisms that cause food allergies. Food allergy is a common & important disease, affecting up to 2% of adults and between 5% & 8% of children in the UK. Symptoms vary but can be severe and result in anaphylaxis and (occasionally) death. The deadline for applications is May 2011.
TfL: More than 50 free London walks led by trained guides took place on Saturday 29 & Sunday 30 January.
The walks known as Winter Wanders are 1 of 3 annual guided walking weekends (organised by Walk London & supported by Transport for London) and are held on the last weekend in January of each year - the other 2 are Autumn Ambles (September) and Spring into Summer (May).
ESRC: ‘Straight to the point, easy navigation, dynamic research content on the most important topics facing society today’ are just some of the new features of the Economic and Social Research Council’s (ESRC) web portal, launched last week. The new website will be the first port of call for anyone interested in the UK’s society & economy.
Through the new 'research topics' section visitors will have access to topical features, case studies, informed debate and expert opinion on a range of topics including climate change, ageing, employment and crime.
CFEB: The Consumer Financial Education Bodyresearch finds that over half of UK adults have resolved to get 'money fit' in 2011, whilst 40% don't plan to exercise their 'money muscles' at all. The CFEB Money Workout campaign is designed to help people get their money into shape, minus the slog in a sweaty gym, with a simple 3-step approach - set a money goal; give your money a workout; stay on the right track.
BHF: The Government has published its plans to reform how & what children are taught in schools in England. The Education Bill sets out changes to the way that pupils will be tested, teacher training and how schools are funded. The British Heart Foundation would like to see all children taught emergency life-saving skills. The BHF Heartstart programme works in partnership with local volunteer groups, the ambulance service and other organisations to teach people in communities including schools emergency life support skills.
