General News

CRUK: Men treated with radiotherapy as well as hormone therapy for advanced prostate cancer were 43% less likely to die from the disease, according to trial results presented at the 2010 NCRI Cancer Conference in Liverpool.
Press release ~ Conference Abstract ~ Prostate cancer ~ Treatment ~ Hormone therapy ~ Radiotherapy ~ Medical Research Council
 
WAO: During his first week in office, the new Auditor General for Wales has set out his plans to improve the way the Wales Audit Office demonstrates accountability, transparency & open management.  His recommendations for new governance arrangements are contained in a briefing paper.
Press release ~ Role of the Auditor General for Wales
 
SCUK: The International Space Science Institute (ISSI) has announced an opportunity for a post-doctoral position in space science at its facility in Bern, Switzerland.  Closing date for applications is 15 December 2010.
Press release ~ Application information
 
STFC: UK scientists working on the Large Hadron Collider's (LHC) 'ALICE' experiment at CERN are celebrating the LHC's latest achievement which opens up an entirely new avenue of exploration.  

The successful collision of lead ions in the accelerator at record energies allows matter to be probed as it would have been in the first moments of the Universe's existence. This new phase of the LHC's programme comes after 7 months of successfully colliding protons at high energies.
Press release ~ Lead nuclei ~ Protons ~ Large Hadron Collider's (LHC) 'ALICE' experiment ~ CERN ~ STFC
 
Newswire – CBI: The CBI has launched a new awards programme, the ‘CBI People Awards’, to recognise those organisations that have successfully adapted to change, while maintaining high-quality employee relations.  Nominations are now being invited from UK companies and public-sector organisations across seven categories. The deadline for entries is 8 December 2010.
Press release ~ CBI People Awards
 
EA: The Environment Agency are making changes to their flood warning service.  The changes are intended to make their service easier to understand and help you respond in a flood. They will make these changes on 30 November 2010 - but if there is a risk of flooding at this time they may need to postpone to a slightly later date.
Press release ~ New flood warning codes ~ Register to receive free flood warnings ~ View current flood warnings in force ~ River and sea levels on the Internet
 
FSASainsbury’s has recalled its own-brand Cous Cous (500g) with a ‘best before’ date of July 2012, because the product contains small pieces of metal.  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 Cous Cous due to contamination with small pieces of metal ~ Sainsbury's
 
FSANatural Balance Foods has withdrawn its Nakd Cashew Cookie bar with a best before’ date of 2 March 2011, because the product contains trace amounts of peanuts that are not mentioned on the label, which makes the product a possible health risk for anyone with a peanut allergy.  The Food Standards Agency has issued an Allergy Alert.
Press release ~ Natural Balance Foods Ltd withdraws a certain batch of Nakd cashew cookie bar due to possible nut inclusion ~ Allergy UK ~ Anaphylaxis Campaign ~ Natural Balance Foods Ltd ~ Food allergy and intolerance
 
FSAgranoVita UK Ltd is recalling more of its Nut Luncheon, because of spoilage & possible microbiological contamination.  Products with ‘best before’ dates of 28 June 2013, 20 July 2013 and 13 September 2013are being recalled. The Food Standards Agency has issued an updated Product Recall Information Notice.
Press release ~ granoVita UK Ltd recalls a batch of granoVita Nut Luncheon due to spoilage and possible microbiological contamination ~ granoVita UK Ltd recalls granoVita Nut Luncheon due to spoilage and possible microbiological contamination
 
HO: A project that led to the closure of 25 brothels & crack houses and visibly reduced prostitution in 2 residential areas of Northampton has won the national Tilley Award 2010.  Operation Uncanny beat 10 regional finalists to take first place after introducing a number of innovative measures to tackle the problem.
Press release ~ Tilley Award Finalists
 
CWGC: The Commonwealth War Graves Commission last week signed a historic Charter of Agreement with the Flemish Government, which sets out proposals for the two parties to work more closely together in the run up to the centennial commemorations of the First World War in Flanders from 2014 - 2018.
 
These are designed to encourage greater numbers of visitors to the many war cemeteries & memorials; to provide additional interpretation for those visitors; and to construct a new Commonwealth War Graves Commission visitor & headstone engraving centre in Flanders.  It is proposed the new centre will be operational in time for the centennial commemorations of the First World War.
Press release ~ www.cwgc.org
 
CQC: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has identified a series of breaches in essential standards of quality & safety by Penn Hospital in Wolverhampton.  A report highlights 10 areas of concern, which CQC says Wolverhampton City Primary Care Trust must address. The review follows concerns raised by Mental Health Act Commissioners following their programme of unannounced visits to the hospital.
Press release ~ Review of compliance on Wolverhampton City Primary Care Trust
 
FDA: The FDA has welcomed the Cabinet Secretary dispelling the ‘tired old caricatures’ of civil servants as "featherbedded pen-pushing bureaucrats...on Premiership footballer-style salaries". 
Press release ~ Cabinet secretary slams 'absurd' misrepresentation of civil servants
 
CLG: A new mapping service to help make geography lessons more interactive & fun has been launched at a London school by Baroness Hanham and Ordnance Survey'Digimap for Schools' will give pupils across the country easy access to detailed digital mapping.  

The new service will include access to the best Ordnance Survey's mapping available for Great Britain.  The OS believe digital maps can help bring the subject to life and assist teachers to nurture & foster learning about the environment and location in which we live.
Press release ~ Digimap for Schools ~ MapZone ~ JISC Collections for Schools
 
DCMS: The Extraordinary Heroes exhibition at the Lord Ashcroft Gallery opened last week at the Imperial War Museum London.  The exhibition houses the world’s largest collection of Victoria Crosses (VCs), built up by Lord Ashcroft since 1986.  The 164 awards, which range from the Crimean to the Falklands wars, will go on public display for the first time alongside 48 VCs and 31 George Crosses (GCs) already held by the Museum.
Press release ~ VC ~ GC ~ Imperial War Museum London
Free, Secure, Compliant UK Public Sector IT Recycling Service