Caretaker Greek Prime Minister Panagiotis Pikrammenos speaks during a press conference after a meeting of European Union leaders in Brussels early on May 24, 2012. (John Thys/AFP/GettyImages)

Suspect statistics from Greece were overlooked by European Union officials when negotiating Greece’s entry for the single currency in 2002, according to The Federation of European Employers (FedEE).

A statement by the think tank servicing multinational companies operating in Europe questions who is to blame for taxpayers around the world having to pay 240 billion euros for the blunder.

The FedEE dusted off an EU report published in November 2004 by the EU statistics office (Eurostat) in Luxembourg. “This report charts the frustrated efforts of EU statisticians over an 8-year period to persuade the Greek government to provide honest and accurate statistics,” writes the FedEE.

Questions were first raised about the accuracy of Greece’s debt assumptions during meetings on February 8–9, 2006, according to the statement.

“Inconsistencies in the interpretation of capital transfers as a counterpart to various items of debt assumptions” were pointed out in a letter by the director general of Eurostat to the National Statistical Service of Greece. The letter went on to say that “Eurostat could not agree with the exclusion of the counterpart transaction from the net borrowing requirement of the General Government Sector”.

From that time, the Greek Statistical Service would apparently conform to EU requests, but later falsify the figures. In 1997, the EU instructed that “these corrections should be done immediately” and “In spite of this conclusion, Greece did not revise its figures and did not transmit a revised notification,” the records showed.

The FedEE statement said that it would have been well known by EU officials and politicians that the statistics on government debt that Greece provided for the requirements of entry into the euro, in November 2000, could not be trusted.

The pattern of number fudging repeated itself with disastrous results in 2009. In October that year, just after Greece’s new finance minister, George Papakonstantinou, took office he announced that the government debt was three times higher than his predecessors had let on—12.8 per cent instead of 3.6 per cent. Six months later, further calculations put the debt at a staggering 13.6 per cent.

These figures set off the international alarm bells about Greece’s fiscal situation.

In January 2010, Eurostat stated that it would no longer trust data from Athens after seeing irregularities five times between 2005 and 2009.

“Even the new Greek prime minister, George Papandreou, referred to the National Statistical Service of Greece as a ‘joke’,” said Kevin Featherstone, professor at the London School of Economics and director of the Hellenic Observatory in the European Institute, at a lecture in June 2010.

The statistics agency was subsequently made independent of the government as a condition of the bail-out package in 2010.

The secretary-general of the FedEE, Robin Chater, wanted to know why no one has been held responsible for allowing Greece to join the eurozone in the first place.

“Although politicians are quick to point the finger at corporate misdoings they are strangely silent when it is politician themselves—and their officials—that are in error,” said Chater in the statement.

Chater says two individuals are most to blame: Jacques Delors, former president of the European Commission, who laid the foundation for the European single market; and his successor Jacques Santer, who now heads the Special Purpose Investment Vehicle (SPIV), a mechanism formed to fund bailouts through the eurozone rescue fund.

“Another case of putting the poacher in charge of the pheasants,” says Chater.

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Alex Salmond, Scotland’s First Minister and leader of the Scottish National Party, attends the Yes campaign launch with campaign supporters on May 25, 2012, in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

The campaign for a Yes vote for Scottish independence was launched with much glitz, hype, and celebrity endorsement at an Edinburgh cinema on May 25, including that of actor Sean Connery and poet Liz Lochead.

Rousing Scottish music and poetry was the order of the day, as a number of minority parties, most notably the Greens, joined forces with the Scottish National Party in the campaign to overturn the 305-year-old Act of Union that binds Britain together. The referendum will take place in autumn 2014.

Alex Salmond, the SNP leader and First Minister, was the first to sign what aspires to be a million-strong declaration for independence. He insists there is a momentum towards independence and claims that the issue is about self determination. He said at the launch, “The people who live in Scotland are best placed to make the decisions that affect Scotland.”

However, a YouGov poll published the day before the big launch showed that 57 per cent of respondents said they would vote against independence, while 33 per cent said they would support it.

It also showed that of the voters who backed the SNP in the 2011 Scottish elections, only 58 per cent support independence.

Brushing this aside, Angus Robertson, the SNP’s campaign director, said: “The referendum isn’t happening tomorrow, as the poll tries to pretend.

“Today is the start of the biggest community-based campaign in Scotland’s history, offering a positive, inclusive vision of Scotland’s future as an independent nation – and we are extremely confident of winning the trust of the people and achieving a yes vote in autumn 2014.”

The cross party anti-independence campaign is also due to launch soon. Michael Moore, the UK government’s Scottish Secretary, told the BBC’s Sunday Politics programme in Scotland: “We’ve got the biggest decision in 300 years facing all of us who live here in Scotland. I think that this will basically come down to a simple proposition – that we are stronger as part of the United Kingdom and weaker apart.”

Given the current crisis in the eurozone, the SNP’s position is that an independent Scotland would retain sterling as its currency and only consider a referendum to join the eurozone at some future date.

However, many commentators claim that keeping the pound would undermine claims for independence.

On his website, former Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling, who is strongly opposed to independence, claims that keeping the pound means “the country would need to play by the rules set from outside”, as it would be subject to currency controls by the Bank of England.

Independence would make no real sense as “the country would still be in an economic union with the rest of the United Kingdom”.

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A reconstruction of Ichthyostega in the State Museum of Natural History, Stuttgart, Germany. Models showing the tetrapod as a salamander-like creature are no longer correct, according to new British research. (Dr. Günter Bechly/Wikimedia Commons)

The first animal thought to have walked on land actually just dragged itself along like a mudskipper, according to new UK research published in Nature on May 23.

Using scans of fossils of the 360-million-year old tetrapod Ichthyostega, researchers from The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) in London and University of Cambridge created a digital 3-D model of the animal’s skeleton.

Ichthyostega was about 1.5 meters long (about 5 feet long), with four limbs and a finned tail. It inhabited what is now Greenland during the Late Devonian period. First discovered in the 1930s, Ichthyostega became an iconic fossil for representing the supposed “missing link” between fish and land animals.

“Our reconstruction demonstrates that the old idea, often seen in popular books and museum displays, of Ichthyostega looking and walking like a large salamander, with four sturdy legs, is incorrect,” said study co-author Jennifer Clack of the University of Cambridge in a press release.

Using the model to investigate the range of joint movements possible, they discovered Ichthyostega wouldn’t have been able to rotate its hips and shoulder joints to enable walking. It also couldn’t push its body off the ground and move each limb in turn—an essential set of movements for locomotion on land.

Instead, the researchers think the animal probably occasionally hauled itself out of the water with its front limbs, using its back flipper-like limbs for balance.

“These early tetrapods probably moved in a similar way to living mudskipper fishes in which the front fins, or arms, are used like crutches to haul the body up and forward,” said study lead author Stephanie Pierce of RVC and University of Cambridge in the release.

The team also made similar models of a seal, salamander, platypus, crocodile, and otter to check the model accurately reproduced joint movements.

While the study answers some questions, others are created. “Remarkably, earlier fishes (called tetrapodomorphs) had the ability to rotate their fins,” said study co-author John Hutchinson of RVC in the release. So why Ichthyostega had such restricted limb movements remains a mystery.

Ichthyostega-like tetrapods were also thought to have been the creators of footprints found in 400-million-year-old rocks in Poland. Now, it seems likely another unknown four-legged creature must have made them, concluded the researchers.

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Olympic gold medal sailor Ben Ainslie is the first London 2012 torchbearer. He sets off from the famous Land's End sign post. (Matt Cardy/Stringer/Getty Images Sport)

The 2012 Olympic flame, flown into Cornwall from Athens on Friday, May 18, will travel 8,000 miles and be carried by a succession of 8,000 nominated torchbearers on its 70-day relay around the four nations of the UK.

Thousands of excited onlookers turned out to greet the iconic flame following its arrival by special British Airways flight into the Royal Naval Air Station at Culdrose, to mark the start of a journey that will end in London’s Olympic stadium on July 27th.

People came of their own accord to see the passage of the flame that had already travelled 2,000 miles around Greece after it was ignited in Athens on May 10, before being handed to Princess Anne on May 17.

The next day, Princess Anne, who flew from Greece with the flame, carried it in a lantern from the BA plane to David Beckham who, via a London torch, lit a cauldron on the tarmac to mark its historic arrival in Britain.

The 10-week journey that commenced at the globally recognised Land’s End sign post will pass through all kinds of terrain on myriad forms of transport before its climax at the games’ opening ceremony.

Spirit and Legend
But why does the Olympic flame always fascinate people everywhere each time it starts its journey? The answer may be found in the historic symbolism of the conveyance of fire going way back and penetrating deep into a central theme of Greek legend. According to myth, the Titan god Prometheus stole fire from Zeus who had hidden it from Man. He gave it back to them, thereby bringing light to their darkness. Interestingly, the original relay race batons were actual torches symbolising the passing of fire from gods to man.

The myth epitomises the hope for an earthly civilisation that benefits mankind through human achievement in harmony with the elemental forces within nature. Maybe it’s not surprising that contemporary people, careworn by a crumbling global economy, the inadequacies of party politics, and the plethora of worries that can dog modern life, are ready to be uplifted by an atmosphere focusing on something more spiritual and idealistic.

Neither does it seem like a coincidence that church forums have organised a “prayer relay” to shadow the torch’s route at 70 overnight stop locations along its path.

Indeed there are instances from other recent torch relays that show that people will even use the event itself to stand up against the tide for something higher. One notable instance was the disruption to the Beijing Olympic torch relay, which was stopped, suppressing publicity for the objections of protesters.

Objectors were highlighting the hypocrisy of a government in apparent economic ascendancy over the rest of the world hosting the games while continuing to commit shocking human rights atrocities. This shamed the Chinese regime, who were seen by many to be contradicting the ethos of good-natured competition and humanistic fair play.

This general identification with idealism is further illustrated by people universally frowning upon the practice of using performance enhancing drugs that cheat others who have worked so hard to reach their physical peak naturally and according to agreed rules.

Peace and Fair-play
The modern public engagement in the Olympics and the fascination for the associated rituals can be traced back to the original games, which began to be held in ancient Greece in 776 BC and took place four-yearly for a thousand years. Warring cities in the region during those times stopped fighting just so that people could travel safely to the games, which celebrated beliefs in gods and acknowledged their fundamental connection to mankind.

These beliefs were not ideas but facts to people and so important that citizens obeyed the declaration of a temporary peace. While the games took place they observed a cessation of hostilities no matter what their earthly conflicts. In this there was recognition of a non-partisan and spiritual allegiance with connectedness to each other on a higher-than-worldly plane.

These ancient roots are echoed in the widespread concurrence of modern people with the ideas of tolerance and fair play that are the ethos of the modern Olympics.

The flame, lit by intensifying the rays of the sun focused onto a parabolic mirror at an ancient altar in Greece earlier this month reflects an enduring and elemental desire in people to cut out the hair splitting to-ings and fro-ings of modern politics and factional religions.

Fire, for the Greeks, epitomised the dawn of earthly civilisation. As the London Olympic flame travels Britain from the offshore islands of northern Scotland and down through the heart of the English countryside, our citizens will be reminded of the endless possibilities of human achievement to be nobly demonstrated through sport at the forthcoming Olympiad.

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Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to the Chelsea Flower Show at Royal Hospital Chelsea on May 21, in London. (Lefteris Pitarakis/WPA Pool /Getty Images)

Queen Elizabeth II wore her characteristic broad smile as she previewed the 99th annual Chelsea Flower Show in London on Monday, May 21.

Wearing a lilac coat, pearl jewellery, and a tulle headpiece with a black flower motif, she beamed at the lush colours of the varied gardens and display stands that were vying for the judges’ medals on the following day.

Also pursuing future medals were Olympic fencers James Honeybone and Alex O’Connell, who demonstrated their skills for the Queen in full Team GB fencing kit with masks striped with the red, white, and blue of the UK flag.

After smiling at their cut and thrust routine, the Queen talked to the athletes.

The Daily Mail reported O’Connell, 24, to have said: “She asked whether it got hot and whether it was hard work.

“She spoke about the flower show and said she had heard that fencing was up and coming.

“She also said for the girls it was quite a ladylike sport and made a little fencing gesture with her hand.”

It is the first time that fencing has been in Ranelagh Gardens for 70 years, according to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).

The fencers were sparring in an exhibit entitled “Duel and Crown” by Hillier Nurseries and Garden Centre from the South of England.

Hillier Nurseries won gold on Tuesday for the 67th year in a row.

The Nurseries have another connection with the Olympics as the company has supplied nearly 4,000 British-grown trees to the Olympic Park for London 2012.

Their Chelsea Flower Show display was one of a number of exhibits referring to the Queen’s patronage of the show run by the RHS -- and to the celebration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, which will take place around the extended weekend of June 2nd-5th.

There was an exhibit from the Parish of St Helier Gardens in Jersey displaying the words THE QUEEN’S DIAMOND JUBILEE in capitals in shades of green. On top was a four-sided revolving facsimile of the £2 Jersey stamp showing the Queen’s profile.

There was also a shrub rose called “Royal Jubilee” (“Ausparade”), which the RHS website states has thornless stems and “produces rounded, globular, deep-pink blooms in large clusters which, when fully open, display golden stamens in the centre of the flower. Fragrance is fruity, resembling blackcurrant tea.”

As Patron of the RHS, the Queen has attended previews regularly for over 40 years.
The Press Day on the first Monday is followed by two private views for RHS members. It is open to the public until Saturday, May 26, when bargains can be had as many participants begin to dismantle their exhibits.

The aim of the exhibitions is “to encourage amateur gardeners of all standards to try to achieve similar displays in their own gardens”, according to the British Monarchy website.

Many exhibits cost thousands of pounds and are sponsored by various companies like insurers Beazley, which sponsors the British Fencing team and has operations in Europe, the United States, Asia, and Australia.

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Mental health charity Mind's Infoline offers information on types of mental health problems, where to get help, drug and alternative treatments and advocacy. (Courtesy of Mind)

Rising unemployment and economic uncertainty has caused an increase in helpline calls to a leading UK mental health charity, which is struggling to cope with the huge demand.

Since the start of the recession, enquiries to mental health charity Mind’s Infoline and legal advice service have doubled. In 2011-2012 advisers dealt with 40,000 phone calls and e-mail enquiries about where to seek mental health care, advice about medications, and the rights of patients in psychiatric hospitals. Yet the helplines are too stretched to handle the volume of calls, with 40 per cent going unanswered.

Paul Farmer, chief executive of Mind, is concerned that sufficient resources are lacking to deal with every cry for help. “The era of austerity shows little sign of abating and more and more people need our help. At the same time the local Mind network is facing the challenging situation of increased demand for services and potential cuts to funding,” he said in a statement.

Highlighting the problem during Mental Health Awareness week, Farmer said that the weekday Infoline, which is funded by donations, needs an additional adviser to meet the growing demand from the public. “We urge people to support Mind in any way they can,” he said.

Many users of the Infoline find the service invaluable. One anonymous caller said in an e-mail: “Thank you so much for your help, you are an absolute angel. I knew you would be able to point me in the right direction because I called last year when I was experiencing depression and feeling suicidal and you really helped me.”

Service user Sandra said after being treated for cancer and depression, “I believe the help and support I received from Tyneside Mind played a major part in my recovery.”

Ad for mental health charity Mind campaign. (Courtesy of Mind)

Another mental health charity, SANE, is feeling the strain on its services. Chief executive Marjorie Wallace CBE, said in a statement on the SANE website, “At SANE we are already living with the serious consequences that recession can have on people’s mental health and are finding it difficult to meet the need.”

Wallace said that the increase in the number of people contacting the SANE helpline with depression and anxiety due to financial uncertainty, is disturbing.

“A vicious circle is being created with cuts to mental health services coinciding with increased demand, especially for psychological counselling, leaving people with no one to turn to at times of crisis,” Wallace said.

One anonymous caller to SANE’s helpline commented in an e-mail on the effect of financial hardship: “I suffer from depression, anxiety but my benefits are now paid at a reduced rate. It means I don’t have enough left to live on after I have paid my bills. And for whatever reason not eating or not getting enough sleep seems to make the depression worse. Each day I am finding it harder and harder to keep going.”

About 10 million people in the UK are affected by a mental health problem at any one time, according to government statistics.

Mental Health Awareness week runs from May 21 to 27.

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Facebook co-founder Mark Zukerberg is seen on a screen getting ready to ring the Nasdaq stock exchange opening bell in Times Square in New York. Facebook’s floatation on May 18 valued the company at $104 billion (£66 billion). (Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images)

Facebook Inc’s floatation on the Nasdaq stock exchange on Friday, May 18, valued the company at $104 billion (£66 billion). But a 2011-2012 global survey has found that 30 per cent of users do not trust Facebook with their personal information, and 44 per cent never click on sponsored ads.

Digital marketing agency Greenlight surveyed a cross section of 500 people on how they used social networks and search engines, and what their reactions were to online advertising.

The research indicated that Facebook was the most widely used website after Google and YouTube, and was the second most popular site accessed on mobile devices—about 30 per cent of survey respondents said they used it on their mobile phones or tablets.

Fifty per cent surveyed said they use Facebook to keep in touch with family and friends and that it was good for sharing photos.

Hannah Kimuyu, director of paid media at Greenlight, said in a statement: “Facebook’s popularity doesn’t come as a surprise. However, with over 30 per cent of respondents saying they ‘strongly distrust’ Facebook with their personal data, Facebook’s advertising programme has an upward struggle.”

Advertising on Facebook allows companies to reach more than 800 million potential customers by targeting their personal data, Kimuyu said.

However, according to the survey, 44 per cent said they never clicked on ads. In contrast, only 3 per cent said they regularly clicked on ads, and 10 per cent said they often did.

Commenting on the results, Kimuyu said: “Although 44 per cent say they would ‘never’ click on advertisements or sponsored listings in Facebook, it is interesting to see that those who do find the targeting effective and engaging.

“Moreover, given the positive growth figures, we at Greenlight predict that more of us will be advertising and hopefully ‘clicking’ on an advertisement or a sponsored listing on Facebook this year.”

Last week, car giant General Motors added to doubts about the effectiveness of Facebook ads by saying that it would no longer pay to advertise on the site.

Online strategy consultant Atul Chitnis told the BBC last week that the question was whether Facebook had a strategy to bring advertisers in.

“My belief is that Facebook does have a strategy, they are ready with something they have not yet talked about. How effective it is we will have to watch and see.”

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Chelsea players celebrate after being crowned champions of European club football. (John MacDougall/AFP/Getty Images)

Chelsea are champions of European football after beating Bayern Munich in a penalty shootout 4–3 to win their first Champions League title.

On Saturday night in Munich, a makeshift Chelsea squad benefited from some terrible Bayern misses and then made the most of their own few chances to pull off a most unexpected result.

Bayern had taken a well-deserved 1–0 lead in the 83rd minute on a brilliant headed goal from Thomas Muller. But, on Chelsea’s first corner of the match in the 88th minute, after Bayern had taken 16 of their own, Didier Drogba powered home a glancing header to equalize the match 1–1 in unbelievable style.

The match went into extra time and much like in regulation time, Bayern created more scoring opportunities but failed to capitalize. Arjen Robben missed a penalty in what will surely be a night to forget for Bayern’s Dutch winger.

In the penalty shoot-out, Bayern actually held a 3–1 lead before Chelsea’s Frank Lampard scored. Then Bayern substitute striker Ivica Olic had his penalty saved by Petr Cech’s left hand before Ashley Cole made it 3–3.

Bayern’s German international midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger stepped up and fired a shot that hit off Cech’s left post. Then Drogba rolled one in on Manuel Neuer’s right side for the win.

Drogba had nearly become the goat for Chelsea after conceding a penalty to Bayern in the first period of injury time. But Cech saved a poorly taken penalty by Arjen Robben to keep Chelsea hopes alive.

Heavily favored Bayern, playing in front of their home fans, missed chance after chance and lost a glorious opportunity to win their fifth European championship. The giants of German football came into the match having won 22 Bundesliga titles and are possibly even more distraught than after their 1999 Champions League loss to Manchester United in which they squandered a one-goal lead only to lose 2–1 in injury time.

But Robben’s left foot repeatedly misfired and striker Mario Gomez also ballooned a shot in the first half after getting a clear look on goal. Bayern will be left wondering how they lost this Champions League final.

Team of Destiny

Chelsea stunned Barcelona in the semifinals, preventing an “El Clasico” final between Real Madrid and Barcelona. The west London club also came back to beat Napoli in the Round of 16 after losing the first match 3–1. Their story is one of destiny.

Referee Pedro Proenca from Portugal made all the correct calls and deserves credit for handling an extremely important match professionally and without any controversy.

With the win, Chelsea (which finished sixth in the Premier League) will return to Champions League football next year while Tottenham Hotspur who finished in the Champions League qualification place (fourth in the Premier League) will be pushed into Europe League competition.

Follow Rahul on Twitter @RV_ETSports

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Dr. Judyth Sassoon of the University of Bristol, U.K., with the lower jaw of the Westbury pliosaur.

Even Jurassic killers succumbed to old age, reveals research on the fossil jaws of an ancient sea reptile by scientists at the U.K.’s University of Bristol.

A degenerative condition similar to arthritis caused the giant pliosaur’s jaws to become misaligned. But being a top predator meant that even with this disability, the pliosaur could live on in old age, says Dr Judyth Sassoon, who studied the specimen for her M.Sc. research.

“There is evidence of erosion in the jaw joints, probably the result of wear and tear on the cartilage, so it is probably more accurate to call the condition an arthrosis,” Sassoon explained in an email. “It is similar to erosive conditions in bones of extant animals and humans.”

This is the first time such a condition has been seen in a fossilised Jurassic reptile.

“The disease led to a misalignment of jaws, the lower jaw being deviated to one side. This is clearly indicated by tooth marks from the upper jaw impinging on the bone of the lower jaw and, similarly, a tooth from the lower jaw causing an infection in the tooth socket of the upper jaw,” Sassoon said.

The 1.8-metre-long (about 6-feet-long) skull of the pliosaur, identified as Pliosaurus, was unearthed in a quarry in Westbury, Wiltshire, in 1994. It was taken to the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery, where it was carefully cleaned and reconstructed.

Pliosaurus inhabited the Jurassic seas around 150 million years ago. It was 8 metres (about 26 feet) long, with a large crocodile-like head, short neck, and whale-like body with four flippers.

The fossil pliosaur is thought to be that of an old female because of its large size and the fact that the bones are fused, indicating the reptile had reached its full adult size. The identification of the pliosaur’s gender is much more speculative though, Sassoon said.

By comparing the skull to that of another pliosaur skull found in the same location, the researchers noticed a bony crest on the top of the skulls differed in size. In some animals, these kinds of differences can be seen between males and females, a phenomenon known as sexual dimorphism.

“In extant mammals such as gorillas and lions, males often possess a higher parietal crest, which acts as an anchor for powerful jaw closing muscles, and this may have been true in pliosaurs also,” the researchers wrote in the paper, published online in the journal Palaeontology on May 16.

Pliosaurs are thought to have been pursuit or ambush predators, feeding on squid, fish, and other marine reptiles, though they may also have been scavengers. Having misaligned jaws and an infection in one of its 20-centimetre-long (almost 8-inch-long) teeth must have been painful, but didn’t immediately lead to its death, say the researchers.

“In the same way that ageing humans develop arthritic hips, this old lady developed an arthritic jaw, and survived with her disability for some time. But an unhealed fracture on the jaw indicates that at some time the jaw weakened and eventually broke,” said Sassoon in a press release. “With a broken jaw, the pliosaur would not have been able to feed and that final accident probably led to her demise.”

The fracture was investigated with X-rays, and no evidence of healing was seen. While it is likely the fracture happened while the pliosaur was still alive, it may possibly have broken after death as the carcass was lying on the sea bottom.

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This rare shot of the The Beatles by photographer Iain MacMillan is to go on sale on Tuesday, May 22. (Bloomsbury Auctions)

Two rare photographs, one featuring The Beatles and another Elizabeth Taylor, are to go under the hammer.

The iconic shot of The Beatles is instantly recognisable as the cover of the Abbey Road album—but the band are walking right to left instead of left to right.

The photo is the second of six images taken by photographer Iain MacMillan in 1966, in a carefully planned but brief 15-minute shoot.

“That photo’s been called an icon of the 1960s, I suppose it is,” said Iain MacMillan in 1989. “I think the reason it became so popular is its simplicity. It’s a very simple, stylised shot. Also it’s a shot people can relate to. It’s a place where people can still walk.”

The image shows Paul McCartney wearing sandals instead of barefooted as in the final shot, being led by John Lennon across the now famous zebra crossing next to Abbey Road studios.

The photo is to be sold by Bloomsbury Auctions in London on Tuesday, May 22. It is expected to fetch around £9,000.

The Elizabeth Taylor shot should be of equal fascination for collectors when it comes up for sale.

The picture was taken by renowned photographer Cecil Beaton at an exclusive ball held by the Rothschilds in 1971.

Elizabeth Taylor poses with Richard Burton towards the end of their first marriage. She is wearing the jewellery that famously came up for auction in 2011.

Beaton wrote in his diary that he had disliked the famous couple.

“I have always loathed the Burtons for their vulgarity, commonness and crass bad taste, she combining the worst of US and English taste, he as butch and coarse as only a Welshman can be,” Beaton wrote.

“She wanted compliments. She got none. I felt I must be professional and continued, but not without loathing at this monster … Round her neck was a velvet ribbon with the biggest diamond in the world pinned on it … In comparison everyone else looked ladylike.”

Sarah Wheeler, photography specialist of Bloomsbury Auctions, said in an e-mail: “The fact that Cecil Beaton produced such a beautiful portrait despite his personal dislike for them, shows what a consummate professional he was.”

The photo is believed to have never gone on sale before, and was a gift from Beaton to the owner of Gerry’s Club in Soho, Brian Hammond. It hung at the club until Hammond’s death earlier this year. His family is now selling the image. It is expected to fetch up to £12,000.

Follow John Smithies on Twitter

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50 golden upright street pianos will be placed in the Square Mile of the city. (Courtesy of London City Festival)

This summer London is bursting with festivals. As a prelude to the Royal Diamond Jubilee Parade and Olympian sports, a cultural bonanza takes place in the one Square Mile of the ancient city of London. Anyone can tickle the ivories of 50 Golden Street Pianos or partake in a Golden Honey Feast from local hives as part of the more alternative programme. That, along with internationally acclaimed stars of music, dance, art, poetry, and much more, will add a sheen to the streets of bankers.

The Golden Jubilee City of London Festival theme, Trading Places with the World, will remind people from across the world of how, since Roman times, London was the a hub of trade, with different peoples bringing both the spices of the East and cloth and timber by courtesy of the medieval Hanseatic League.

It is a cornucopia of a programme with over 150 events, spread over 34 days, in more than 55 spectacular venues. One hundred of them are free, while the ticketed events are well within the reach of even a poor man’s pocket. The arts can be a creative antidote to economic recession: I remember the free open-air classical music concerts throughout Britain’s towns and cities during World War II, along with the emergence of jazz and swing, poetry in the streets, the art of painters like Paul Nash, and the beginnings of experimental cinema.

Choices, choices

A copy of the colourful pocket-sized programme booklet can be perused while commuting. Or, for the technophile tablet or smartphone user, visit www.colf.org for an online programme. Pick from events within a step or two of each other among the cluster of streets that stretch from the white Tower of London westwards to the grandeur of Sir Christopher Wren’s St Paul’s Cathedral. This magnificent building once stood high above the cluster of bank buildings, old markets, and stock exchange, but is now shouted down by a glass shard of a tower that rises like a spike for unpaid bills over all that surrounds it. 

For classical music or dance buffs, seek out the world premiere performances of works by composer Tansy Davies for the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment at Mansion House on June 28, and two new choreographic commissions performed by The English National Ballet in St Paul’s Cathedral on the evening of July 3. And there are many more to choose from. 

In the smaller, but equally beautiful churches that are found among the old twisting streets that urban planners have never tamed, there are the delightfully named Postcard events. With my love of the Balkans, my feet would find their way on June 27 to the church of St Vedast-alias-Foster in Foster Lane EC2 to a cello and piano performance by Nicholas Altstaedt and José Gallardo, featuring works from Brahms, Bartok, Dvorak, David Wilde’s ‘The Cellist of Sarajevo’, and a world premiere of a sonata by Fazil Say commissioned by the BBC. The name of the church alone is a reason to visit. 

Other Postcard events celebrate works from Spain, Paris, Vienna, America’s East Coast, Leipzig, and one entitled as being from Home (and the distant past); but perhaps most intriguing of all in St Bartholomew-the-Great, in Cloth Fair EC1, is named as Music from Purgatory, with works from Shubert, Gluck, and Milstein’s ‘Paganiniana’. Whatever one will make of the music, it will be interesting to see what kind of audience this attracts!

Colourful and lively festival street scene. (Courtesy of London City Festival)

The bonus of this festival is that many of the events are free. Listen to five lectures on Festival themes from people such as poet Sir Andrew Motion. Or step through swathes of wildflowers that support insect-life biodiversity at a five-day Euromix Garden, which brings together Scottish highland fiddle with Norwegian lyrics and polyphonic alpine songs from France and Italy – shades of Haruki Murakami’s ‘Norwegian Wood’ perhaps!

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With a nod to the God ‘Mammon’ an exhibition at Goldsmith’s Hall tells the rich and previously untold story of Britain and it 4,500 years of gold treasure. Or maybe pop into one of the open days at the Bank of England or take a tour of Mansion House. 

With 34 days to choose from, I am certain that wherever you are, time can be found to catch the flavour of an erudite and eclectic festival. 

The Epoch Times publishes in 35 countries and in 19 languages. Subscribe to our e-newsletter.

Read on  …  Festival roots

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]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/life/a-london-city-festival-of-golden-expectations-238062.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/brooks-arrest-puts-uk-government-under-pressure-237940.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/brooks-arrest-puts-uk-government-under-pressure-237940.html#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 15:19:30 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=237940 The three charges of conspiring to obstruct the course of justice brought against Rebekah Brooks on Tuesday, May 15, have pushed into the spotlight the lapses of ministers who were friendly with her and say they are transparent in dealings influencing the governance of the UK.

Rebekah Brooks (C) and her husband Charlie Brooks leave her solicitor’s office on May 15, 2012 in London. (Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

Evidence to the Leveson Inquiry revealed Chancellor George Osborne failed to declare that his government residence was the venue for a weekend social in September 2010 attended by, among others, Rebekah Brooks and her husband Charlie. Mrs Brooks was head of News International at the time.

The event took place while News International’s parent company, News Corp, was petitioning government minister Jeremy Hunt to allow its bid for a 100 per cent takeover of BSkyB.

Opposition Deputy Leader Harriet Harman said recently, “When senior members of a government are looking at a bid such as the BSkyB one, they have not only to make sure they act impartially but that they are seen to be acting impartially.

“Spending a weekend together with a senior executive of the company seeking approval for a bid such as this is not acting in a way that will be seen to be impartial.”

The omission came to light from a statement given to the Leveson Inquiry into press ethics by Andy Coulson on Thursday, May 10. He attended the social event with his wife.

Mr Coulson was director of communications for the Conservative Party. Both he and Mrs Brooks had worked as chief editors on Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World, which was a viable and popular Sunday paper at the time of the event.

Although the Chancellor’s Office has laid out three meetings between Mr Osborne and Mrs Brooks after the Conservatives formed a government in May 2010, it was not made clear that this social event was held in Dormeywood, a government building.

Dormeywood is a mansion in extensive grounds in rural Buckinghamshire that is provided by the state to support chancellors in their work. It has similar status to an embassy where a government official may live.

A meeting between Mr Osborne and the Brookses listed by the Chancellor’s Office took place in a restaurant in December 2010. Mrs Brooks told the Inquiry on May 11 that she discussed the written response of Ofcom to News Corp’s BSkyB bid.

Ofcom is the UK arbitrator of the communications industry. It is independent of government and regulates competition for broadcasting and the internet.

Mrs Brooks wrote an email the next day to Fred Michel, the News Corp lobbyist who had been conducting detailed email correspondence about the BSkyB bid with Jeremy Hunt’s Culture, Media and Sports office. She said Mr Osborne was “baffled” by Ofcom’s reply.

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The dinner was meant to be social with Mr Osborne eating with his wife, the Brookses, and another couple.

News Corp’s plan to buy all remaining shares of BSkyB had been made known in June 2010.

In her evidence, Mrs Brooks said she had discussed the BSkyB deal briefly with Mr Osborne at the September stopover in Dormeywood.

Read on  …  She described meetings and texts with Mr Cameron

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]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/brooks-arrest-puts-uk-government-under-pressure-237940.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/former-news-international-head-charged-with-conspiracy-237491.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/former-news-international-head-charged-with-conspiracy-237491.html#comments Tue, 15 May 2012 20:45:56 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=237491

Rebekah Brooks, former Chief Executive of News International, addresses the media outside a lawyer's office in London, on May 15. (Carl Court/AFP/GettyImages)

Rebekah Brooks, the former head of Rupert Murdoch’s British newspapers, and her husband, Charlie Brooks, were charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice during the phone-hacking inquiry, it was reported.

Brooks, who specifically served as the world editor and also the News International chief executive, was charged with three separate counts of conspiracy to obstruct justice, allegedly attempting to hide evidence of the hacking from investigators, The Guardian reported.

She allegedly removed seven boxes of material from the archives of News International, prosecutors said.

Charlie Brooks, a racehorse trainer, also faces similar charges, according to Alison Levitt, principal legal advisor to Britain’s Director of Public Prosecutions, the newspaper reported.

There are four other people who face charges, including former personal assistant Cheryl Carter, security worker Daryl Jorsling, chauffeur Paul Edwards, and News International head of security Mark Hanna.

Levitt said, “They are all due to answer their bail at police stations later today,” the London Telegraph reported.

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Brooks and her husband released a statement on Tuesday, denying all charges. “We deplore this weak and unjust decision. After the further unprecedented posturing of the [Crown Prosecution Service] we will respond later today after our return from the police station,” it reads.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/former-news-international-head-charged-with-conspiracy-237491.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/manchester-city-crowned-champion-in-wildest-finish-237107.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/manchester-city-crowned-champion-in-wildest-finish-237107.html#comments Tue, 15 May 2012 01:04:20 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=237107

Manchester City celebrates its first title since 1968 after scoring two goals in injury time to defeat QPR last Sunday. (Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty Images)

The final day of the English Premier League season is usually an exciting one with many issues still to be decided, but last Sunday had to be the most amazing ever.

The relegation battle had to be decided, with Queens Park Rangers holding the advantage over Bolton. Champions League places were still up for grabs, as Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, and Newcastle fought over two places.

But the most important issue was the destination of the title with Manchester City holding pole position on goal difference over Manchester United. United needed a better result than City to win the title.

Musical Places

It didn’t take long for the drama to begin as Spurs took a very early lead at home to Fulham with Emmanuel Adebayor doing the damage. At this point, Spurs vaulted into third place and Arsenal had been bumped down to fourth, which is no guarantee of Champions League football next year.

Two minutes later, Yossi Benayoun gave Arsenal an early lead away to West Brom and the Gunners were back in third with Spurs back in fourth.

But the game was then turned on its head when West Brom scored two goals within a span of three minutes as Shane Long and Graham Dorrans found the net. West Brom were up 2–1. Now, Spurs were in third, Arsenal fourth.

In between West Brom scoring two goals, Stoke had taken the lead at home to Bolton, which brought cheers from the QPR supporters at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester. QPR could not afford a loss or draw coupled with a Bolton win, otherwise they’d be relegated.

A minute after the second West Brom goal, Steven Pienaar gave Everton the lead at home to Newcastle, denting the visitors’ slender hopes of Champions League football next season.

United Ahead

Wayne Rooney scored the next Premier League goal in the 20th minute, which gave Manchester United the lead at Sunderland sending them into first place. Meanwhile, City’s high-octane offense was struggling to break down a stubborn QPR defence.

Everton scored a second when Nikica Jelavic found the back of the net, before Arsenal equalized at West Brom courtesy of Andre Santos crashing one home from 25 yards out.

The next goal came at Stoke in the 39th minute, with Mark Davies equalizing for Bolton. This was not good news for QPR; it got worse when Pablo Zabaleta put Manchester City in front and back on top of the table, in the 39th minute of their own game.

Then, at the end of the first half came a howler from Stoke keeper Thomas Sorenson, as he misjudged a Kevin Davies cross. The ball sailed into the Stoke net, giving Bolton a 2–1 lead while QPR trailed City 1–0. Bolton was temporarily out of the relegation zone and QPR would go down if things didn’t change.

At the start of the second half, with City looking comfortable with their 1–0 lead, disaster struck when defender Joleon Lescott made a terrible backward header, which QPR striker Djibril Cisse latched on to before firing past Joe Hart.

Cisse’s goal sent United back on top and stunned the home support at the Etihad. But for QPR, they still had a bit of work to do to get out of the drop zone.

Less than 10 minutes later, Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny gave his team a 3–2 lead and third place for the moment.

The drama never stopped, and next, it was a sending off at the Etihad, when QPR’s Joey Barton elbowed Carlos Tevez before kicking Sergio Aguero and then going for Vincent Kompany in disgraceful scenes.

QPR would have to play the last half hour with 10 men against a desperate Manchester City.

Spurs doubled their lead over Fulham in the 63rd minute when Jermain Defoe scored but with Arsenal still leading, Tottenham could only consolidate fourth position.

After the Spurs goal, an unbelievable goal from Jamie Mackie of QPR gave the visitors the lead, taking them out of the relegation zone and leaving City with a mountain to climb become champions. As things stood Bolton would be relegated as QPR led 2–1.

Everton made sure of finishing above Liverpool as they made it 3–0 over Newcastle when John Heitinga scored, although a Tony Hibbert own goal shortly thereafter gave Newcastle small consolation.

Bolton was then left shattered when Stoke equalised at 2–2, through a Jonathan Walters penalty after Peter Crouch was brought down in the box. Bolton was seemingly doomed for relegation.

City Stunner

Back at the top with 10 minutes remaining and United in pole position and City going for broke, the controversial Mario Balotelli replaced the equally, if not more controversial Tevez.

City continued to be frustrated by QPR’s superb defending, and Balotelli had a free header brilliantly saved by Patrick Kenny.

Ninety minutes had played and the fourth official held up five extra minutes at the Etihad, but surely it was too late for City who needed two goals while United confirmed their 1–0 victory over Sunderland and looked certain to claim their 20th title.

But a ray of hope for City shone as substitute Edin Dzeko headed home from a corner with three minutes of stoppage time still remaining. It was somehow Manchester City 2, QPR 2.

With Manchester United players and supporters waiting for the finish at the Etihad, Aguero latched on to a loose ball near the 6-yard box and fired a title winner with literally seconds remaining.

Manchester City won in the most dramatic manner 3–2 and ripped away the Premiership title from the grasp of their illustrious neighbors Manchester United.

Wild celebrations erupted at the Etihad as the full time whistle blew. City supporters mobbed their heroes, while at Sunderland, United players and supporters were left stunned and crestfallen.

Manchester City won their first title in 44 years and became the first club other than Manchester United, Chelsea, or Arsenal to win the Premier League since Blackburn did it back in 1995.

Arsenal hung onto their 3–2 win at West Brom and took third spot. They’ll play in Champions League next year. Spurs finished fourth with a 2–0 win and could still play in Champions League if Chelsea loses in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich on Saturday.

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Newcastle finished fifth after their 3–1 loss away to Everton, who finished seventh behind Chelsea.

Bolton was the unlucky side to be relegated on the last day as their exciting 2–2 draw at Stoke was not good enough to take them above QPR who had lost.

A better advertisement for English football could not be found than the drama and tension that took place last Sunday.

Jamie McLaughlin is based in Scotland and also writes for www.anfieldnews.com. He has twice played at Hampden Park.

The Epoch Times publishes in 35 countries and in 19 languages. Subscribe to our e-newsletter.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/manchester-city-crowned-champion-in-wildest-finish-237107.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/twenty-years-of-spiritual-practice-falun-dafa-celebrated-in-london-237057.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/twenty-years-of-spiritual-practice-falun-dafa-celebrated-in-london-237057.html#comments Mon, 14 May 2012 21:38:42 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=237057

Falun Dafa practitioners exercise in London's Trafalgar Square on Sunday, May 13, 2012 for World Falun Dafa Day. (Stefan Byfield/The Epoch Times)

In London’s Trafalgar Square the Olympic countdown clock reads 75 days. Above it on the North Terrace a celebration of a different kind is taking place. Yellow-costumed and serene, Falun Dafa practitioners are meditating under skies that are finally blue, after months of rain.

This is World Falun Dafa Day, a celebration of the spiritual practice that was introduced to the Chinese public in 1992. It has since been taken up worldwide, with practitioners in an estimated 114 countries.

Ling Dee, secretary of the Falun Dafa Association UK, says that she benefited from the practice when she started in 1997. “My family in China practised it and found it was very effective for improving health so they asked me to try it,” she said. “I had some health problems like a stomach ulcer or some skin problems; they all went within three months. Also it changed me inside out, making me a happier person and changed my view of the world.”

Mrs Dee also said that the Chinese regime initially found Falun Dafa beneficial. “It’s just unfortunate that because of the growth of the practice in July 1999 they banned it and started persecuting it. However, no matter how brutal the persecution is, Falun Gong has never been stopped,” Mrs Dee said.

Since July 1999 the Chinese Communist regime has persecuted Falun Dafa, with more than 3,500 people having been tortured to death. But, said Mrs Dee, for this 20th anniversary of the practice, they would like “the world and more people to know how beautiful Falun Dafa is”.

Passer-by Carmen Todd saw the demonstration of the slow moving qigong exercises in Trafalgar Square and was motivated to sign a petition calling for an end to the persecution. She said she thinks it’s important for people to have freedom to do what they want. “The message—truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance—what harm can that do to anyone?” she said.

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Artist Chelsea St Pierre was also in Trafalgar Square with her children. She saw the demonstration and likewise signed a petition. “We just thought that in London we get to do whatever we like,” she said.

The Epoch Times publishes in 35 countries and in 19 languages. Subscribe to our e-newsletter.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/twenty-years-of-spiritual-practice-falun-dafa-celebrated-in-london-237057.html/feed 1 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/more-help-for-troubled-new-mums-needed-236978.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/more-help-for-troubled-new-mums-needed-236978.html#comments Mon, 14 May 2012 18:58:04 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=236978

Sophie Prosser and her baby daughter Florence. Sophie found that she couldn't cope with the demands of early motherhood. (Courtesy of NSPCC)

Urgent action is needed to support vulnerable new mothers and their babies, a UK leading children’s charity says.

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is calling on the government to ensure sufficient resources are made available for postnatal provision.

“We appreciate times are tough financially but failing to provide vital support to new mums is a false economy,” Chris Cuthbert, the NSPCC’s head of strategy and development for children under one, said in a statement.

Cuthbert’s remarks come following a recent NSPCC survey, which shows that new mothers are struggling to cope with the emotional demands of motherhood. They need more professional advice before the birth on coping with post-natal challenges.

More than half of mums surveyed expressed feelings of isolation, with no one to turn in the eight weeks after birth.

The online poll also revealed that three-quarters of mothers feel that they were not given enough guidance or support from professional services during pregnancy to help them understand anxiety and post-natal depression. They also wanted advice on coping with sleep deprivation and a crying baby. 

Cuthbert said, “The interaction between mother and baby is very powerful and vitally important for a child’s development.”

Yet the survey shows that many mothers are struggling to develop a healthy bond with their baby. Two-fifths admitted getting angry with their baby and one-fifth said they were frequently very upset by their baby’s crying.

“The emotional health and wellbeing of new mothers and their babies is an urgent public health issue,” Cuthbert said.

Cuthbert warns of the effect of stressed new mums on their babies and the troubling social implications. “Damage done at this stage of their lives can prevent them reaching their full potential, which also has a knock-on effect on society as a whole,” he said.

Antenatal education is currently limited primarily to physical aspects, such as the choice of pain relief during labour.

The NSPCC is calling for antenatal education to include the practicalities of caring for a baby and to prepare parents-to-be for the emotional challenges they will face so that they can become the best possible parents.

One mum has taken the brave step of sharing her difficult experience of the early stages of motherhood. Initially, Sophie Prosser, mother to Florence, was happy to hear the news that she was pregnant. “I felt like my world was complete,” she said in a statement. 

The NSPCC’s new services to protect babies:

• Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond – a group-based antenatal education programme for positive parenting for vulnerable parents.
• Mind the Baby – an intensive home visiting programme for vulnerable first time mothers and their babies to improve bonding and reduce the risks of maltreatment.
• Parents under Pressure – an intensive home visiting and parenting programme working with parents receiving drug or alcohol treatment who have a child under two in their care.
• Preventing Non Accidental Head Injury (NAHI) in babies – a hospital-based education programme, preparing new parents for pressures such as crying and sleeplessness, highlighting the risk of head injuries at this age.

Yet, coping with a painful pelvic infection, and subsequent depression, Sophie soon hated being pregnant. Sophie’s depression increased after Florence was born and she felt unsupported in hospital. She said that nurses did give her a pack of leaflets on contraception, meningitis and “what’s normal and what’s not normal. But nobody came and went through everything with me.”

“Nobody told me it would be that difficult to cope with a new baby.”

Things got worse when she took baby Florence home. 

“The first couple of weeks were a blur really, but I know they weren’t good. I found it very stressful when the baby cried,” Sophie said. Even with the support from a midwife and Sophie’s partner, feelings of despair and hatred towards Florence mounted.

“I ignored her screams and I yelled at her. I was hateful towards her and said quite openly how much I hated her.”

Months later, with the help of her family, Sophie started the process of bonding with her daughter. But the feelings of guilt still haunt her.

“I was very ashamed of admitting I had such a problem. I probably could have got help earlier if I had bitten the bullet and let someone know. When I did get help my doctors were amazing.

“I just wish I could have got help from the start,“ Sophie said.

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Penny Hosie, editor of Journal of Family Health Care, commented on the JFHC website about the recent tragedy of Felicia Boots charged with the murder of her baby son and toddler daughter in Wandsworth, London:

“There was a sad irony in that last week’s NSPCC survey claiming that two out of five new mothers need help was published in the same week a mother with a history of postnatal depression fatally smothered two of her babies and attempted suicide.”

The NSPCC’s free advice leaflet for new parents can be downloaded from http://www.nspcc.org.uk/

The Epoch Times publishes in 35 countries and in 19 languages. Subscribe to our e-newsletter.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/more-help-for-troubled-new-mums-needed-236978.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/language-diversity-could-be-london-s-asset-236362.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/language-diversity-could-be-london-s-asset-236362.html#comments Sat, 12 May 2012 23:29:43 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=236362

The cultural diversity of London school pupils makes London "globally connected", says new research. (Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images)

By mapping the distribution of languages spoken by London state school pupils, researchers have shed light on the Capital’s connections with the world.

This diversity could be harnessed to benefit Britain through creating a “dynamic, multi-faceted society” that would attract business, investment, and tourism, according to professor Dick Wiggins of the Institute of Education, University of London, who led the research.

The study is based on data from the 2008 Annual School Census, which was the first time details of the language spoken at home were requested.

“This [Census] shows that 60 per cent of London pupils record English as their first language and nearly 40 per cent a minority language,” explained Wiggins in a statement. “There are over 40 languages spoken by more than 1,000 pupils. Bengali, Urdu, and Somali are the top languages spoken.”

Wiggins said that a plan was needed to develop and exploit the linguistic skills available. “Having speakers of all these languages means we have connections across the globe with other speakers of these languages. We are globally connected, which is an incredible benefit for international trade, particularly at this time when the balance of global economic power is changing and European economies are in such crisis,” he said.

Understanding where groups of minority language speakers are living will also help with the targeting of services and resources, Wiggins said.

“Knowing where the speakers are can help target services where they are most needed, as well as helping public organisations and businesses find people with language skills, particularly the more unusual ones where there is a sudden need,” Wiggins said.

The Census provided data on academic achievement of different ethnic groups. Also knowing the language spoken enabled the researchers to gain further insight into how ethnic background might affect pupils’ performance. 

For example, both the “black African” and “white other” groups contained pupils from both ends of the achievement spectrum. The language data showed that within the “black African” category, English Yoruba and Igbo speakers were among the high achievers, while within the “white other” group, Spanish, English, German, Serbian/Croat/Bosnian and French speakers appeared to be high achievers.

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“The language we speak often says more about us than our broad ethnic group; it gives researchers clues about where people come from and their likely socio-economic position, religion and culture. It is therefore of great value to public services or any organisation that use social data,” Wiggins said.

  

The Epoch Times publishes in 35 countries and in 19 languages. Subscribe to our e-newsletter.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/language-diversity-could-be-london-s-asset-236362.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/pegg-frost-and-wright-reunite-at-the-world-s-end-235696.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/pegg-frost-and-wright-reunite-at-the-world-s-end-235696.html#comments Thu, 10 May 2012 23:00:23 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=235696

Actors Nick Frost, Simon Pegg and director Edgar Wright attend the premiere of "Hot Fuzz" in 2007 in London. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

It seems Hollywood success hasn’t distracted Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Edgar Wright from completing the trilogy they began in 2004.

After two highly successful cult British comedies—Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz—the three are returning to finish their “three colours Cornetto” trilogy, with The World’s End.

Named after a pub—the same one that features in Shaun of the Dead—the film is set to begin in September, but hasn’t yet been greenlit by studio Universal, according to Deadline.

It concerns a group of friends who reunite to attempt an epic pub crawl, the aim of which is to reach The World’s End pub. But as they do, they realise the fate of the world could be hanging in the balance.

The film seems to be drawing on the same collision of everyday Britishness with overblown action that characterised Shaun of the Dead‘s zombie invasion and Hot Fuzz‘s cops and machine guns in a sleepy Gloucestershire village.

In the last few years Simon Pegg has become hot property in Hollywood, appearing in Star Trek and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Edgar Wright, meanwhile, directed the comic-book adaptation Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and co-wrote Tintin with Joe Cornish.

Pegg and Wright will write The World’s End together, with Wright directing.

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Although the film hasn’t been greenlit, it is expected that Universal will give the go ahead, given the returns of the trio’s previous films. Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz grossed $108 million worldwide between them, despite being modestly budgeted, and both films have a cult following on both sides of the Atlantic.

The Epoch Times publishes in 35 countries and in 19 languages. Subscribe to our e-newsletter.

Follow John Smithies on Twitter @jdsmithies

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/pegg-frost-and-wright-reunite-at-the-world-s-end-235696.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/uk-consumers-reluctant-to-embrace-new-payment-methods-235969.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/uk-consumers-reluctant-to-embrace-new-payment-methods-235969.html#comments Thu, 10 May 2012 06:28:18 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=235969 Even with all the advances in payment technology and the many choices it offers, consumers are reluctant to give up the humble cheque book. 

Research by Mintel, a leading market research company, has found that two thirds (66 per cent) of bank customers think they should have the choice of being able to use a cheque book.

“There’s a strong conservative streak among the British public, as confirmed by the the outcry and subsequent climbdown when banks tried to withdraw support for chequebooks. But offering cheques costs banks money, and in the end, that costs all of us money,” Toby Clark, head of financial services at Mintel, said in a statement.

“If people had to pay a little extra if they wanted to have the option of writing a cheque, I’m not sure that they’d still be as set on keeping that service going.” 

Even with the large numbers of consumers still wishing to retain the cheque book only a small proportion make use of it.

Mintel’s research reveals 21 per cent of the population have never even written a cheque and, in total, less than half (45 per cent) have paid for anything by cheque within the last few months. 

Younger people seem to be less concerned with using a cheque book. Some 52 per cent of under-25s have never used a cheque, and a quarter (25 per cent) haven’t paid for anything by cheque within the last few months.

Clark said that “at the moment, consumers are mainly sticking to the tried and tested. Even people who have been issued with contactless cards are more likely than not to ignore the contactless feature. 

“However, Mintel’s research shows there’s also huge potential for change. There’s particularly strong interest in many of the features offered by mobile wallets. Payment providers need to prepare for a period of rapid change if they’re not to lose control of the customer relationship.”

One of the reasons for people’s reluctance to accept new payment methods is the fear that they could lead to greater levels of fraud, says Mintel.

Research revealed that over the last five years, while three fifths (57 per cent) agree that they are worried about payment fraud, only about 30 per cent have actually been a victim of any kind of payment fraud.

The most common type of loss is card fraud, with 14 per cent of people saying they have been a victim of this kind of theft. 

But paying with new technologies isn’t the only method with risks, says Mintel. They found that, when combined, similar numbers of people had lost money because of theft of cash or receiving forged notes and coins: 8 per cent had had cash stolen, and 5 per cent had lost money as a result of forgery.

“The issue of payment fraud is absolutely central when it comes to convincing consumers to adopt new payment methods. Understandably, people are wary of any change to the status quo, but consumers’ fears are not always grounded in reality,” Clark concluded.

“Notional threats associated with newer technology are often overplayed, while people are prepared to overlook very real security flaws in established payment technologies. But rational or not, these fears must be countered if new payment technology is to thrive.” 

Earlier research by Mintel had found that two thirds (62 per cent) of smartphone users and 71 per cent of tablet owners would consider using their mobile phones to make payments if this service was offered by their mobile operator. However, only 8 per cent of UK internet users said they would sign up for the service straight away.

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“Although most people are happy with the status quo, there’s also a good proportion of people who are willing to consider new ways of paying. And if anything, people are even more interested in the additional, non-payment, features that the shift to mobile payments could offer—real-time card balances and alerts, for example, or the ability to store discount vouchers on a handset and apply them at the checkout,” Clark said in a statement. 

The Epoch Times publishes in 35 countries and in 19 languages. Subscribe to our e-newsletter. 

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/uk-consumers-reluctant-to-embrace-new-payment-methods-235969.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/government-ministers-to-preview-phone-hacking-evidence-234832.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/government-ministers-to-preview-phone-hacking-evidence-234832.html#comments Wed, 09 May 2012 18:24:42 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=234832 Eight members of the government are to have special privileges to view evidence and put questions to witnesses in the phone-hacking inquiry, Lord Justice Leveson has ruled.

The prime minister and the secretary of state for culture, Olympics, media, and sport, Jeremy Hunt, together with the deputy prime minister, business secretary, home secretary, justice secretary, finance minister, and education secretary will be given “core participant” privileges.

The ministers were given the special status because they have a direct, significant role or interest in important matters related to the phone-hacking inquiry.

These permissions have in the past been given to over 40 celebrities and prominent public figures, including members from the family of Milly Dowler, who were given false hope that she was safe when her phone messages were erased after she had gone missing. She has still not been found.

Anticipating criticisms that this would give government ministers political advantage, Lord Justice Leveson said in his ruling that all minsters bar one had given their preliminary statements by the time of the ruling and the final one was expected that afternoon.

It was within Rule 5 of the Inquiry Rules that the government’s lawyer, Mr Eadie, had applied for the core participant status, as having the ministers give considered opinions on evidence would greatly aid the inquiry.
Jeremy Hunt was considered to have been disadvantaged by text and e-mails brought to the inquiry and discussed by James Murdoch of News Corp. on April 24th.

Mr Hunt and the government were not privy to the evidence until it was presented to Murdoch and put on the Leveson Inquiry website. After a verbal discussion with Mr Hunt at 10 Downing Street, David Cameron backed Mr Hunt, saying he had acted correctly.

This was after the confidentiality had lapsed. However, some core participants are from journalistic circles and Mr Leveson in his ruling said, “I have noted (although I say no more) that articles quoting parts of the e-mails and passing comment on their contents appeared very quickly after they became public.”

The correspondence concerned the proposed takeover by Murdoch’s News Corp. of the media organisation BSkyB in 2011. The e-mails showed a quantity of confidential information was passed from Mr Hunt’s department to News Corp.’s.

Mr Leveson said he understood there were immediate calls for the secretary of state to answer questions surrounding the e-mails. He also noted that Mr Hunt was neither the author nor the recipient of the communication, which was conducted by one of Mr Hunt’s special advisers. 

This special adviser, Adam Smith, resigned after the e-mails were made public.

Frederic Michel, one of Murdoch’s aides, had written many of the e-mails and had made it clear in the e-mails that although he referred to Mr Hunt by name, his contact was one of Mr Hunt’s advisers.
Smith resigned saying he had “gone too far”.

There were other repercussions as Mr Cameron was summoned before Parliament to answer questions about the conduct of Mr Hunt. It was the first time in 10 years that a prime minister had been summoned in this way.

Mr Eadie said in his submission to Mr Leveson that there were risks of unfair or inaccurate singling out of identified ministers and that he was not specifically intending to use the power to question witnesses or make opening or closing statements -- all of which are at the hand of core participants.

“It is thus made explicitly clear that the purpose of this application, in substance on behalf of the government, is solely to ensure that fair and appropriate access is secured to the relevant materials for the reasons set out above. It reflects no other concern on the part of any of those ministers who are to assist the Inquiry with their evidence,” Mr Eadie stated.

Andy Coulson, ex-News of the World (NoW) editor, will appear before the Inquiry on Thursday, May 10th. This could cause the prime minister problems as Coulson was employed as an adviser to Mr Cameron at Number 10 a few weeks after he resigned from NoW over phone-hacking claims.

On Tuesday, May 8th, Coulson won the right to appeal a high court ruling made in December that his ex-employer News International is not liable to pay his potential legal fees over the phone-hacking scandal.
Rebekah Brooks, also a previous editor of NoW and ex-chief executive of News International, will give evidence to the Inquiry on Friday, May 11th. She will discuss her contacts with politicians during her time at News International. 

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This may also be difficult for Mr Cameron, who hasn’t been too forthcoming about contact with her in the past. He also previously denied having a conversation with James Murdoch about the BSkyB bid at a Christmas party at Brooks’s house.

Later he admitted to having exchanged a few sentences with Murdoch.

The Epoch Times publishes in 35 countries and in 19 languages. Subscribe to our e-newsletter.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/government-ministers-to-preview-phone-hacking-evidence-234832.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/toughness-determination-and-flexibility-needed-for-economic-growth-232456.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/toughness-determination-and-flexibility-needed-for-economic-growth-232456.html#comments Mon, 07 May 2012 10:36:21 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=232456

Two people look at job announcements on the window of an agency in Naples on May 3, 2012. Italy's unemployment rate hit a record of 9.8 per cent in March, as a recession in the eurozone's third-biggest economy deepens. (Anna Monaco/AFP/GettyImages)

Following the release of the latest European Union unemployment figures, the Federation of European Employers (FedEE) says that more resources should be directed at the traditional industrial heartlands of Europe. Emphasis in education should also move towards the development of practical vocational skills.

At a meeting of top international employers last week, Robin Chater, secretary-general of the FedEE, said toughness, determination, and flexibility were the three golden qualities key to achieving economic success and reducing unemployment, according to a a summary of his speech published by the FedEE.

Unemployment in the eurozone reached a record high of 10.9 per cent in March, according to a May 2 statement by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. This increases to 22.1 per cent for those under the age of 25. It estimated that 17.365 million men and women in the euro area were unemployed.

In his speech, Chater said that areas that were leaders in the historical industrial revolutions, such as the UK and Germany, were now struggling to adapt to the modern-day needs for flexible automation and mass customisation.

“Major structural changes are therefore at work which is adversely affecting regions with the oldest capital infrastructures and placing at an advantage many previously economically undeveloped regions,” Chater said.

He gave the example of how the resourcefulness and flexibility of Ireland enabled the country to develop rapidly from a rural backwater into a tiger economy during the 1990s. It was the credit crunch of 2008 and mass government debt that ended their economic success.

Low levels of education is linked with high unemployment, and statistics show this is true for every member state of the EU, Chater said. Less than half of of those with only basic secondary education (44.6 per cent) are employed, compared to 68.1 per cent for those with higher school or intermediate qualifications, and 81.8 per cent for those educated at a university.

Climate and geography were also mentioned as factors in unemployment levels. Chater said that people living in mountain regions tend to be more resourceful, frequently have more than one job, and make the most of seasonal variations.

This was verified by the fact that the four regions in the EU with less than 3 per cent adult unemployment are in Austria, Italy, and the Netherlands. Outside the EU two regions located in Norway and Switzerland also have an exceptionally low unemployment rate.

“What five of the six regions have most in common is that they all lie within mountainous zones – regions often most associated with poor employment prospects,” Chater said.

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With regard to low unemployment, Chater suggested that people who are hardy are more likely to find employment, which was more important than good natural resources, communications, climate, and even a higher education.

The Epoch Times publishes in 35 countries and in 19 languages. Subscribe to our e-newsletter.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/toughness-determination-and-flexibility-needed-for-economic-growth-232456.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/london-mayor-victory-lifts-uk-government-decimated-at-polls-232533.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/london-mayor-victory-lifts-uk-government-decimated-at-polls-232533.html#comments Sat, 05 May 2012 14:25:35 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=232533

Boris Johnson (L) speaks after the announcement of his victory in the London mayoral elections as as Ken Livingstone (R), who came narrowly second, looks on at City Hall on May 4, 2012 in London. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Boris Johnson narrowly held on as London mayor on a night when the two government coalition parties were trounced in local council elections throughout England, Wales, and Scotland.

The London mayoral ballot on May 3, went to second preference votes after none of the six candidates took 50 percent in the first run.

In this second phase, Conservative Johnson won just over 1 million votes, or 51.5 percent of the total cast. His main rival, Labour’s Ken Livingston, took 48.5 percent. The contest was closer than in 2008 when Livingston was the incumbant and Livingston also lost.

Just over 38 percent of eligible Londoners turned out to vote, down 6.7 percent compared to 2008.

The result was declared late on May 4 as the electronic vote counter failed and the ballots had to be counted by hand.

In council elections across England, Scotland and Wales, Labour seized control of 32 councils, gaining 823 councillors. Conservatives lost 405 local seats and LibDems 336. The LibDems now have the smallest number of councillors since the party came into being.

Eight of 10 major cities turned down the opportunity to have mayors in the future.

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And a man dressed as penguin Professor Pongoo won 444 votes as an independent candidate in the Pentland Hills ward for the City of Edinburgh Council. This was more than the LibDem (370) and Green Party (322) candidates.

The Epoch Times publishes in 35 countries and in 19 languages. Subscribe to our e-newsletter.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/london-mayor-victory-lifts-uk-government-decimated-at-polls-232533.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/british-film-archive-goes-online-231707.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/british-film-archive-goes-online-231707.html#comments Fri, 04 May 2012 00:12:25 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=231707

A scene from "Man on the Beat," which has been newly digitised and is available to stream online. (British Council)

A treasure trove of films that depict British life has gone online for the first time.

Over 120 short films from the British Council’s film archive dating back to 1939 have been digitised and are available to stream via the Council’s website.

The films were made to be shown at embassies, consulates, and to school children around the world, and as such present an idealised vision of Britain at a time when fascism was spreading across Europe.

Bobbies on the beat, football, Shakespeare, the manufacture of Harris Tweed, the London Underground, and the life cycle of an onion all feature in the collection.

Many were made by film-makers who subsequently had successful careers in the film industry, such as director Jack Cardiff, who went on to work with Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

“Important in its own right, the collection represents a significant chapter in British documentary film history with involvement from some of the UK’s cinema greats,” said Briony Hanson, the British Council’s Director of Film, in a statement.

“It also gives a unique insight into how Britain wanted to portray itself internationally – a portrait which was probably quite far from the truth,” Hanson said.

The collection has been preserved for the last 30 years by the BFI National Archive but rarely seen.

Highlights include:

“Border Weave”: Shot in glorious Technicolor, this film by Jack Cardiff shows the industrialised manufacture of Harris Tweed, which is still very much rooted in a classic tradition. 

“Morning Paper”: Illustrates in fascinating detail how a daily newspaper (The Times) is produced on old Fleet Street – the men and machines nobly serving the public appetite for news during the Blitz.

“Man on the Beat”: Shows the rigorous training necessary to become a police constable. Our man on the beat documents the scene of a traffic accident, helps the general public, keeps the peace, and occasionally fights crime.

“English Criminal Justice”: A fantastically dramatised documentary, directed by Ken Annakin (Battle of the Bulge), that depicts the various workings of the English legal system – including a striking scene of a murderer being sentenced to death.

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“Life Cycle of the Onion”: Using time lapse photography and some incredible close-ups – very state-of-the-art for the time – we see the life cycle of the onion, from seed, to leaf, to flower, to harvest, and to seed again.

“City Bound”: A patriotic look at the daily commute into town faced by Londoners in 1941. Particular attention is given to buses, trains, and the Underground network to highlight the busy atmosphere of London, despite the war. 

Follow John Smithies on Twitter @jdsmithies

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/british-film-archive-goes-online-231707.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/uk-air-force-jets-arrive-in-london-231112.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/uk-air-force-jets-arrive-in-london-231112.html#comments Wed, 02 May 2012 21:35:59 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=231112

A Royal Air Force Typhoon jet, which will be used to defend the skies over the Olympic Games, lands at the RAF Northolt airbase on May 2 in London. (Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

The U.K. deployed Royal Air Force (RAF) Typhoon fighter jets to the Northolt base in London on Wednesday as part of “Exercise Olympic Guardian” ahead of this year’s summer games.

It is the first time that fighter planes have been stationed at the Northolt base since World War II. They arrive there for military exercises ahead of the Olympics.

“Whilst there is no specific threat to the Games, we have to be ready to assist in delivering a safe and secure Olympics for all to enjoy,” the Secretary of State for Defense, Phillip Hammond, said in a statement.

The Exercise Olympic Guardian is a nine-day-long training operation over London and the Home Counties that starts Wednesday and ends May 10.

“As we undertake this essential training, there will be a visible and audible presence of RAF Typhoon and military helicopters operating above Greater London,” Air Vice-Marshal Stuart Atha said.

Atha added, “There will also be flights occurring throughout the exercise period, to allow pilots and other forces to become familiar with operating in the London and Home Counties airspace.”

The exercise will also involve Royal Navy Sea King helicopters, RAF Puma helicopters, and Army and Royal Navy Lynx helicopters.

“We have sought to limit the amount of flying to the minimum required to ensure that our Forces are ready for their important role delivering air security for the Olympics, balancing this against the need for us to reduce disturbance to a minimum,” Atha said.

However, the Stop the War Coalition anti-war activist group said the exercises and military buildup around the Olympics are unnecessary.

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“Far from safeguarding Londoners as they go about their daily lives, they will bring a real fear of explosions and the prospect of these places becoming a target for terrorist attack,” Lindsey German with the Coalition told the BBC.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/uk-air-force-jets-arrive-in-london-231112.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/sun-awareness-theres-an-app-for-that-229955.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/sun-awareness-theres-an-app-for-that-229955.html#comments Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:16:21 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=229955

Sun Awareness Week urges sunbathers to take UV protection more seriously. (David Heckerd/AFP/Getty Images)

A UK health organisation is launching a free mobile phone application this week to help curb overexposure to the sun and reduce the risks of skin cancer.

The British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) is concerned with the nation’s relaxed attitudes towards sun exposure and Sun Awareness Week this week marks its annual campaign to raise knowledge of skin cancer with the launch of The World UV App.

The app gives personalised sun protection advice, a daily ultraviolet radiation forecast, including peak strength from the sun, for more than10,000 locations worldwide. 

Kimberley Carter of the BAD said in a statement, “It educates people about the different skin types and helps them identify how well their own skin copes in the sun, so that they can protect themselves appropriately.”

Different UV levels affect different skin types in different ways, therefore “it can be hard to know what the risk of getting sunburnt will be,” Carter said.

Out of 1,000 people surveyed on a skin cancer awareness tour last summer almost three-quarters believed that people look healthier with a suntan, even those who had experienced sunburn themselves more than 30 times. Over 90 per cent of people admitted they had been sunburnt, with more than half of them several times. 

“Not everyone’s skin offers the same level of protection in the sun,” said the BAD president Dr Stephen Jones in a statement, explaining that knowing your own skin type is vital to understanding the risks of sun exposure. “For example, people with pale skin who burn easily or those with a close family history of skin cancer are at greater risk of sun damage and need to take extra steps to protect themselves.” 

BAD is warning that melanoma is the second most common cancer type in 15 to 34 year olds with malignant melanoma now the fastest rising common cancer in the UK. 

Dr Jones said, “Not only should we be increasing the emphasis on prevention to bring incidence levels down, we should be pushing early detection messages too – so that people know what to look out for if the prevention message comes too late.” 

Almost a quarter of British women holidaying abroad in hot countries are ignoring sunscreen protection despite most having been sunburnt. 

Skin types

• Type 1 – Pale skin, burn very easily and rarely tan. Generally have light coloured or red hair and freckles.
• Type 2 – Usually burn but may gradually tan. Likely to have light hair, and blue or brown eyes. Some may have dark hair but still have fair skin.
• Type 3 – Burn with long exposure to the sun and generally tan quite easily. Usually have light olive skin with dark hair and brown or green eyes.
• Type 4 – Burn with very lengthy exposures but always tan easily as well. Usually have brown eyes and dark hair.
• Type 5 – Naturally brown skin, with brown eyes and dark hair. Burn only with excessive exposure to the sun and skin easily darkens further.
• Type 6 – Black skin with dark brown eyes and black hair. Burn only with extreme exposure to the sun and skin very easily darkens further.

Source: British Association of Dermatologists

Also to mark Sun Awareness Week – April 30th – May 6th 2012 Macmillan Cancer Support released results from a poll, revealing that 22 per cent of women don’t use suntan lotion, with a quarter of those saying they don’t burn, and the rest because lotion is too expensive or doesn’t work. This is in spite of the fact that 79 per cent of women surveyed have experienced severe sunburn in the past.

With many people about to go on their annual escape to the sun, Macmillan Cancer Support is urging the public to increase its awareness of the importance of sun protection. 

Carol Goodman, a Macmillan Information Nurse specialist is concerned with the number of women choosing to forego sunscreen. “(They) are putting themselves at risk of skin cancer by not wearing any suntan lotion abroad. Over two and a half thousand people die of skin cancer every year and so it is a real issue,” she said in a statement.

The online survey of 1,500 women aged over 18 also showed that there is little awareness of the dangers of sunburnt skin, with 45 per cent thinking that after sun lotion could reduce damage caused by over-exposure to the sun.

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Goodman advises people to take sensible precautions in the sun: half an hour before going into the sun, adults should apply two thick layers of suntan lotion with sun protection factor (SPF) 15 -- higher for fairer skinned people (30-50+) -- to protect against harmful ultraviolet rays UVA and UVB; for children, a high factor SPF of around 30-50 plus is recommended; babies should be kept in the shade. She also advises wearing sunglasses and a sunhat and to avoid sunbathing between 11am and 3pm, especially in hot countries.

“Remember there is no such thing as a healthy tan however good it makes us look or feel,” said Goodman.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/sun-awareness-theres-an-app-for-that-229955.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/london-rooftops-will-carry-missiles-for-olympics-229199.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/london-rooftops-will-carry-missiles-for-olympics-229199.html#comments Sun, 29 Apr 2012 19:12:54 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=229199

Aerial view of the Olympic Stadium and warm-up track in the London 2012 Olympic Park on April 16, in London, England. (Anthony Charlton/LOCOG/Getty Images)

Britain’s defense ministry is setting up surface-to-air missile sites on residential buildings during the summer Olympics, reports said on Sunday.

The move would defend against any airborne terrorist threats during the games, but the missiles would be fired only as a last resort, resident Brian Whelan, citing a leaflet distributed by the defense ministry, told the London Telegraph.

“They will literally be above my head as I go to sleep at night. This is meant to be reassuring but to be honest, if anything it has created a lot of anxiety for me,” he told the newspaper.

He added, “I don’t think anyone wants to live in a militarized apartment building. Obviously there are security issues around the Olympics but I think this is an absolute overreaction.”

Where he lives is “highly built-up,” he said. “I can’t imagine any situation that you could safely use a high velocity missile over Tower Hamlets,” the 28-year-old said.

The Guardian reported that the missiles have a range of around 3 miles and will be manned by 10 unarmed soldiers, who might be guarded by police.

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“The location has been chosen as it is situated close to the Olympic Park and offers an excellent view of the surrounding area and the entire sky above the Olympic Park,” one of the leaflets obtained by the Guardian said.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/london-rooftops-will-carry-missiles-for-olympics-229199.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/researchers-test-new-method-to-reintroduce-wild-animals-228628.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/researchers-test-new-method-to-reintroduce-wild-animals-228628.html#comments Sat, 28 Apr 2012 08:03:40 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=228628

Eurasian cranes, also known as common cranes, are one of the species that has benefited from a new disease risk assessment method to help with the reintroduction of animals to the UK. (Steve Garvie/Wikimedia Commons)

Conservation efforts focused on reintroducing wild animals and birds to the UK can be fraught with problems – not least the threat of disease to both the native and transported populations.

Researchers at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) have tackled this problem by developing a new method for analysing the risk of disease outbreaks at every stage in the process.

Moving wild animals, known as translocation, is likely to become more common to conserve wild populations that are under threat from habitat loss caused by human factors and climate change.

In the past, introduction of non-native species has had a catastrophic effect on native wildlife. The classic example is the introduction in the late 19th century of the North American grey squirrel, and with it disease that decimated the British red squirrel populations.

To investigate the likelihood of disease outbreaks occurring when animals are moved for conservation reasons, the ZSL researchers adapted the disease-risk analysis method applied in the movement of domestic animals. This kind of risk analysis is similar to that used to estimate risks to people from sources such as car accidents or radioactivity.

Potential translocation hazards include parasites carried by the translocating animals and present in the destination population, which might bring both populations into contact with diseases they did not have immunity for. The stress of capture or transport might also affect the health of the animals.

To test their method, the researchers assessed the risks of translocating wild Eurasian cranes (Grus grus) from Germany to England as part of The Great Crane Project run by the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT), Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and Pensthorpe Conservation Trust. Cranes were widespread in Britain up until about 400 years ago when the draining of their wetland habitats, and hunting and egg collecting resulted in their eventual extinction.

A small wild crane population re-established itself in the Norfolk Broads in the 1980s; nesting cranes can also be seen in the East Anglian Fens. Now the Great Crane Project is trying to introduce a stable population to the Somerset Levels from wild populations in Germany.

After analysing the parasites harboured by the source population of cranes in Germany, captive cranes held in the UK, and the existing small population of UK cranes, the ZSL team identified 24 potential hazards.

The hazards were then ranked using their risk assessment method to determine if they posed a threat. One high-risk hazard identified was the parasite coccidian, and five medium-risk hazards included avian flu virus, parasitic nematode worms, and a bacteria and fungus.

Study lead author Tony Sainsbury said in a statement: “The fundamental difficulties in analysing the risk of disease associated with translocation of wild animals are that knowledge of the number, identity and distribution of parasites and their ability to induce disease is limited and requires further research. In the meantime post-release health monitoring remains very important.”

The results of the analysis, published online in the journal Conservation Biology this week, have been used to guide The Great Crane Project, which has so far reintroduced about 40 birds to the Somerset wetlands since 2010, according to the project’s website.

Each spring, eggs are collected from wild birds’ nests in Germany and transported to the WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre. After the chicks hatch, they attend “crane school”, where they are taught how to look after themselves by their dedicated human teachers. They are transported to Somerset and released into the wild at about five months old. This year’s chicks have just started to hatch.

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“This project has demonstrated that we have a feasible method to assess the risks of disease to translocations before they take place, which is very important if we are to avoid a catastrophe like that which has virtually wiped out the red squirrel in the UK,” Sainsbury said.

The new method is already being applied to the Natural England Species Recovery Programme.

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]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/researchers-test-new-method-to-reintroduce-wild-animals-228628.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/man-arrested-after-major-disturbance-in-central-london-228347.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/man-arrested-after-major-disturbance-in-central-london-228347.html#comments Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:50:10 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=228347

Tottenham Court Road, a major shopping centre in central London, was cordoned off by police for several hours this afternoon when office furniture and equipment was thrown from the top floor of a building.

A 49-year-old man has been arrested. There were fears he had hostages and had gasoline cylinders strapped to his body so buildings were evacuated and armed police and tracker dogs were deployed.

Police are now searching the building.

Huffington Post UK, which has offices in the adjacent building, posted a video on YouTube.

Abby Baafi, 27, head of training and operations at Advantage HGV which provides Heavy Goods Vehicle licenses for clients, told Huffington Post that she recognised the man as  one of her previous customers. He said his name was Micheal Green and he was specifically looking for her but she told him “I’m not Abby and I’m four months pregnant” and he let her go.

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She said he was mentally unbalanced and didn’t care about his life or anything and said he was going to blow the building up.

Police said there was no indication of hostages being involved.

 

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/man-arrested-after-major-disturbance-in-central-london-228347.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/lineup-for-cultural-olympics-festival-announced-228240.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/lineup-for-cultural-olympics-festival-announced-228240.html#comments Fri, 27 Apr 2012 07:17:22 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=228240

Daniel Barenboim will conduct the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra in a complete Beethoven symphony cycle culminating on July 27, the opening night of the London Olympics. (Daniel Barenboim)

The lineup for the London 2012 Festival—a major celebration to coincide with the London 2012 Olympics—was announced on Thursday, April 26.

Stars and artists including singer Damon Albarn, conductor Daniel Barenboim, actress Cate Blanchett, dissident Chinese artist Ai Wei Wei, and American singer Rihanna are to feature in a UK-wide festival.

More than 25,000 artists from all 204 competing Olympic nations are set to appear at the festival, which runs from June 21 to September 9.

Organisers said that there will be over 10 million free tickets for 12,000 events, covering a range of arts from music, theatre, fashion, dance, installations, comedy, and literature.

Stephen Fry said in a statement: “The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be an astonishing event, and it’s only right that we use the opportunity to showcase our world-leading arts and culture when the eyes of the world are on us.”

Highlights of the festival include BBC Radio 1’s Hackney Weekend starring musicians Jay-Z, Rihanna, and Jack White performing to 100,000 fans, while London’s newest landmark designed by internationally acclaimed artist Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond, the 115-foot-high The Orbit, will be launched in May.

Daniel Barenboim will conduct his West-Eastern Divan Orchestra in a complete Beethoven symphony cycle culminating on July 27, the opening night of the London Olympics.

“The London 2012 Festival will be the largest cultural celebration in our lifetime,” said Ruth Mackenzie, director of the Cultural Olympiad and London 2012 Festival, in a statement announcing the launch.

“With new work from the best musicians, comics, artists, film makers and more, there will be arts events taking place in unusual places all over the UK that will showcase the best in international culture when the eyes of the world are on us this summer.” she said.

The festival will be launched on Midsummer’s Night, June 21, with an open-air concert featuring star conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela playing at Stirling Castle in Scotland. Other spectacular events will take place at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall and Lake Windermere in Cumbria.

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Ed Vaizey, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, said in a statement: “The 2012 Games provides a unique chance to showcase Britain to the world. The London 2012 Festival highlights the enormous wealth of world class culture that this country has to offer, providing opportunities for everyone, everywhere to get involved and be inspired.”

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/lineup-for-cultural-olympics-festival-announced-228240.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/opposition-bears-down-on-cameron-over-murdoch-testimony-at-leveson-inquiry-227613.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/opposition-bears-down-on-cameron-over-murdoch-testimony-at-leveson-inquiry-227613.html#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2012 06:34:00 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=227613

U.K. Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt on April 25, in London, England. Hunt's special advisor Adam Smith resigned amid accusations that the Culture, Media and Sport department was too close with Murdoch’s News Corp. (Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

Jeremy Hunt is still the U.K. Culture Secretary after Prime Minister David Cameron strongly defended him during the PM’s Question Time on Wednesday.

Hunt had been spattered with calls to resign a day prior when James Murdoch in his evidence to the Leveson Inquiry into Press Ethics revealed a barrage of communication between Hunt’s department and Murdoch’s News Corps.

The Inquiry went through 163 pages of emails, phone calls, and texts that showed excessive openness from the Culture Department toward News Corp. The department was essentially in charge of adjudicating News Corps.’s bid to take control of TV company BSkyB in 2010 and 11. 

Hunt’s adviser, Adam Smith, who had conducted most of the correspondence with News Corps., resigned on Wednesday saying, “I appreciate my activities at times went too far.”

Smith’s resignation is not enough, says Harriet Harman, the opposition Labour Party’s deputy leader. She argues that Hunt should also step down because the Ministerial Code of Practice states that ministers are responsible for their staff.

The Prime Minister’s relationship with James Murdoch and his father, Rupert, who owns News Corps, is also under scrutiny. Cameron has been furtive about details relating to his connection to Rebekah Brooks, former CEO of News International, the print section of the Murdoch’s News Corps. Rupert Murdoch has said he considers her a second daughter.

Brooks and her husband have been arrested concerning phone hacking in the News of the World. 

Cameron was coy before admitting he had ridden on an ex-police horse owned by Brooks. He has also been very guarded about whether he spoke to James Murdoch about the BSkyB bid at a party given by Brooks during Christmas 2010.

This reticence and now his support of Hunt is associating the Prime Minister with “a shadow of sleaze,” Labour leader Ed Miliband shouted at Cameron in a noisy PM’s Question Time on Wednesday morning.

Chris Bryant, from the Labour Home Affairs group, told to the BBC that his party needs to keep up the pressure on Cameron, pointing out that while Rupert Murdoch has said he had meetings with Cameron on at least five occasions, Cameron admits to only one.

While Cameron was being grilled during Question Time, Rupert Murdoch was giving testimony to the Leveson Inquiry. 

Lead counsel for the Leveson inquiry, Robert Jay, questioned Rupert Murdoch on the deals and influence which Murdoch may have been trying to garner from Cameron and past prime ministers. Jay marshalled his questions toward establishing that Murdoch had political intentions.

Regarding ex-Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Murdoch claimed that Brown had “declared war” on him after The Sun shifted its support from Brown’s Labour Party to backing the Conservatives in the 2010 election campaign.

Murdoch said Brown “wasn’t in a very balanced state of mind” when he rang up to complain to the media mogul. 

When questioned about why he changed the editorial police at the paper, Murdoch said his decisions were not motivated by business. 

“Mr. Jay, you keep inferring that endorsements were motivated by business motives, and if that had been the case, we would have endorsed the Tory Party in every election. It was always more pro business,” said Murdoch.

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The Inquiry adjourned early to accommodate the stamina of Murdoch, 81, who faces another possible six hours of questioning on Thursday.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/opposition-bears-down-on-cameron-over-murdoch-testimony-at-leveson-inquiry-227613.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/rnli-steps-in-to-save-crew-of-fishing-boat-227403.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/rnli-steps-in-to-save-crew-of-fishing-boat-227403.html#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:25:28 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=227403 A fishing boat sank in the waters off Portsmouth just moments after her captain was snatched to safety on Sunday, April 22.

The Sea Bird, a local trawler out of Old Portsmouth, ran into trouble two miles off Eastney as crew noticed she was taking on water at her stern. When they called for help, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) made a dramatic rescue.

Though the crew were lifted to safety within minutes, a lifeboatman remained behind, having jumped free just before the stricken vessel sank out of sight. He swam until he was picked up by the Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service.

Such heroics typify a lofty vision to save lives, which has driven the RNLI, one of Britain’s favourite and enduring charities.

Founded 188 years ago and serving the UK and the Republic of Ireland, its volunteers are given expert training and required to put others first to fulfil an organisational promise to “end preventable loss of life at sea”.

Every day its lifeboat teams perform acts of selfless courage to save the lives of mariners for the charity, which has the Queen as its patron and runs almost exclusively on gifts, donations, and legacies.

Trusted by the public for high skills, dependability and excellent teamwork, the RNLI currently boasts 40,000 volunteers. Rescuers regularly win awards for valour and courage, with individual members often being recognised with medals and bravery awards.

RNLI crews provide 24-hour search and rescue lifeboats and seasonal lifeguard cover on 160 domestic beaches.

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Though it is still not clear exactly what caused the Sea Bird to sink at 2.45 a.m. on Sunday, the boat is to be salvaged and hopefully restored.

The craft’s fuel tanks were intact when she went down so a pollution risk is minimal.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/rnli-steps-in-to-save-crew-of-fishing-boat-227403.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/murdoch-emails-bring-calls-for-ministers-resignation-226854.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/murdoch-emails-bring-calls-for-ministers-resignation-226854.html#comments Wed, 25 Apr 2012 03:17:32 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=226854

Although James Murdoch gave over six hours of evidence to the Leveson Inquiry into Press Ethics on Tuesday, the real pressure is being brought to bear on U.K. Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

Murdoch answered stone-faced as barrister Robert Jay chipped away at over 160 pages of News Corps communications—perhaps two-thirds of which were to or from Hunt.

The majority of communications concerned the failed bid by News Corp. to buy all remaining shares in the global television company BSkyB. Murdoch was CEO of News Corp. at the time, a company owned by father Rupert Murdoch.

What emerged was the picture of an inappropriately close relationship between News Corp., which had much to gain from being allowed to buy the shares, and Hunt who was overseeing the application, and whose job in the transaction was tantamount to judge.

The bid for BSkyB was put in two months after the May 2010 general election, which resulted in the current coalition between the Conservatives and LibDems. Vince Cable, a LibDem, was business minister and in charge of overseeing the bid.

Cable refused to meet with Murdoch and was against News Corp. expanding its hold on media outlets.

Cable passed the bid to media regulator OfCom.

However, just before OfCom was to deliver its report in December 2010, Daily Telegraph undercover reporters secretly taped an interview with Cable, in which he said he “declared war” on Murdoch over the BSkyB affair, saying at one point, “I think we are going to win.”

For this and other rash remarks, over 50 civil servants with responsibility for telecommunications policy were moved from Cable’s business department to the Department of Culture Media and Sport headed by Hunt.

Hunt’s sympathetic view of Murdoch’s wishes was shown in email after email. It was thought to be quid pro quo for Murdoch’s paper The Sun backing the Conservatives in the election.

This assertion was avidly denied by James Murdoch. That would be “inappropriate,” he said, “I don’t do business that way.”

It was revealed that Hunt had been in communication with News Corp. while Cable had still been in charge of the bid.

This will cause friction within the coalition and put pressure on the prime minister who had given support to Hunt after the revelations.

Deputy opposition leader Harriet Harman and Evan Harris of the Hacked Off campaign and others have called for Hunt’s resignation.

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Hunt’s position seems increasingly untenable since, should he still be in his post when Leveson concludes, he would be in charge of implementing the inquiry’s recommendations.

It also puts the smooth running of the Olympics at stake, as overseeing major aspects of the games also falls to his post.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/murdoch-emails-bring-calls-for-ministers-resignation-226854.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/five-terror-suspects-arrested-in-uk-226578.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/five-terror-suspects-arrested-in-uk-226578.html#comments Tue, 24 Apr 2012 19:38:24 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=226578

A view taken 09 March 2004 shows the Paddington Green police station in west London. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty Images)

Five unnamed men were arrested in the U.K. on terrorism charges after police raided homes in Luton, according to reports.

The men, aged 21 to 35, are being held “on suspicion of the commission, preparation, or instigation of acts of terrorism,” a spokesperson with police told the London Evening Standard.

The suspects are believed to have been part of a terrorist conspiracy but had no attacks planned in the near future, the newspaper reported.

“The arrests were part of a preplanned, intelligence-led operation. All five were taken to the high-security Paddington Green police station this morning for questioning,” reads a statement from Scotland Yard quoted by the Standard.

The arrests were carried out by unarmed officers, AFP reported. “Full consideration has been given to treating those arrested, and especially their families, with appropriate respect for cultural and religious identity as far as is possible,” a spokesperson said.

The homes where the men were arrested will be searched over the next day and families affected were told to find other places to stay, the news agency said.

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Police sources told the Standard that the arrests are most likely not in connection with the deportation of radical cleric Abu Qatada to Jordan.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/five-terror-suspects-arrested-in-uk-226578.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/net-generation-does-not-exist-study-says-225890.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/net-generation-does-not-exist-study-says-225890.html#comments Mon, 23 Apr 2012 19:32:19 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=225890

Younger university students are easily distracted by social media and texting, according to new research. (Littleny/Dreamstime.com)

Despite being immersed in technology, not all students use or are skilled in technology use, according to new research. But mobile phones and social networking were found to pose a distraction from study for students under 25.

The research, led by Dr Christopher Jones of the Open University, looked at how today’s university students use technology for social and study purposes. Over 2,000 first year students at five English universities were surveyed and a sample of 68 students interviewed for the study. Some students also kept a written and video diary of their technology use over a 24-hour period. 

“Our research shows that the argument that there is a generational break between today’s generation of young people who are immersed in new technologies and older generations who are less familiar with technology is flawed,” Jones said in a statement. 

“The diverse ways that young people use technology today shows the argument is too simplistic and that a new single generation, often called the ‘net generation’, with high skill levels in technology does not exist.”

The results showed that a small minority of students do not use e-mail, while others are initially confused by the range of technologies now available at universities. Nearly 98 per cent of students who took part in the study owned a mobile phone, around three quarters owned a laptop, and over a third owned a desktop computer.

Little divide was seen between the sexes, with male and female students reporting similar IT skill levels. But male students were more confident in using spreadsheets, and graphics and audio visual programs, and in carrying out computer maintenance and security checks.

Technology use between younger and older students was, however, seen to differ. Students 20 years old or younger were more engaged in social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter, texting, instant messaging, and watching videos or uploading photographs, whereas technology use in the over 25s was found to be more related to study rather than leisure. Nearly 80 per cent of students over 35 never engaged in social networking sites.

This overuse of technology, particularly social networking and messaging, and its distracting effect, was frequently mentioned in interviews. But coping strategies, such as turning off devices while studying or only indulging during set breaks, were developed by the students.

Despite now having the technology to study anywhere, students still choose their bedroom or the university library, just as students did 10 years ago, the research found.

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Over two-thirds of students said their access to technology at university was adequate to meet their study needs, and there is no evidence that universities are failing to meet students’ technological demands, concluded the researchers

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/net-generation-does-not-exist-study-says-225890.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/children-of-the-90s-health-study-comes-of-age-224470.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/children-of-the-90s-health-study-comes-of-age-224470.html#comments Sat, 21 Apr 2012 11:48:27 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=224470

The ‘Children of the 90s’ study questioned 14,000 pregnant women about their health and lifestyle and studied their children over the last 21 years to determine the health of young people. (Graeme Robertson/Getty Images)

A ground breaking long-term study started in the 1990s to provide a resource for investigating the health and wellbeing of young people has celebrated its 21st birthday this week.

Fourteen thousand pregnant women from the Bristol area took part in what is known as the “Children of the 90s” study to improve the health of young people by examining various factors affecting them and their children.

The mothers completed questionnaires about the diet, lifestyle, behaviours, wellbeing, and health of both themselves and their young ones. When the children reached the age of seven they were questioned, examined, scanned, measured and weighed; they also gave samples of blood, urine, hair, nail clippings, and baby teeth every year or two up to the present. The parents’ health factors have also been monitored closely.

Professor Jean Golding, who initiated the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) at the University of Bristol in 1991 and was awarded an OBE for her work on the project, has paid tribute to the parents and children who participated in the research. “They, together with our research staff have already achieved so much that has changed the lives of children all over the world,” Golding said in a statement.

“The unique aspect in ALSPAC is the extraordinary range of data that has been collected,” said the current scientific director of ALSPAC, professor George Davey-Smith, in a video on the ALSPAC website.

One distinctive feature of the study is that data was collected even though it was not known what it might be used for. “For example, the placenta we collected 21 years ago when the recruiters to the study gave birth were stored and no one was really doing any research on them, but recently several groups have been utilising placentas for doing work on them,” Davey-Smith said. “Jean Golding’s amazing vision when she set the study up was to include everything you could.” 

ALSPAC data is being used for research in many countries around the world besides the UK such as, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and in Europe. 

Davey-Smith said that the aim of the research was to produce findings that improve public healthcare or influence government policy.

Some of the results of the study have included:

• Pregnant women who ate omega-3 rich fish had children with higher-than-average IQs, language abilities and better eyesight.
• Stress in pregnancy could lead to asthma and allergies, dyslexia and autism in their children.
• Asthma and allergies in children were more prevalent when women took frequent doses of paracetamol in the late stages of pregnancy; the use of eczema creams containing peanut oil were also found to increase allergies.
• Air fresheners and aerosols, and frequent use of household cleaning products were associated with diarrhoea, earache and allergies in babies. 
• Children who have 15 minutes of exercise a day showed a lower risk of childhood obesity.
• Youngsters who watch more than eight hours of television a week have a greater risk of adult obesity.

Golding told Bristol newspaper The Post that the scientific study has confirmed what her grandmother already knew: “She would always say put a baby to sleep on its back, that babies should get some sunshine and that fish was good for the eyes and the brain, and not to worry about a bit of dirt because it is good for them. What we have done is show that it is true.”

Having secured funds of £6 million to continue the study, it will now focus on the next generation: the babies of the original children and also expand to studying the mothers and fathers of the first babies in more detail. Davey-Smith is hopeful that “by integrating new technologies” the ALSPAC study will become “even more a world leading resource than it is”.

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To mark the “Children of the 90s” 21st birthday, a conference in Bristol was held this week with speakers including some of the 650 international academics who work with the ALSPAC data. Topics discussed included juvenile heart disease, bone development, reproductive health, risk factors for heavy drinking, and the causes of childhood asthma and allergies.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/children-of-the-90s-health-study-comes-of-age-224470.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/dog-choice-reflects-your-personality-study-says-223890.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/dog-choice-reflects-your-personality-study-says-223890.html#comments Fri, 20 Apr 2012 19:46:36 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=223890

Toy dog owners are more agreeable, conscientious, and open to new experiences, according to research from Bath Spa University. (Tanakawho/Wikimedia Commons)

The British are a nation of dog lovers, but now new research has shown the breed of dog you choose to own could reflect certain personality traits.

In the study, conducted in collaboration with the Kennel Club and OnePoll, 1,000 dog-owners filled in an online questionnaire to assess aspects of their personality including aggressiveness, emotional stability, and agreeableness.

Jo Fearon and Dr Lance Workman of Bath Spa University presented the results on Friday, April 20, at the British Psychological Society Annual Conference in London.

Dogs were grouped into seven breed types: gundogs (e.g. golden retriever), hound dogs (e.g. greyhound), pastoral (e.g. German shepherd), terrier (e.g. Staffordshire bull), toy (e.g. chihuahua), utility (e.g. bulldog), and working (e.g. doberman).

After analysing the results of the survey, the researchers found certain breed types corresponded with certain personality traits in their owners. Pastoral and utility breed dog owners were more extroverted, while those who owned gundogs or toy dogs were more agreeable. Owners of hound dogs were more emotionally stable and toy dog owners were more open to new experiences.

“This study indicates that we might be able to make predictions about someone’s personality based on the breed of dog that they choose to own. It seems that likely that personality types are subconsciously drawn to certain breeds,” said Workman in a press release.

Workman said the findings of the research could help people decide which dogs to own.

“The differences in personality factors found between owners of different breeds might arguably be related to the lifestyle of the owner,” he said.

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“For example, more extroverted individuals might be better suited to the pastoral breeds such as German shepherd or border collie, whereas those who are particularly emotionally stable might be suited to ownership of hound dogs such as a beagle or greyhound.”

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/dog-choice-reflects-your-personality-study-says-223890.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/first-record-chart-for-independent-stores-launches-223469.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/first-record-chart-for-independent-stores-launches-223469.html#comments Thu, 19 Apr 2012 23:39:04 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=223469

Lana Del Ray's Born To Die is the biggest selling album via independent record stores in the UK so far in 2012 (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Independent record shops in the UK are to be given a boost, with the launch of the first chart to reflect their sales.

The Official Record Store Chart will be made up of sales from around 100 independent record shops across the UK, such as well-known London shop Rough Trade, and Eastern Bloc in Manchester.

The new chart is being launched to coincide with Record Store Day, which celebrates the vibrancy of independent record shops in the UK.

Official Charts Company Managing Director Martin Talbot said in a statement: “Independent record shops are more important than ever in helping introduce music fans to new, interesting music. We very much hope that the Official Record Store Chart will serve to harness the focus created by Record Store Day and help maintain it week in, week out, through the year.”

Last year independent record shops accounted for 4.4 per cent of physical albums sold in stores—more than 2.5 million albums—but were disproportionately responsible for 95.8 per cent of all vinyl albums sold.

Vinyl has been seeing a resurgence in recent years, with collectors heralding its “warm” sound and sheer physicality when compared to CDs and MP3s. In 2011, sales of vinyl albums increased by 43 per cent year on year, to a six year high of 389,000 copies. This is, though, a drop in the ocean compared to the pre-CD days of 1975, when vinyl sold 91.6 million albums.

It’s a trend spearheaded by artists like Radiohead, whose “The King of Limbs” was the biggest selling vinyl album in the UK in 2011.

Logo: (The Official Chart Company)

Big sellers so far this year via independent shops include Lana Del Ray’s “Born to Die”, Leonard Cohen’s “Old Ideas”, and Bruce Springsteen’s “Wrecking Ball”.

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Rupert Morrison, manager of The Drift Record Shop in Devon, said in a statement: “The Official Record Store Chart will be a fascinating insight into the musical identity of these fine independent institutions … and of course the people that frequent them!”

The Official Record Store Chart will launch on Friday, April 20 at 5 p.m. on the Official Charts website, and every week following that at 7 p.m. on Sundays.

Follow John Smithies on Twitter

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/first-record-chart-for-independent-stores-launches-223469.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/fracking-can-resume-in-uk-despite-blackpool-earthquakes-says-report-222562.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/fracking-can-resume-in-uk-despite-blackpool-earthquakes-says-report-222562.html#comments Wed, 18 Apr 2012 10:23:17 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=222562 Fracking, the controversial shale gas extraction method suspended in the UK following earth tremors last year, could resume in the UK, recommends a report delivered to government by experts.

Controversy continues over the safety of the Cuadrilla shale fracking facility in Preston, Lancashire. (Mathew LLoyd/Getty images)

The report, by The British Geological Survey, Keele University, and industry specialists Gfrac Technologies, says it is safe to allow the controversial process, despite confirming that earthquakes up to 2.3 magnitude at two sites run by Caudrilla Resources at Preese Hill in Lancashire in 2011 were directly caused by the problematic hydraulic technique. 

Public concern surrounds the method domestically, triggering local meetings and campaigns. Earlier in the year, anti-fracking campaigners in Sussex raised serious concerns about plans to extract shale gas there.

Fracking injects a cocktail of sand and chemicals in water under high pressure into deep bore holes to cause explosions that release methane gas. The gas is then forced back to the surface for processing. 

It has for some time been the subject of alarm for US citizens, who have complained that the increasingly widespread practice has contaminated the water table and seeped into domestic water supplies through weak well walls that remain once gas has been extracted. 

The report, the recommendations of which are expected to be accepted by politicians, says the danger is no more than that associated with conventional mining and recommends that protocols related to live monitoring of seismic activity should accompany future extraction works. 

It states that tremors up to magnitude 3 are the maximum to be expected and while unlikely to cause more than minor structural damage, “such an event would be strongly felt by people within a few kilometres of the epicentre and could cause some alarm”. 

Restrictions recommended to accompany future works include a “traffic light system” where there would be curtailment of extraction activity when seismic activity reaches a level of only 0.5 magnitude.

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Green campaigners opposed to the practice continue to highlight that the method is not carbon friendly and should be dropped in favour of developing renewable and cleaner energy production methods such as wind farms. 

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/fracking-can-resume-in-uk-despite-blackpool-earthquakes-says-report-222562.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/health/doctors-unite-to-size-up-nations-obesity-problem-221631.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/health/doctors-unite-to-size-up-nations-obesity-problem-221631.html#comments Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:20:50 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=221631

The British have the highest rates of obesity in Europe. (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

British health professionals from all disciplines have collaborated to launch a campaign to tackle an obesity epidemic.

The organisation representing all medical practitioners, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC), says that urgent action is needed to stem the tide of Britain’s “single greatest public health threat”.

The AoMRC has criticised the government’s current strategy for having little effect. The “Call to Action” strategy urges the food industry to voluntarily encourage the reduction of people’s calorie consumption. 

Lead campaigner professor Terence Stephenson, vice chair of the academy and president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said in a statement, “We recognise the huge crisis waiting to happen and believe that current strategies to reduce obesity are failing to have a significant impact.”

In an unprecedented move, doctors from all 21 royal medical colleges and faculties will in the next three months examine best practices and research to determine practical recommendations for an effective anti-obesity approach and produce a report with the academy’s proposals in the autumn.

The academy is calling for the public and health professionals to submit successful experiences and clinical research to its inquiry. The focus will be on five major areas: individual action; society, such as advertising and location of food outlets; health professional interventions; financial measures, such as taxation on unhealthy food; and education.

Professor Sir Neil Douglas, chair of the Academy of Royal Medical Colleges, said in a statement: “We are absolutely determined to push for whatever changes need to happen to make real progress in tackling obesity—which is why we’re casting the net wide to get input from a range of organisations and individuals.”

Alarming figures from the academy show that the UK has the highest rate of obesity in Europe: almost a quarter of women and just over a fifth of men in the UK are overweight or obese. By the age of nine, one in three children is overweight, and it is predicted that half of children will be obese or overweight by 2020.

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) recognises that the issue needs a collective effort from parents, children, health professionals, government, and the food manufacturing industry. Educating families and health professionals is needed to instigate change in eating habits. “This has the objective of achieving the cultural shift in improved nutrition and increased exercise to achieve a sustained decrease in the numbers of children that are overweight or obese,” the RCPCH said in a position statement available on its website.

The Observer reported that the academy is calling for food giants like McDonald’s and Coca-Cola to be banned from sponsoring the Olympics and having fast-food outlets near schools. It also wants controls to prevent celebrities and popular animation characters from advertising junk food and drinks.

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The direct cost of obesity to the NHS is estimated to be £4.2 billion a year, according to government statistics.

Barbara Gallani, director of Food Safety and Science at the Food and Drink Federation, agrees that obesity is a major problem and needs to be tackled but denied that the food industry has been ignoring the issue.

“Food manufacturers have a good track record of making positive contributions to improving public health through a wide range of actions,” she said in a statement.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/health/doctors-unite-to-size-up-nations-obesity-problem-221631.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/shen-yun-on-tour/shen-yun-performing-arts-departs-europe-after-successful-tour-221638.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/shen-yun-on-tour/shen-yun-performing-arts-departs-europe-after-successful-tour-221638.html#comments Mon, 16 Apr 2012 07:43:31 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=221638

Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company departs Europe from London Heathrow airport on Monday, Apr 16. (Simon Gross/Epoch Times)

After five full houses at the London Coliseum, a whistlestop performance in Paris, and performances in Zurich, Stockholm, The Hague, Frankfurt, and Berlin, Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company has left Europe for America.

Fans saw them off at London Heathrow airport on Monday, April 16 with banners reading “I love Shen Yun,” and “Congratulations on Shen Yun’s successful European tour.”

Promoter of the London leg of the tour, Dr. Wei Liu, said that for many of the Shen Yun artists this was their first time in London. They made time for sightseeing at London landmarks like Big Ben, and the London Eye.

“They like London very much, and also like the London audience because the audience showed their appreciation and enjoyed their performance,” Dr. Liu said.

Dancer Tim Wu said performing in Europe was different from when they play in North America. “There’s so much history and culture here,” he said.

Mr. Wu appreciated the send-off from fans. “It’s a good feeling, a lot of hard work from everybody goes into the show, and when the audience members like our show we feel really good, so it keeps us going.”

He added: “We’re trying to revive ancient Chinese traditional culture, and it feels like they really understand our message, and they really enjoyed themselves.”

Dancer Alison Chen said her experience of performing in London had improved from the last time she was here in 2009, when the company performed at New London Theatre. “Last time performing was harder because the theatre was smaller, but this time at the Coliseum it was a better experience because it’s one of the best venues in London,” she said.

But there won’t be any rest for Ms. Chen when the group returns home. Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company is set to perform in Chicago from April 19-22, with more cities in the United States following that.

They will then return to Shen Yun’s base in upstate New York to prepare for next year’s performances, and will be back in London in 2013.

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For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/shen-yun-on-tour/shen-yun-performing-arts-departs-europe-after-successful-tour-221638.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/shen-yun-on-tour/shen-yun-performers-take-a-break-and-visit-the-sights-of-london-219962.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/shen-yun-on-tour/shen-yun-performers-take-a-break-and-visit-the-sights-of-london-219962.html#comments Fri, 13 Apr 2012 12:00:22 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=219962

Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company pictured together in front of Big Ben in London. (Simon Gross/The Epoch Times)

Performers from Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company took a break in their busy schedule to visit London on Friday, April 13, before an evening performance at the London Coliseum.

The artists have performed in Berlin, Frankfurt, Paris, Stockholm, The Hague, and Zürich before coming to London. The entire company travels together in coaches. They have little free time left over from performing, travelling, practising, and attending VIP receptions.

Brian Nieh, a dancer with the company, told The Epoch Times: “It’s just really nice to get out and check out the city sometimes because if you ask a lot of the dancers, they have the same feeling. Sometimes we get to a city and then all we see are the hotel, our bus, and then backstage. Sometimes we don’t even get to see the lobby.”

The company walked around central London and saw the Houses of Parliament, Whitehall, Big Ben, a memorial for soldiers who died in the Battle of Britain, and Tower Bridge.

Mr. Nieh said: “Europe is such a wonderful place with beautiful scenery and lots of history; it’s really great to be able to go out and check out famous monuments or buildings.”

When not on tour, many of the performers train with some of the world’s top Chinese singers, musicians, costume designers, choreographers and other dancers to produce a new show every year.

With additional reporting by Lee Hall.

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Shen Yun Performing Arts, based in New York, has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world, with a mission to revive traditional Chinese culture. Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company will perform at The London Coliseum until April 15.

For more information visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/shen-yun-on-tour/shen-yun-performers-take-a-break-and-visit-the-sights-of-london-219962.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/indigenous-people-farmed-the-amazon-without-fire-219505.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/indigenous-people-farmed-the-amazon-without-fire-219505.html#comments Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:59:01 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=219505

Trees of the Amazon rain forest burn in northern Brazil to clear land for cattle raising. New research on the savannas of French Guiana has discovered indigenous people farmed the area for hundreds of years without using fire. (Antonio Scorza/AFP/Getty Images)

Indigenous people living in the savannas around the Amazonian forest 800 years ago farmed their land sustainably and without using fire, new research led by the UK’s University of Exeter has discovered.

Reintroducing these traditional farming methods to the region could help to preserve the natural ecosystem that is being rapidly destroyed by burning, industrial agriculture, and cattle ranching, the researchers said in their study, published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

By studying charcoal fragments, pollen, and plant remains in a sediment core that goes back 2,150 years, the international team was able to chart the change in land use in coastal French Guiana before and after the “Columbian Encounter” (CE) of 1492—when the arrival of Europeans decimated indigenous populations through the introduction of diseases.

“The peat core revealed that this particular region of the coastal savannas of French Guiana was a flooded savanna between around 200 BC and 1200 AD, which was then reshaped into an agricultural landscape by the construction of raised-field systems by pre-Columbian farmers, and the latter were ultimately abandoned after around 1540 as a consequence of the Columbian Encounter,” explained lead researcher Dr. José Iriarte of Exeter University in an email.

In the “raised-field” system, the farmers planted their crops on mounds of earth created using wooden tools. These raised platforms provided the farmers with easier access to their crops, better soil drainage and aeration, and increased soil fertility. Though the system is labor intensive, modern experiments have shown it to be highly productive.

Surrounding the mounds were drainage channels—important in an area that is seasonally flooded—which could be used for fish and turtle farming. The muck that collected in the bottom of the channels could also be used as a renewable source of fertilizer.

The raised-field system had the effect of limiting fires in what is otherwise a fire-prone area with a long dry season, said the researchers. This had benefits as fire destroys nutrients and organic matter in the soil.

In the years following the arrival of Europeans in 1540, and a decline in the indigenous population, raised-field farming was abandoned. The flooded areas were drained by canals, and a different form of agriculture was introduced by colonial farmers, which resulted in a significant increase in fires, the researchers found.

The results of this study are the opposite of what is seen in the more tropical regions of the Amazonian forest. Previous research has shown that fire was used extensively to clear land for agriculture, leading to a build up of charcoal in the soil.

“Contrasting with our results that show limited use of fire in pre-Columbian times and the dramatic increase of fires after the CE, in the American tropical forested regions 90 percent of the records show an increase of fires during the last millennia before the CE and a sharp decrease of fires after the CE,” said Iriarte.

“This is due to different land use management techniques in these two different areas. Pre-Columbian farmers were practicing slash and burn agriculture in the forest (leaving a lot of charcoal in the soils and lake sediments where we retrieve our information), a practice that substantially diminishes after the CE with the decimation of their numbers.”

Previously, researchers assumed fires were also a regular feature of farming on the savannas.

“It was speculated that all these tropical savannas were subjected to regular anthropogenic fires in pre-Columbian times,” said Iriarte. “We now know this was not always the case. … And there are more surprises to come. Amazonia is a large and diverse place with a long history of human occupation.”

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Iriarte says that although raised-field farming is no longer practiced in the area, Oxfam and Fundacion Kenneth Lee have implemented raised-field farming in areas of lowland Bolivia with promising results.

“This ancient, time-tested, fire-free land use could pave the way for the modern implementation of raised-field agriculture in rural areas of Amazonia,” Iriarte said in a press release.

“Intensive raised-field agriculture can become an alternative to burning down tropical forest for slash and burn agriculture by reclaiming otherwise abandoned and new savannah ecosystems created by deforestation. It has the capability of helping curb carbon emissions and at the same time provide food security for the more vulnerable and poorest rural populations.”

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]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/indigenous-people-farmed-the-amazon-without-fire-219505.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/shen-yun-on-tour/shen-yun-set-to-perform-at-the-london-coliseum-219106.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/shen-yun-on-tour/shen-yun-set-to-perform-at-the-london-coliseum-219106.html#comments Thu, 12 Apr 2012 04:15:41 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=219106

The London Coliseum, the largest theatre in the English capital, where Shen Yun Performing Arts will perform this week. (Roger Luo/The Epoch Times)

LONDON—Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company is to perform in London on the evening of April 12, following successful performances in Paris and The Hague.

It’s the second time one of the three Shen Yun companies has come to perform at The London Coliseum, having delighted audiences in 2011.

Vice-President of the European Parliament, Edward McMillan-Scott, sent a note of greeting to Shen Yun before the company’s arrival in the UK.

“I believe that anyone who appreciates the arts cannot fail to be impressed by this remarkable performance. I am happy to have welcomed Shen Yun Performing Arts to the European Parliament -- the heart of democracy in Europe -- on numerous occasions to launch their European tour,” Mr McMillan-Scott said in his statement.

He continued: “These days, especially in China, it is increasingly difficult to break through the mass media and commercial messages to find something that is arresting and interesting. I think Shen Yun achieves this, and offers something entirely different and new. I would encourage everyone to attend this very beautiful and enjoyable show.”

In previous years Shen Yun has performed at Royal Festival Hall, the New London Theatre, and in Edinburgh and Wales.

This year’s London show is scheduled to run until Sunday April 15, with five performances—three in the evening, and two matinees.

MEP Gerard Batten said that Shen Yun “offers a beacon of hope for democracy and freedom in China.” He encouraged Shen Yun Performing Arts to “come to London, put on a great show, have a wonderful time, send a positive message to Londoners and the British people who come to see it and also back home to the oppressed people in China who live under the heel of the Chinese Communist Party.”

A New York-based performing arts company, Shen Yun is dedicated to the revival of the 5,000-year-old traditional, divinely-inspired Chinese culture. The company presents classical Chinese dance, music and bel canto song, short stories depicting Chinese myths and history, and ethnic and folk dance.

Lord Grantchester said he was looking forward to Shen Yun with “great enthusiasm”, saying the “colours and design of the costumes make it a stunning display.”

Celebrities likewise welcomed Shen Yun to London, including former Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt. Ms Wyatt said: “I think you guys have had such an impact already, I want to go and see the show and hope that many others come and support everything that you do.”

The Gadget Show presenter Suzi Perry said she was “honoured” to have Shen Yun in the UK.

Well wishes also came in Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, and David Burrowes MP, plus mayors of the London boroughs of Hillingdon, Wandsworth, Waltham Forest, and Richmond-upon-Thames.

Tickets are still available for the London shows via ShenYunPerformingArts.org

Shen Yun Performing Arts, based in New York, tours the world on a mission to revive traditional Chinese culture. 

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Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company will perform at the London Coliseum from April 12-15.

For more information visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/shen-yun-on-tour/shen-yun-set-to-perform-at-the-london-coliseum-219106.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/singer-adele-tops-young-musicians-rich-list-with-20-million-fortune-218357.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/singer-adele-tops-young-musicians-rich-list-with-20-million-fortune-218357.html#comments Wed, 11 Apr 2012 23:02:01 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=218357

Singer Adele is the richest young musician in the UK, with a fortune of £20 million. (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

Pop star Adele has topped the list of wealthiest young musicians in the UK, with a fortune of £20 million.

Adele more than trebled her wealth after the global success of her second album “21,” with an increase of £14 million on her £6 million 2011 wealth. “21″ has been certified 15 times platinum in the UK alone.

The 23-year-old’s wealth puts her £8 million ahead of Cheryl Cole, Leona Lewis, and Katie Melua, whose wealth is unchanged from 2011 at £12 million each.

New on the 2012 list, which is to be published by The Sunday Times on April 29, are all four members of boy band JLS, who are each worth £5 million, as is Jessie J, who has sold nearly a million copies of her album “Who You Are.”

Singer/songwriter Natasha Bedingfield also made the top 20 with wealth of £6 million, despite a relatively unsuccessful career in recent years. Her last studio album, “Strip Me,” wasn’t released in Britain and peaked at 103 on the US Billboard Chart in 2010.

Craig David, likewise, appears at number 6 in the top 20 with wealth of £8 million, despite his last album, 2010′s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” reaching just number 13 in the UK Album Charts.

Last year’s richest young musician was opera singer Katherine Jenkins with £13 million, but the Welsh star drops off the list this year because she is now over 30.

Elsewhere in the rich list, Woman in Black and Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe is Britain’s richest young actor, with a fortune of £54 million. His Potter co-stars Emma Watson and Rupert Grint come in at fifth and sixth in the top 20, with fortunes of of £26 million and £24 million, respectively.

The richest model under 30 is Keira Knightley, whose work with Chanel, alongside her acting career, contributed to a wealth of £30 million.

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A number of other young actors and musicians that made the list augmented their wealth by branching out into modelling. Jessie J has a deal with Pretty Polly, Cheryl Cole with L’Oreal, and Lily Allen with Chanel.

Devon-born Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, who made her name as a model, is now also working in films, making her debut in last year’s Transformers: Dark of the Moon. She is new to the rich list with a fortune of £5 million.

Follow John Smithies on Twitter

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/singer-adele-tops-young-musicians-rich-list-with-20-million-fortune-218357.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/teachers-strikes-likely-if-government-pushes-regional-pay-schemes-forward-218021.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/teachers-strikes-likely-if-government-pushes-regional-pay-schemes-forward-218021.html#comments Wed, 11 Apr 2012 08:52:48 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=218021 Teachers’ strikes are likely in June and in the autumn, after unions voted to stand with other trade unions in blocking the government’s attempts to have regional pay schemes for public sector workers.

In its Torquay conference over the Easter weekend, the National Union of Teachers (NUT) agreed that a move towards localised pay is an attack on teachers and the school system in general by the coalition government.

Delegates agreed the union should put a resolution or amendment to the Trades Union Congress (TUC) conference this autumn to develop “maximum unity against any measures to introduce local pay and attacks on pensions”, according to national reports.

At its annual conference in Birmingham on the same day, the NASUWT teaching union agreed to escalate its campaign against attacks on pay, pensions, working conditions, and job losses.

And last week, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) passed a resolution at its conference in Manchester raising calls for the union to defend national pay structures for teachers. It also expressed concerns over the government’s bid to reduce the power of the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB).

The STRB—which deals with pay and conditions—has been asked to look at the possibilities for making pay more “market-facing”. It is part of a wider government move towards regional or local pay rates.

NUT Deputy General Secretary Kevin Courtney is reported to have said to the union that teaching was a national profession and should have national pay rates.

“Pay rates in different parts of the country would be very bad for the economy,” he said. “This is about our preparation for a campaign if the government does go down this route.”

The Department of Education said industrial action is premature when it is not known what the recommendations of the STRB will be—it does not report until September 2012.

In a leaked letter in February, Education Secretary Michael Gove asked the STRB for guidance on how to make teachers’ pay and conditions more in line with markets. He also asked how to maintain and support teachers in schools and raise the status of the profession.

Under plans from May 2011, the STRB said heads in maintained schools will be barred from earning any more than £140,000. This will be different in academies, and Mr Gove said that heads can earn up to 25 per cent extra for taking on responsibilities such as executive headships or consultancies.

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Qualified teachers’ main pay scale (scale point 1) according to the Times Educational Supplement from September 2011 is: Inner London £27,000, Outer London £25,117, fringe £22,626, rest of England and Wales £21,588.

The upper pay scale is: Inner London £41,497, Outer London £37,599, fringe £35,218, rest of England and Wales £34,181.

The NUT also called on Monday for the possibility of strike action to slow the rise of academies and free schools.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/teachers-strikes-likely-if-government-pushes-regional-pay-schemes-forward-218021.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/attempts-to-stop-classical-chinese-dance-show-go-back-four-years-promoters-reveal-217247.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/attempts-to-stop-classical-chinese-dance-show-go-back-four-years-promoters-reveal-217247.html#comments Mon, 09 Apr 2012 20:32:19 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=217247

The London Coliseum, the largest theatre in London, where Shen Yun will perform from April 12 -- April 15, this year. (Roger Luo/Da Ji Yuan/The Epoch Times)

The promoters of classical Chinese dance show Shen Yun have revealed for the first time a pattern of interference with UK and Irish performances stretching back over the last four years.

In 2008 Shen Yun performed for the first time in the UK at the newly revamped Royal Festival Hall.

Zek Halu was the main contact with Royal Festival Hall for the promoters at the time. He says that his contact at the RFH told him the Embassy staff had contacted the theatre and told them that there would be disturbances and problems with the audience. 

Mr Halu says that he was also contacted by Special Branch police officers who knew that the Chinese Embassy had been interfering. 

After the performances, he said the RFH had several e-mails from theatre-goers complaining about Shen Yun. “After I looked at a few of them, I realised they contained identical phrases. It was clearly an orchestrated effort – the same as in other cities,” he said.

In 2009, venue group Live Nation cancelled a performance of Shen Yun at Edinburgh’s Playhouse theatre, citing Live Nation’s business interests in China.

Eddie Aitken of promoters Tang Arts, said: “The manager of the Playhouse told me that he’d made an enquiry to Live Nation, the parent company of the Playhouse, about whether there would be any conflict of interest with their business in China. Live Nation said yes. In that case, unfortunately, he said, we’ll have to cancel the booking.”

Following a campaign by fans of the show, Live Nation reversed their decision, ultimately allowing Shen Yun to perform to a capacity audience.

In 2010 it was revealed that all foreign diplomatic missions in Dublin were written to by the Chinese Embassy, to “kindly remind” them not to attend the first performance of Shen Yun in the city.

“The Embassy kindly reminds you not to attend the show,” the letter, sent by ambassador Liu Biwei’s secretary, stated.

Attempts by the Chinese Embassy to derail upcoming performances at the London Coliseum have now been condemned by a growing list of MPs and councillors.

Brian Coleman, an outspoken member and former chair of the London Assembly, described the actions of the Embassy as disgraceful. 

“It’s not up to the Chinese government to dictate to the English National Opera who they let the Coliseum to,” he said. 

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“There is a long and distinguished history here in Great Britain of allowing artistic freedom,” Mr Coleman told Sound of Hope Radio. “We are a free society here in London – the greatest artistic society in the world I would suggest – and we are not going to tolerate this sort of political interference from the Chinese government.”

Music professor Peter Graham saw Shen Yun for the first time back in 2008 at the RFH. He is full of praise for Shen Yun. What he highlights is not the music or the dancing – which he says are beautiful – but the values behind the performance, and the fact that Shen Yun includes modern stories of courage and compassion alongside the historical tales and legends. 

Next page  …  “Those are values which are rooted in China from the early days, but if you know your history, through the communist rise, they made every effort to destroy those very values.

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]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/attempts-to-stop-classical-chinese-dance-show-go-back-four-years-promoters-reveal-217247.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/identifying-maverickism-in-employees-could-benefit-businesses-217087.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/identifying-maverickism-in-employees-could-benefit-businesses-217087.html#comments Mon, 09 Apr 2012 11:23:13 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=217087

Successful businessmen like Sir Richard Branson tend to be described as independent thinkers, creative problem solvers, quick decision makers, and goal-oriented individuals. (Michael Buckner/Getty Images)

Identifying employees with maverick tendencies and channelling their creative talents could lead to businesses being more successful, according to a recent study. 

The study of 458 employees from different organisations by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and the University of New South Wales, Australia, suggests that for businesses to be more competitive in the global market, they need to be more resourceful and make greater use of the talents of mavericks in their workplace. 

Mavericks, like successful businessmen Richard Branson and Steve Jobs, tend to be described as independent thinkers, creative problem solvers, quick decision makers, and goal-oriented individuals.

Dr Elliroma Gardiner of LSE and professor Chris Jackson of UNSW said in a statement that “being a maverick is more than just having an idea or a hunch pay off, it is about taking real risks and achieving in a way that is unique and unexpected”.

As well as being risk takers, mavericks are open to new ideas. Richard Branson started his own airline Virgin Atlantic, which took on the might of British Airways and has become one of the most profitable airlines in the world. 

The research found that although mavericks are creative, independent thinkers they tend to be troublesome and poor team players, and therefore low in “agreeableness”.

They are usually extroverts and highly persuasive in gaining support for their ideas. 

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Gardiner and Jackson concluded, “Although we are not suggesting that businesses rush to fill their organisations with ‘mavericks’, what we are suggesting is that in the current climate, where many businesses are asking their workers to do more with less, encouraging workers to be creative and giving them some leeway to take measured risks may have some potential benefits.”

The research is due to be published later this year in the British Journal of Psychology.

]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/identifying-maverickism-in-employees-could-benefit-businesses-217087.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/life/and-the-band-played-on-aboard-the-titanic-217010.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/life/and-the-band-played-on-aboard-the-titanic-217010.html#comments Mon, 09 Apr 2012 07:49:26 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=217010

Bandleader Wallace Henry Hartley 2.6.1878 -- 15.4.1912 (Wikemedia/Commons)

The kind and courageous conduct of the musicians who went down with the Titanic on the night of the April 14/15th, 1912, is inextricably entwined in the history of that tragic sea disaster. 

Though the eight were not even White Star Line’s employees but second-class passengers booked through a Liverpool agency, there was nothing second class about the dignified bravery this legendary band showed. They played on with familiar songs for the comfort of the passengers, despite the impending doom. Presenting in full evening wear, they played initially in the first class lounge, then on the boat deck during the iconic liners’s maiden but final voyage. 

Formerly, band members had performed for passengers not as an orchestra but separately as a quintet and trio. Yet 33 year old bandleader Wallace Hartley gathered them together for the first time on that fateful night and like the ship itself they struck up together in a first but last performance. How poignant must the classical refrains have sounded to the passengers, their hope fading, as the giant ship listed dramatically and her decks slanted perilessly towards the freezing, merciless waters of the vast Atlantic. 

The dignity of these men moved people so much in the wake of the disaster that their courage has been told and retold across a whole century. Their poise and altruism in the face of certain death remains legendary because they continued to play when it must have became clear that there simply weren’t as many lifeboat places as there were people. It continues to be a source of great romantic speculation as to what the last song they played might have been, with some enthusiasts favouring “Nearer, My God, to Thee”.

At the suggestion of a then director of The Liverpool Philharmonic Society, a plaque to the eight was erected. This was because Titanic’s viola player, John Frederick Preston Clarke, had been connected to Liverpool Philharmonic Hall in the past. The memorial, formerly situated along a back stage corridor, now graces the Hall’s front foyer.

The inscription reads:

“THIS TABLET IS DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY
OF W.HARTLEY OF DEWSBURY
-BANDMASTER-
W.T.BRAILEY OF LONDON
R.BRICOUX OF LILLE,FRANCE
J.F.CLARKE OF LIVERPOOL
J.L.HUME OF DUMFRIES
G. KRINS OF LIEGE, BELGIUM
P.C.TAYLOR OF LONDON
J.W.WOODWARD OF HEADINGTON

MEMBERS OF THE BAND ON BOARD
THE “TITANIC”; THEY BRAVELY
CONTINUED PLAYING TO SOOTHE THE
ANGUISH OF THEIR FELLOW PASSENGERS
UNTIL THE SHIP SANK IN THE DEEP
APRIL 14TH 1912.
COURAGE AND COMPASSION JOINED
MAKE THE HERO AND THE MAN COMPLETE”

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]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/life/and-the-band-played-on-aboard-the-titanic-217010.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/where-does-the-easter-bunny-get-its-eggs-215950.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/where-does-the-easter-bunny-get-its-eggs-215950.html#comments Fri, 06 Apr 2012 11:35:50 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=215950

Spanish researchers have shown how birds' eggs (pale grey) differ from dinosaurs' eggs (darker grey). A University of Leicester researcher has taken this one step further and added Easter eggs to the comparison. (Mark Purnell/University of Leicester)

Easter eggs come from different “species”, says a scientist from the UK’s University of Leicester.

Recent research by Spanish scientists that compared the shape of dinosaur eggs with those of birds prompted Mark Purnell of the university’s Department of Geology to examine the origins of Easter eggs.

“Where do Easter eggs come from? At face value this is a simple question, but any parent trying to provide an answer this Easter might struggle to come up with a satisfactory response,” said Purnell in a media release.

“According to many, the eggs are delivered by the Easter Bunny, but that doesn’t really address the question; where does the Easter Bunny get them from? A quick search of the internet reveals a confusing range of rumour and speculation—could the Easter Bunny really be a hare? Are Easter eggs from hare’s nests (and are these really plover nests?) Or are the eggs just symbols of pagan gods?”

Not unsurprisingly, Purnell found a considerable variation in the size and shape of Easter eggs, much more so than if they had all come from the same “parent species”.

“Many of the smaller eggs to be found commonly on the UK High Street are very similar in shape to hen’s eggs, providing strong clues to their original source,” he said. “Others are more similar in shape to Condor eggs.

“Perhaps more surprisingly a few eggs are closer in shape to those of dinosaurs, with one in particular being the same shape as the 70 million-year-old dinosaur egg, Sankofa pyrenaica, described by the Spanish team.”

The Spanish study, by Nieves Lopez-Martinez of the Universidad Complutense of Madrid and Enric Vicens of the Universitat Autonoma of Barcelona, investigated ancient dinosaur eggs discovered in the Pyrenees to find out if they were more similar in shape to modern birds’ eggs or dinosaur eggs.

Dinosaurs and birds are the only egg-laying animals with unsymmetrical eggs.

Using a mathematical formula, the scientists worked out all possible egg shapes and then plotted 16 real eggs into this “egg morphospace”.

“We found that different species have different shaped eggs, and that the eggs of dinosaurs are not the same shape as the eggs of birds,” said Enric Vicens in the release.

“Dinosaur eggs tend to be more elongate and less rounded than birds eggs.

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“Dinosaur eggs also tend to be more symmetrical with less distinction between the blunt and the more pointed end,” Vicens added.

A microscopic study of the Pyrenees eggs also revealed that they have an unusual shell structure, different from that of modern birds. Because of their unique shape and shell structure, Vicens and Lopez-Martinez described the eggs as a new species, Sankofa pyrenaica.

The eggs were found in rocks interpreted as sandy lagoon deposits, and were probably laid by a small carnivorous dinosaur, say the researchers.

Their research is published in the March issue of the journal Palaeontology.

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]]> http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/where-does-the-easter-bunny-get-its-eggs-215950.html/feed 0 http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/sky-announces-multi-million-pound-film-fund-215397.html http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-kingdom/sky-announces-multi-million-pound-film-fund-215397.html#comments Thu, 05 Apr 2012 21:31:27 +0000 Epoch Times http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/?p=215397 Sky has announced a “multi-million pound” investment in British films, with the company pledging £600 million by 2014.

The films will be made exclusively for viewing on Sky’s own channels and will be “aimed at the whole family”, the company said in a statement.

Projects will be of a similar scale to recent home-grown productions like Treasure Island (starring Eddie Izzard) and Neverland (featuring Anna Friel and Bob Hoskins), and will have budgets of around £5 million each.

Sky will also make up to 12 peak time documentaries that will be shown on Sky Atlantic HD. The company said it wants the channel to become the “gold standard of documentary films”.

The films are expected to premiere in 2013, and Sky is looking for film-makers to come forward with ideas.

Jeremy Darroch, Sky’s chief executive, said in a statement: “We see a real opportunity in British films. Now we intend to green light more family films for Sky customers and help more of the best documentary makers to bring the films they most want to make to the screen. This is an ambitious plan that will bring benefits to the wider creative industries as well as to Sky and our customers.”

Previously Sky has been criticised by BBC Director General Mark Thompson for not spending enough on nurturing British talent. “It’s time Sky pulled its weight by investing much, much more in British talent and British content,” he told an audience at the Edinburgh Festival two years ago.

The plans follow a call from the government in January for major broadcasters to invest more in the production of independent British film.

The Future of British Film, a report published by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, made 56 recommendations aimed at expanding and encouraging the British film industry.

Lord Smith, who authored the report, said that although British film is enjoying something of a “golden period”, the industry couldn’t afford to be complacent.

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“British film is in prime position to make a major contribution to the growth of the UK’s economy, to the development of attractive and fulfilling careers for young people and to the creation of job opportunities across the country,” he said in a statement.

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