General News

FSAHarrods is recalling Rose Prince mincemeat & mince pies because the products contain various allergens which are not listed on the label. If you are allergic to or intolerant of wheat (gluten), nuts, milk or eggs, do not eat these products. The Food Standards Agency has issued an Allergy Alert..
Press release ~ FSA
 
FSAHarrods is recalling certain date codes of Leonidas Fresh Belgian Chocolates because the products contain allergens that are not declared in the ingredients list.   If you are allergic to or have an intolerance of wheat (gluten), nuts, milk or egg, do not eat this product. The Food Standards Agency has issued an Allergy Alert.
Press release & links
 
MoD; The Army has brought in bestselling novelist & former Special Air Service (SAS) soldier Andy McNab to kick-start a new scheme designed to help soldiers to develop their literacy & numeracy skills.  This comes as recent Government figures show that 15% of the working age population in England are at or below the literacy level expected of an 11-year-old.

The scheme, which is known as the 'Six Book Challenge', will be trialled in the North of England, Germany and Cyprus.  If successful, it will be opened up to the wider Army.
Press release& links
 
TNA: The latest version of Discovery, The National Archives’ new catalogue, is now available so you can search their collections more easily.
Press release & links
 
ScotGov: A new course to train more lip-reading tutors and provide wider access to crucial communication support for people with a hearing loss has begun. 14 students are among the first wave of lip-reading tutors who will complete a 9 month course run by the Scottish Course to Train Tutors of Lip-reading. It is estimated that 850,000 people in Scotland are affected by some degree of hearing loss.
Press release ~ Scottish Course to Train Tutors of Lip-reading
 
EHWar Memorials Online brings together for the first time information on the UK’s war memorials held by the leading experts, providing a snapshot of war memorials across the country.  It will also provide an unprecedented opportunity for the public to upload images of war memorials and log concerns for the conservation of these important community and historical sources for future generations.
Press release
 
MoD: The Medical Assessment Programme (MAP) - a veteran's mental health service - is moving from London to the Department of Community Mental Health Chilwell, in Nottingham, and has been renamed the Veterans & Reserves Mental Health Programme (VRMHP).
Press release & links
 
WAGCredit Union members across North Wales can now bank securely online thanks to a new website launched by North Wales Credit Union. The website, created with £7,000 in funding support from the Welsh Government’s Communities 2.0 digital inclusion project, offers round the clock access for Credit Union current account customers who wish to manage their money online.
Press release & links
 
OFT: Consumers should not feel obliged to buy products or services just because they invited a doorstep trader into their home, the OFT has urged as part of its doorstep selling campaign. The renewed campaign, which coincides with National Consumer Week, is reminding people that high pressure sales tactics can be illegal and that they do not need to sign or buy anything on the spot
Press release & links
 
ACEArts Council England has opened a commissioned grant application for one organisation to deliver a small grants scheme for early to mid-career musicians in the contemporary popular sector.   They are aware that changes to the recording industry, particularly following the development of digital technology, mean that investment in talent development is more limited than it once was.
 
They are therefore investing £500,000 from April 2013 until March 2015 to pilot this scheme, which will provide support to the most distinctive emerging artists to develop their potential in the commercial music industry.
Press release & links
 
MoD4 new Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) tankers, which will be bought as part of the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) programme, will be called the Tide Class.   The 37,000-tonne ships will come into service from 2016 to replace the RFA's single-hulled tankers, and will maintain the Royal Navy's dedicated bulk fuel replenishment at sea capabilities.
Press release & links
 
ACEArts Council England has announced the 22 projects that will share approximately £55,000 to test automatic library membership for children & young people. It is hoped these projects will lead to an increase in children, young people & families using their local libraries and stimulate more reading for pleasure.
Press release & links
 
TfL: Londoners can now check on Crossrail's tunnelling & construction progress using a new, online mapping tool. The 'near you' tool overlays the rail line's route & construction sites onto a map of the city.  Viewers can zoom in to see where the tunnelling machines are, which sections are complete, and which areas are next.
Press release & links
 
MoD: With the centenary of the First World War just 18 months away, the RAF Museum is asking members of the public what objects from its archives they would like to see on display to explain the role of aviation in this momentous event.
Press release & links
 
HOFind out which candidates have been elected as the first police & crime commissioners across the 41 police force areas where elections took place.
Press release & links
 
DH: The first Mandate between the Government & the NHS Commissioning Board, setting out the ambitions for the health service for the next 2 years, has been published. The Mandate reaffirms the Government’s commitment to an NHS that remains comprehensive & universal – available to all, based on clinical need and not ability to pay – and that is able to meet patients’ needs and expectations now and in the future.
The NHS Mandate is structured around 5 key areas where the Government expects the NHS Commissioning Board to make improvements:
* preventing people from dying prematurely
* enhancing quality of life for people with long-term conditions
* helping people to recover from episodes of ill health or following injury
* ensuring that people have a positive experience of care
* treating & caring for people in a safe environment and protecting them from avoidable harm
Press release & links ~ The King's Fund responds to the NHS Commissioning Board Mandate ~ NHS Confederation - We need more stability from the top and more freedom for the frontline
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