UK College of Medicine to launch program at Morehead State

The University of Kentucky College of Medicine will establish a program at Morehead State University in Morehead as a part of a mission to train and retain physicians in rural parts of the state.

Up to 10 students will be recruited for the Rural Physician Leadership Track program in 2008 and 2009.

After spending their first two years of medical school at UK's main campus in Lexington, students opting for the rural program will transfer to Morehead State, which will work in cooperation with St. Claire Regional Medical Center, to provide hands-on training.

The College of Medicine plans to open a second rural program at Murray State University in Murray as early as 2012, UK president Lee T. Todd said Tuesday in a news release.

A report issued in fall 2007 by the Kentucky Institute of Medicine showed that Kentucky has 213.5 doctors per 100,000 residents, compared with the national average of 267.9 per 100,000. The state needs an additional 2,300 doctors to reach the national average.

The most pronounced shortages are in the rural areas, College of Medicine officials say.

"The shortage of doctors, particularly in primary-care roles, is felt especially hard in areas such as Eastern and Western Kentucky," Dr. Jay Perman, dean of the College of Medicine and vice president for clinical affairs, said in the release. "The university has a leading role to play in ameliorating this problem, which is both a health care crisis and an .

NEWS BY:http://www.bizjournals.com

BBC College of Journalism to partner Journalism.co.uk's news:rewired event

The BBC College of Journalism, set to go live online very soon, is to partner Journalism.co.uk's 10th anniversary event, news:rewired on Thursday 14 January 2010.

Taking place at London's City University, the digital journalism event will host some of the industry's leading online practitioners from news organisations both new and old.

Covering everything from video and SEO to crowd-sourcing and data mash-ups, the conference is designed to inspire, showcase and troubleshoot newsroom 2.0.

A speaker from the BBC College of Journalism will address the challenges faced by journalists developing new multimedia and social media skills.

The College, which is part of the BBC Academy, will also be filming on the day, collecting the views and ideas of delegates and speakers.

A key part of the BBC's new Academy which launches today is to "develop partnerships and give wider access to the BBC's training resources and skills to support the wider UK media industry".

"The BBC College of Journalism is hugely excited about being involved in news:rewired, it promises to be a vital event for all journalists learning new skills," said David Hayward, assistant editor of the College.

"We are thrilled to be associated with this excellent initiative by the BBC to open up its considerable educational resources to UK-based journalists," added Journalism.co.uk founder John Thompson.

"We are particularly impressed by the focus on multimedia and social media skills, which can only serve to help the beleaguered publishing industry move forwards in the 21st century."

Some tickets are still available for news:rewired, priced at £80+VAT. Book before Christmas to avoid the VAT rise.

Tweet the news:rewired message and win a Flip HD!

To spread the word even further about our forthcoming digital journalism event news:rewired, we are enlisting the help of the Twitter army and offering you the chance to win a brand new Flip Ultra HD pocket camcorder, just in time for Christmas!

The entry requirement is simple, all you have to do is follow @newsrewired and tweet or re-tweet the following:

NEWS BY:http://www.journalism.co.uk

Has this mother of three changed the face of British education?

Furious at her son’s struggle to  get into a grammar school, Sarah Shilling launched a petition to build the first new one for 50 years. Yesterday, the revolution began!


Decrepit and semi-derelict, The Wildernesse School doesn’t have to try hard to live up to its name. Since it was swallowed up by a local girls’ school in 2010 to form a new academy elsewhere, the days when Strictly Come Dancing’s Anton du Beke — a former pupil known back then as Tony Beke — skipped through its corridors seem a very distant memory.

Hard to imagine, then, that this sprawling site on the outskirts of Sevenoaks, in Kent, could soon provide the spark for a revolution in British education.

Yesterday, a petition raised by thousands of parents in Sevenoaks calling for the building of what is effectively a new grammar school — though technically it will be an ‘annexe’ of an existing one — won overwhelming support in a vote taken by Kent County Council.

The petition was started by a mother of three from Sevenoaks called Sarah Shilling, who despaired at the hoops her son had to jump through to gain a grammar school place.

Now, a formal proposal will be drawn up by the council to identify potential sites for the school — with Wildernesse the favourite — and to establish which existing grammar schools may want to run it.

If such a new school opens, it will be the first of its kind in England for 50 years.

For families in Sevenoaks, this is a big deal indeed. They have long complained that because of the lack of local provision, more than 1,000 children from the town must take buses and trains every day to make journeys of an hour or more to schools  elsewhere in the county.

And yet the opening of a grammar in Sevenoaks will have a significance far beyond the purely local, because it forces the controversial issue of selective education — an idea so hated by the Left — firmly back on the national political agenda.

It puts selective schooling back on the agenda

Even before the decision was taken,  the discussion of the Sevenoaks plans provoked howls of protest from all the usual suspects.

Stephen Twigg, the shadow Education Secretary, has angrily accused Government ministers of attempting to expand  academic selection, and vowed that if Labour got back in to power it would reverse any move in that direction.

‘Instead of focusing on a few grammar schools, the Government should be trying to raise standards in all the 24,000 schools in England,’ he said.

Meanwhile, Fiona Millar, partner of former Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell and seasoned education activist, was quick to join the fight, furiously peddling the argument that grammar schools limit rather than promote social mobility.

‘The most successful systems in the world are fully comprehensive,’ she claimed. ‘Bringing back selection is the wrong solution to problems that still exist in our school system, most of which can still be addressed in all-ability schools with the right leadership, teaching, curriculum and commitment from central government.’

Their fear is that what is happening in Kent could be just the start of an expansion of the grammar-school system and that Education Secretary Michael Gove is secretly keen to give this the green light.
Government approval: Michael Gove has spoken of his support for the grammar school system - much to the outrage of some education activists who believe they endanger social mobility

Government approval: Michael Gove has spoken of his support for the grammar school system - much to the outrage of some education activists who believe they endanger social mobility

Supporters of grammars argue that these are the schools parents want — and that it is the Government’s duty to deliver them.

‘The areas that have retained selection top the league tables year after year, providing the standards that parents want, and opening opportunities for children from all backgrounds,’ Graham Brady, a Conservative MP and long-time supporter of grammars, told me.

The fact that the latest developments have caught opponents of grammar schools somewhat by surprise is a result of their belief that they had largely won the argument against selection.

Having promised to open new grammars as part of his 2005 leadership campaign, two years later Mr Cameron abruptly changed tack saying that he did not think they were a good idea after all.
This U-turn was interpreted by some as being a carefully-planned ‘Clause Four moment’ — a reference to Tony Blair’s decision to cut ties with Labour’s socialist past when he became leader.


More...

    HYWEL WILLIAMS: A grammar school revolution on the way to Kent

Cameron’s strategists calculated that by ditching an educational policy associated with Tory diehards, it would appeal to voters who had never voted Conservative before. In fact, all it achieved was a backbench rebellion and simmering resentment among supporters of selective education from all political backgrounds.

In an ICM poll in 2010, 76 per cent of respondents said that they would support the creation of new grammar schools.

Instead, Cameron decided to back Michael Gove’s academies programme — the creation of independent state schools, run by head teachers outside of council control.

Opponents have been caught by surprise

But in a separate move, new admissions rules were introduced late last year, meaning that councils can no longer block the expansion of existing schools — be they state comprehensive or grammar.
With school rolls rising across many parts of England as the effects of immigration and a higher birth rate take effect, the rule changes have been jumped on by councils and parents.

Currently, across England there are 164 grammar schools educating some 160,000 pupils. Kent, with 33, has the largest proportion of them, attended by some 28 per cent of the county’s children.
In Year Six, the final year of primary school education, all pupils in Kent have the option of sitting the 11-plus examination. Those who pass the exam can then choose a grammar school to attend.

If they have passed with very high marks, they can apply for a handful of the grammars that are ‘super-selective’ — those which base their intake on performance in the exam rather than a pass and a pupil’s proximity to the school.

In Sevenoaks, a prosperous commuter town half-an-hour’s train journey to the south-east of London, there are two schools.

One is the private Sevenoaks School, whose boarding fees are now a shade shy of £30,000 a year; the other is a mixed-ability state school, Knole Academy, formed just over a year ago from a merger of two struggling comprehensives (one being Wildernesse, whose pupils vacated their old premises). There are no grammar schools in the town.


NEWS BY:http://www.dailymail.co.uk

University drop-out rate soars by 13pc in a year

More than one-in-five undergraduates are failing to compete the first year of their degree at the worst-performing universities, it emerged, prompting fears that millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money is being wasted on unwanted courses.

At some universities, an estimated four-in-10 students will fail to finish the course they started after either dropping out, switching to another institution or graduating with a lesser qualification.

In England, the University of Bolton had the worst drop-out rate with 21.4 per cent of students quitting higher education after just a year. An estimated 45 per cent of undergraduates will fail to complete their full degree course, it emerged.

Drop-out rates were as high as a third at the University of the Highlands and Islands in Scotland and hit almost a quarter at the University of West Scotland.

It was the first time since records began a decade ago that the rate had crept above 30,000, fuelled by an increase in the overall student population.

The rise – in data published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency – comes despite the Government spending £1bn on initiatives designed to improve student retention.

The University and College Union warned that the drop-out rate would soar in coming years following a decision to increase the cap on student tuition fees to £9,000.

Sally Hunt, the UCU general secretary, said undergraduates would be tempted to chase places on the cheapest courses, even if they fail to fit their requirements.

“Over the past five years, in England alone, over £1bn has been spent on measures to improve student retention in higher education,” she said.

“Sadly, today’s figures show that too many students, particularly from disadvantaged backgrounds, are still failing to complete their studies.

“We have real concerns that the new funding regime with hugely increased tuition fees may force some students onto courses that, although cheaper, do not best suit their abilities.

“That scenario is likely to lead to further drop outs, which will not benefit the student, the university or society.”

Figures from HESA show the number of students dropping out of university each year along with the proportion expected to complete the degree they started.

In all, 8.6 per cent of students quit higher education after 12 months last year compared with 7.9 per cent a year earlier. Some 21.6 per cent are expected to fail to complete their degree.

According to data, the worst performer was Highlands and Islands where 32 per cent dropped out last year and just 48.6 per cent of students are expected to finish the degree course they started.

More than one-in-seven students dropped out of higher education altogether at eight other British universities, including West Scotland, Bolton, West London, London Metropolitan, Swansea Metropolitan, Middlesex, University Campus Suffolk and Salford.

By comparison, Cambridge and St Andrews had the lowest drop out rates last year with just 1.4 per cent of students quitting, following by Oxford at 1.4 per cent.

A spokesman for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said: "Although our student completion rates compare well internationally, we want to reduce the number of students who don’t complete their studies.

“We are improving information for prospective students so that they can make more informed choices and we are committee to a better overall student experience."

NEWS BY:http://www.telegraph.co.uk

UK carbon measuring centre 'to improve climate future'

A new UK facility aimed at improving measurement of carbon emissions and boosting development of clean technology is due to open.

The Centre for Carbon Measurement will be based at the National Physical Laboratory in south west London.

It will raise accuracy of climate data, support better emissions monitoring to ensure a fair carbon market, and verify claims made about low-carbon products.

It will be formally launched at the Planet Under Pressure event in London.

The four-day conference will see thousands of delegates discuss various aspects of social and environmental sustainability in the run-up to the Rio+20 summit in June.

One of their key concerns is climate change - and the new Centre for Carbon Measurement (CCM) is aimed partially at improving the computer models that are just about the only tools scientists have to project the future of our warming planet.

"Data from ground based stations and satellites is fed into climate models, and they spit out conclusions on things like sea level rise and other climate impacts," said Jane Burston, the CCM's head.

"So the better data we have, the better we can make the models," she told BBC News.

Continue reading the main story
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Start Quote

The UK is a world leader in both measurement science and the centre of the global carbon market”

David Willets
Science Minister
This part of the centre's work will involve working with other scientific institutions and commercial providers to improve the accuracy of instruments and calibration between them.

Staff will also look for ways of improving measurement of carbon emissions.

Scientists have previously shown that there can be wide disparities between emission levels reported by companies - which are usually based on calculations involving, for example, how much fuel they burn and the efficiency of their plant - and what is measured in the atmosphere.

Hi-tech low carbon

"We need to make sure that our measurement infrastructure matches our level of ambition," said Ms Burston.

"As the carbon market takes off and carbon becomes more expensive, we're going to want to measure things better."

The third main aim of the project involves low-carbon technologies, in sectors such as energy generation and building insulation.

The centre will help manufacturers develop their products and measure their performance, in order to make sure that companies' claims for "climate-friendliness" are based in reality.

Building materials can already be assessed in the NPL's "Hot Box" facility; but the centre will develop tools for monitoring performance in the real world as well.

David Willets, Minister for Universities and Science, whose government department manages the UK's various national measurement programmes, said the science of measurement was essential in underpinning the transition to a low carbon economy.

"As the UK is a world leader in both measurement science and the centre of the global carbon market it is only right that we develop the right infrastructure to support this transition," he said.

"The CCM is designed to provide reliable measurements with a sound scientific and technical basis that will improve the understanding of the global climate, support policies for mitigating climate change, and accelerate the development of low-carbon technologies."

NEWS BY:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news

UK at back of broadband pack, technology leader warns

The UK will be "frozen out of the next industrial revolution" because the government's broadband plans are not well funded or ambitious enough, according to a former BT Group technology chief.

Peter Cochrane, who as chief technology officer at BT until 2000 pioneered broadband in the UK, joined other witnesses in lambasting government plans in evidence to a House of Lords inquiry into the national broadband strategy on Tuesday.

The government has vowed to create the "best superfast broadband network in Europe by 2015", with download speeds of 24 megabits per second for 90% of the UK's 25 million households, fast enough to watch several videos over the internet simultaneously. The remaining homes will receive a minimum of 2Mbps.

But Cochrane said: "Even our aspirations are low: 20 megabits isn't superfast. It's super slow. It's a candle, while the rest of the world is using the light bulb. The UK risks being frozen out of the next industrial revolution."

Paris and Moscow are planning to install fibre cables directly into millions of homes, to deliver speeds of 100-1,000Mbps, and experts say UK targets will soon be out of date.

Cochrane, who is now an independent consultant, said the £2.5bn of money earmarked for rural services was not enough. Industry estimates put the cost at bringing fibre to every doorstep in Britain at up to £15bn.

"True, high-speed, unlimited access to the social, economic and democratic benefits the internet brings is a fundamental human right," he told the Lords communication committee, whose members include the broadcaster Lord Bragg. "Yet in terms of broadband, the UK is at the back of the pack. We're beat by almost every other European country and Asia leaves us for dust. The great decline in our relative global position has saddened me over the years and we need to invest at least £15bn to redress this now."

The UK ranks 15th in the global league of countries with the fastest advertised speeds, published by the OECD in September 2011, and has one of Europe's lowest levels of fibre cables to the home. A direct fibre connection, as opposed to fibre to the street cabinet and copper from there to the home, is considered essential for speeds of more than 100Mbps.

Fibre reaches just 250,000 homes and blocks of flats in the UK, out of a population of 62 million, according to data from the FTTH Council Europe. By contrast France has fibre to 6.3m homes, out of a population of 66 million. Russia's fibre network has reached nearly 16m homes out of a population of 143 million. Out of 39 European countries, only Estonia has fibre to fewer homes, with 210,000 having access, but this is out of a population of 1.3 million.

Ministers have earmarked £530m in this parliament and a further £300m after 2015 for local councils to take broadband to rural areas and a further £100m for high-speed fixed and mobile internet in 10 cities, including London, Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff.

BT has committed to match the £830m government funding, and councils will be asked to do the same, which could bring total UK investment in rural broadband to £2.5bn.

In its evidence to the Lords inquiry, the Country Land & Business Association (CLA), which represents 34,000 rural businesses, said the money was not enough to get basic broadband to every household and that access should be a legal right.

"Even with match-funding from local authorities, it is likely that the government's commitment of £530m will be insufficient to build a future-proofed superfast broadband network, fit for purpose."

The CLA said it believed broadband access should be classified as a universal service obligation, and not, as it is now, a universal service commitment, which it says "provides government with a get-out clause in the event that the 2Mbps benchmark cannot be achieved by the stated deadline of 2015".

Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrat MP for the Cumbrian seat of Westmorland and Lonsdale, echoed the call to make broadband a legal right.

"Some homes and businesses are struggling to access even the basic speed of broadband internet. This is completely unacceptable in this modern age and it puts us at a serious risk of being left behind," he said in comments on his website. "For Cumbrian businesses, providing a decent internet connection is not a luxury, it's the difference between surviving and folding."

NEWS BY:http://www.guardian.co.uk

Entertainment news: Revel Horwood to star in Swan panto

THE High Wycombe Choral Society heard their music played across the airwaves on Classic FM as part of a drive to celebrate some of the best amateur choirs across the UK. One of the tracks, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, by Felix Mendelssohn from their Christmas CD was played on December 9. The station is joining forces with the charity, Making Music, and encouraging choirs to send in carol recordings. Ten choirs were chosen by John Brunning.

IF you fancy a wintry walk between Christmas and New Year to walk off all the turkey and mince pies, head over to Waddesdon Manor. The grounds, shops, restaurants and plant centre will be open daily from Tuesday, December 27 until Monday, January 2. And for those who just can’t get enough of Christmas the trees and displays inside the Manor will be still be open too. For more information, opening times and prices please see

CRAIG Revel Horwood will be playing The Wicked Queen in the Wycombe Swan's panto next year. The Swan have announced their panto next year as Snow White and The Seven Dwarves with the Strictly Come Dancing judge. The panto will run from December 7 until January 5. To book call 01494512000 or go to www.wycombeswan.co.uk. Lesley Joseph is currently playing the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella until January 8.

FOLLOWING the successful production of A Midsummer's Night Dream in Beaconsfield in 2011, which raised more than £9,000 for The Gardens Players nominated charity, they will be staging a new production of Twelfth Night in Beaconsfield from June 27-30, in aid of The Child Bereavement Charity. Read-throughs will take place at The United Reform Church hall in Beaconsfield Old Town on Wednesday, January 4 and at the Performing Arts Hall, Tennant Building, Davenies School, Beaconsfield on Tuesday, January 19 both commencing at 7.45pm. All are welcome. For further information, please contact Steve McAdam .

NEWS BY:http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk

Dakota Fanning's perfume ad banned in the UK for being 'sexually provocative' - Poll

A perfume ad featuring "Twilight" actress Dakota Fanning clutching a bottle of perfume has been banned in the United Kingdom after the country's Advertising Standards Authority found it to be inappropriate and "sexually provocative" because of the 17-year-old actress' age and appearance, according to the BBC.

The board said in a statement that the ad "could be seen to sexualize a child."

"We noted that the model [Fanning] was holding up the perfume bottle which rested in her lap between her legs and we considered that its position was sexually provocative," the statement said. "We understood the model was 17-years-old but we considered she looked under the age of 16. We considered that the length of her dress, her leg and position of the perfume bottle drew attention to her sexuality."

"Because of that, along with her appearance, we considered the ad could be seen to sexualize a child," the statement continued. "We therefore concluded that the ad was irresponsible and was likely to cause serious offence."

The ad was for the Oh Lola! perfume by Marc Jacobs and it can be seen above. Coty UK, the company behind the perfume and the ad, said they had not received any complaints about it, despite the fact that it had appeared in several fashion magazines in the country.

The ad first began appearing in print on August 5, 2011. According to the ASA report, Coty UK "did not believe the styling in the ad suggested the model was underage or that the ad was inappropriately sexualized because it did not show any private body parts or sexual activity. They believed the giant perfume bottle was provoking but not indecent."

In August it was reported that Fanning had graduated from high school and was set to attend New York University in the fall.

She is enrolled at NYU's Gallatin School of Individualized Study, a college spokesperson told OnTheRedCarpet.com on Thursday, August 25.

The Georgia native rose to fame as a child actress when she appeared alongside Sean Penn in the 2001 movie "I Am Sam."

In 2002, she starred in the romantic comedy "Sweet Home Alabama," which featured Reese Witherspoon in the main role, and played Allie Keys in the mini-series "Taken" in 2002. Fanning starred in the 2005 reboot of "War of the Worlds" with Tom Cruise and in the 2006 film "Charlotte's Web." In 2009, Fanning starred in the movie "Push" and played the vampire Jane in "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," the second film in the hit series starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson.

In 2010, Fanning co-starred with Stewart in the music biopic "The Runaways" and reprised her role in the third "Twilight" movie, "Eclipse." Fanning plays the same part in the fourth and final installment, the two-part "Breaking Dawn." Part 1 is set for release on November 18.

Fanning recently filmed the independent film "Now Is Good" and has several more movies in the works - "Effie" with Emma Thompson, "Mississippi Wild" with Mickey Rourke and "Very Good Girls" with Dustin Hoffman." All films are due out in 2012.

NEWS BY:http://www.ontheredcarpet.com

Ceres, UK University complete genetic map of miscanthus

The number of overseas students in UK universities will rise by a further 10% this decade, says a study for the British Council.

Only Australia is set to have a bigger increase in overseas students.

It forecasts that India rather than China will send the most students in this lucrative global market.

Jo Beall, the British Council director of education, says the "next 10 years will be critical" if the UK is to take advantage.

Speaking ahead of the British Council's Going Global conference, Dr Beall says there is a "decade of opportunity" for the UK to benefit from an increasingly-mobile international student population.

Shifting power
"In an increasingly connected and inter-dependent world, a willingness and ability to collaborate internationally and to respond to changing trends are vital," said Dr Beall.

By the end of the last decade there were 3.5m students studying overseas - and even though the rate of increase will slow, the overall number is expected to continue to rise.

Setting out global trends in higher education until 2020, the British Council study forecasts an increasing importance for Asian countries, challenging the longstanding domination of the United States.

By 2020, China will have almost twice as many students as the United States.

But the British Council predicts that it will be India rather than China that will be key player for sending students overseas.

Figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency show that currently China is by the far the biggest provider of overseas students to the UK -with 67,000 students in the UK, compared with 39,000 from India.

The figures from 2011 show that about 12% of students at UK universities are from overseas - which is categorised as being outside the European Union.

In terms of the potential market for higher education, the British Council highlights that by 2020, just four countries will account for more than half of the world's 18 to 22 year olds - India, China, the United States and Indonesia.

The British Council says that the biggest single expansion in overseas students is likely to be Australia, which it predicts will be teaching an extra 50,000 by 2020.

But it says that the UK could be the second-biggest in terms of increasing overseas student numbers, predicting a rise of 30,000.

The British Council also highlights how university research has become internationalised - with more than a third of research now involving international collaborations.

The forecasts are issued in advance of this week's Going Global conference in London, examining university globalisation, which will bring together 1,300 higher education leaders from around the world.

NEWS BY:http://www.biomassmagazine.com

U.K. Mobile Operators Vie for Apple iPad

Mobile phone operators in the UK are preparing to open talks with Apple (AAPL) in the coming days about providing 3G internet services to the new iPad device when it arrives.

Industry sources said that O2 (TEF), 3, Vodafone (VOD), Orange (FTE) and T-Mobile (DT) have had board-level discussions and are preparing to meet Apple "in the next week" with one denying talks had already begun. "All of the players will be speaking to Apple," another said.

Apple is expected to ship the Wi-Fi only versions of the iPad to the UK in March, while the 3G versions will go on sale in the US "and selected countries" in April.

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs said on Wednesday that the priority was to secure agreements with international operators for 3G, with deals expected by the end of July at the latest.

Apple declined to comment further than the announcement made in San Francisco, when it revealed that AT&T (T) will be the first to offer 3G services to iPad users in the US. None of the UK operators would comment on talks with Apple yesterday.

One industry insider said the device may well be SIM-only "and unlikely to be exclusive." This would mark a departure from the strategy Apple used when it brought the iPhone to the UK in 2007. It took two years for Orange to break O2's exclusive hold over the device. The following day, Vodafone announced it too would offer customers connection to the device.

The iPad, which can surf the internet, show videos, play music and display ebooks, will cost from $499 to $699 to US consumers depending on the storage size. The 3G-enabled iPads will cost between $629 to $829.

Mr Jobs said it was the company's "most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device," adding: "iPad creates and defines an entirely new category of devices that will connect users with their apps and content in a much more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before."

David Bailey, an analyst at Goldman Sachs (GS) predicted about six million iPads will be sold this year. Deloitte, the accountancy and advisory group, labelled the growing number of tablets as the "Goldilocks of devices – not too big, not too small".

Richard Holway, a founding partner of TechMarketView, said tablet computers will be "game-changing". He said it will take a while for adoption but by 2015 "nobody will have any doubts...Today was the end of the beginning. Let the future begin." 

NEWS BY:http://www.businessweek.com

UK banks in firing line if Greece debt crisis spreads, says Moody's

n a report on the potential consequences for lenders, Moody's Investor Service said that firms in Greece, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Ireland and the UK could face "very real, common threats" if the difficulties spread to these other debt-laden nations.

As Britain made its way to the polls to elect a new government, the agency warned of a balancing act between over-hasty public cuts and market jitters if a programme of fiscal tightening was not brought in quickly enough.

The first could lead to a double-dip recession, Moody's warned, while the second could push up funding costs both for the UK's sovereign debt and the banks, making it harder for both to service their borrowings.

Moody's, which has maintained the UK's triple-A credit rating, also said the UK was "working its way through a series of challenges towards recovery".

"The UK is in a difficult position: if it were to tighten fiscal conditions too quickly, then this could lead to further asset quality challenges in the banking system, potentially choking off economic recovery," the report said.

"Alternatively, if the UK did not tighten fiscal conditions soon and credibly enough, then the financial flexibility of the sovereign may diminish as market opinion may move against the UK."

The report comes amid recent market turmoil as fears that the Greek crisis could spread hammered confidence in the eurozone.

"A key factor determining whether contagion risk continues in this case will be the market's view of the likely success or otherwise of the recently agreed International Monetary Fund and European Union support package for Greece," the agency said.

The bailout offers the debt-ridden country €110bn (£93bn) in loans over three years from the IMF and the other 15 countries that use the euro.

Greece has convulsed with violent protest over the austerity measures, leading to the deaths of three bank workers yesterday.

Fears that the country will either reject or be unable to implement the swingeing cuts needed have battered the euro, sending it plummeting to its lowest level against the dollar in more than a year.

Banks were among the big losers on the FTSE 100 Index today amid the economic worries.

But while there have been concerns about banks' exposure to weak economies, most UK firms are thought to have only small liabilities in the other vulnerable European economies.

Moody's report instead focuses mainly on UK government moves to tackle the deficit - likely to be through tax hikes and spending cuts after the election.

It comes a day after the ratings agency put Portugal on watch for a possible downgrade of its sovereign debt and a week after rival Standard & Poor's slashed Greece's government bonds to junk status.

The report follows a European Commission prediction yesterday that the UK government would borrow the equivalent of 12pc of output - higher than any other country, including Greece.

The EC also said that the UK's debts were expected to rise to 79.1pc of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2010, compared with 124.9pc in Greece, 64.9pc for Spain, 118.2pc in Italy and 85.8pc for Portugal.

Moody's said UK banks, whose multi-billion pound bailouts have acted to weaken sovereign credit, would see a "relatively strong impact" if the UK's creditworthiness took a hit, with increases in funding costs likely to hit profits.

Other challenges included risks in their domestic retail and property exposures, while any increases in interest rates or employment could also hit loan books by provoking higher bad debts.

Dealing with the other countries separately, it said Spain and Ireland were both destabilised by rapid growth in property loans.

Meanwhile Greece, Portugal and to a lesser extent Italy, faced concerns that sovereign woes would spill over to the banking system.

NEWS BY:http://www.telegraph.co.uk  

Tough new regime for UK drilling rigs

THE inspection regime for North Sea drilling rigs is to be toughened up in the wake of the massive oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, the UK government has announced.

Energy Secretary Chris Huhne said an urgent review of the safety and environmental protection measures governing the UK's oil and gas industry had deemed them to be "fit for purpose", but steps were now being taken to strengthen them further.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change said the number of environmental inspections on drilling rigs was to be doubled and a new industry group would be asked to report on the UK's ability to prevent and respond to a potential spill.

Mr Huhne said the events unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico following the explosion at BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig, which killed 11 workers and left millions of gallons of oil spewing into the ocean, were "devastating".

And he maintained it was his responsibility to make sure the oil and gas industry maintained the highest practices in this country.

"It's clear our safety and environmental regulatory regime is fit for purpose," Mr Huhne said. "It is already among the most robust in the world and the industry's record in the North Sea is strong.

"But the Deepwater Horizon gives us pause for thought and, given the beginning of exploration in deeper waters west of Shetland, there is every reason to increase our vigilance.

He added: "Initial steps are already under way, including plans to double the number of annual environmental inspections to drilling rigs and the launch of a new industry group to look at the UK's ability to prevent and respond to oil spills.

"In addition, I will review our new and existing procedures as soon as the detailed analysis of the factors which caused the incident in the Gulf of Mexico are available."

NEWS BY:http://www.scotsman.com

U.K. University in Climate Dispute Plans New Assessment of Work

Feb. 11 (Bloomberg) -- The University of East Anglia said it will appoint external assessors to reappraise some of its key scientific work in the wake of the “Climategate” flap surrounding e-mails hacked from the U.K. school’s server.

Skeptics of climate change had pointed to the e-mails, which appeared in blogs in November, as evidence that the university’s academics had manipulated evidence of global warming and conspired to suppress studies questioning the link between climate change and human activity. The university denied those charges.

The university’s work fed into some of the key findings of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, whose biggest report on global warming in 2007 blamed rising temperatures on human activity and is used by governments worldwide to guide climate and energy policy.

“The findings of our researchers have been the subject of significant debate in recent months,” Professor Trevor Davies, the university’s pro-vice-chancellor for research, said today in a statement on the UEA Web site. “We believe it is in the interests of all concerned that there should be an additional assessment considering the science.”

The university said it asked the Royal Society, the U.K.’s national science academy, to name possible assessors with the required expertise. They’ll examine the “key” publications at the earliest date they can manage, the school said.

“It is important that people have the utmost confidence in the science of climate change,” Royal Society President Martin Rees said in an e-mailed statement. “Where legitimate doubts are raised about any piece of science they must be fully investigated - that is how science works.”

Academics Questioned

Phil Jones, director of the school’s Climatic Research Unit and author of many of the e-mails, stepped aside from his post in December, pending completion of an investigation. In one e- mail, he spoke of deleting files rather than handing over data to skeptics requesting them.

Another researcher who featured in the e-mails, Michael Mann, was cleared by Pennsylvania State University on Feb. 3 of manipulating data and destroying records, though he remains under investigation on a charge that he “deviated from accepted practices within the academic community,” which he denies.

NEWS BY:http://www.bloomberg.com

UK descendants of surgeon who died on Titanic seek benefactor to buy his letter back

Simpson’s great-nephew John Martin said Sunday that the family can’t afford to buy it, but would love to see it back in Belfast.

“It would be great if a donor or benefactor could be found who would purchase and return it to Northern Ireland for public display,” he said.

Simpson’s letter, dated April 11, 1912, is written on notepaper headed RMS Titanic and is addressed to his mother, who was living in Belfast.

In the letter, Simpson, 37, said his cabin was larger than the accommodation on board theTitanic’s sister ship the Olympic, where he had previously worked. He also complained that he had found one of his trunks unlocked and that some money had been stolen from his pocketbook.

The surgeon, who treated second- and third-class passengers, signed off: “With fondest love, John.”

The letter was brought ashore at Cobh (now called Queenstown), Ireland — the Titanic’s last port of call before the ship set sail for America. It was dispatched to Simpson’s mother, Elizabeth, who lived on Belfast’s Dublin Road

Three days later, he died along with 1,500 others after the ship struck an iceberg.

Martin said his family had held onto the letter for generations, but that Simpson’s 81-year-old daughter-in-law gave it to a Titanic enthusiast in Holland 15 years ago. The family lost track of the letter until learning it is to be auctioned by Philip Weiss Auctions.

Simpson’s story will form part of a new Titanic Belfast visitor attraction opening in Belfast next month ahead of the 100th anniversary of the sinking.

Martin said the letter provided a rare insight into the life of one of the ship’s officers.

“There are references within the letter which give a bit of humanity to the man who died, and he did die bravely,” he said. “It puts a human face on what could be another statistic.”

An account of the last moments of the Titanic written by 2nd officer Charles Lightoller, who survived the disaster, is going on sale in the same auction.

In his letter, Lightoller describes Simpson walking calmly along the deck with other officers as the ship sank. Lightoller wrote: “They were perfectly calm in the knowledge they had done their duty,”

He continued: “We exchanged the words, ‘Goodbye, old man.’ This occurred shortly before the end and I am not aware that he was seen by anyone after.”

Lightoller’s letter is expected to fetch $20,000 at the same auction on March 2.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The descendants of a surgeon who died on the Titanic nearly 100 years ago are appealing for a benefactor to purchase a soon-to-be-auctioned letter he wrote from the doomed ship — and to return it to the city where the vessel was built.

A two-page note John Edward Simpson wrote to his mother days before the ship sank in April 1912 is to expected to fetch at least $50,000 at the auction later this week in Long Island, New York.

NEWS BY:http://www.washingtonpost.com

International Football: England v Holland Live on ITV1, Ireland, Wales and Northern Ireland on Sky Sports

A quadruple of international football matches will take place this Wednesday, and will broadcast live on .

England take on the Netherlands in a friendly encounter at Wembley Stadium, as the home side play their first match since Fabio Capello’s resignation earlier this month. Stuart Pearce takes charge of England as they welcome the Dutch, who finished as runners-up in the 2010 World Cup and are one of the favourites for this summer’s European Championships.

The match, which kicks off at 8pm, will be shown live on ITV1 with Adrian Chiles and Gareth Southgate in the studio and commentary by Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend.

Sky Sports 1 will broadcast Republic of Ireland v Czech Republic (Kick-off 7.45pm). Both teams are preparing for Euro 2012 in the summer after recording comfortable play-off victories over Estonia and Montenegro respectively, and players from each side will be desperate to impress in the hope of earning places in the squads for the finals in Ukraine and Poland.

Sky Sports 2 will show live coverage of the Gary Speed Memorial match, an international friendly between Wales and Costa Rica (Kick-off 7.45pm). Costa Rica were selected as the opponents for this encounter due to Speed having made his international debut against them in 1990, when Wales went on to win 1-0 at Ninian Park in Cardiff.

And Sky Sports 3 will broadcast Northern Ireland v Norway (Kick-off 7.45pm). The former Shamrock Rovers boss, Michael O’Neill, will be looking for an impressive showing from his players against a side that narrowly missed out on a place in the Euro 2012 play-offs after finishing below Portugal on goal difference.

NEWS BY:http://tvnewsroom.co.uk

UK trustees give go-ahead for privately developed dorm

This is the preliminary design for a 600-bed, $26 million residence hall Education Realty Trust of Memphis will build on the University of Kentucky campus on what is now an intramural sports field.

The University of Kentucky Board of Trustees approved a deal Tuesday to let a private developer build an on-campus dorm, setting the stage for a larger agreement that could lead to private construction and management of all of UK's student housing.

UK President Eli Capilouto will sign the 50-year ground lease with Education Realty Trust of Memphis, Tenn. to build a 600-bed residence hall at Haggin Field near the W.T. Young Library.

"I want to thank you for supporting the housing initiative so we can begin a journey that I hope is a sprint and not a marathon, so that we can provide 21st-century living and learning space to our students," Capilouto said to board members after the vote.

The ground lease lays out how UK will interact with EdR as the company finances, builds and manages the $26 million dorm.

Once the dorm houses students, UK is to receive 10 percent of the gross revenue. After EdR starts to receive a 9 percent rate of return, UK is to get 25 percent of the net income. At the same time, EdR would get a 4 percent management fee from UK.

The new dorm, which is supposed to house the honors program and other students, would cost $3,490 a semester. That rate could rise by 3 percent in 2014. Three years later, it could go up by 4 percent.

The agreement is supposed to be finalized in March, when negotiations also will begin for an affiliation agreement that would lead to a broader deal to eventually replace almost 6,000 outdated beds at UK and add 3,000 more. Construction is scheduled to begin in April.

UK Treasurer Angie Martin said the deal came down to "alignment of interests, transparency and trust. We have to keep all these things balanced."

If the two parties eventually move forward on the second phase of the agreement, EdR's management fee on the first dorm would drop to 2 percent, and UK would get 12 percent of the net income.

Trustee Bill Gatton said he didn't like that provision of the lease.

"I would like to see the university be able to buy the building," Gatton said. "Those dorms are in deplorable condition, but I thought there might have been a more inexpensive way to do it."

EdR vice president Tom Trubiana said his company is accepting low returns on the first dorm "because we wanted to be part of UK for the long term."

"The uniqueness here is potentially that we could be the sole-source housing for UK for the future," Trubiana said. "That's why it absolutely needs to be a home run."

If UK and EdR agreed to build a theoretical $10 million dorm, a financial model presented on Tuesday shows that UK would get $239,000 in revenue during the first year of the deal, and EdR would bring in about $239,000. However, the model shows that EdR would not start to make a profit until year 11 of the deal. By year 50, UK would make almost $2 million a year, and EdR would make $1.1 million, an 11 percent profit.

UK and EdR are deciding whether they will pursue an exemption from property taxes on the new dorm. Those taxes are built into EdR's rates of return, Trubiana said.

"Any benefit would go to UK students in the form of lower rents," he said.

As of last week, Fayette Property Valuation Administrator David O'Neill said he planned to put the new dorm on the property tax rolls.

Under the deal, UK will not make money if EdR doesn't make money. However, the lease states that UK doesn't have to pay any refunds to EdR if the company doesn't meet its expected rate of return.

The ground lease allows several ways for either party to get out of the deal. For example, the lease can be terminated at the 20th, 30th, and 40th anniversaries of the signing, with two years notification. It also allows another company to take over the lease after six years if EdR, a publicly traded company, is bought out.

"We have no desire to do that at all," Trubiana said. "There is no vision for that.

EdR must pay prevailing wage rates to construction workers, but it is not subject to UK's bidding rules. However, EdR has agreed to promote competitive bidding, including opportunities for women and minority owned businesses.

UK holds the naming rights to the new dorm, and it would keep any revenues from selling those rights.

Trustee Pam May, a Pikeville lawyer, said she read the lease closely.

"It is a daunting challenge to sign a lease that protects us over a 75-year term, but I think they have done it," she said.

NEWS BY:http://www.kentucky.com/2012/02/21/2077640/uk-trustees-committee-approves.html

UK says no early end to Zimbabwe sanctions

Britain said on Thursday it wanted to see more progress on human rights and democracy in Zimbabwe before the European Union lifts sanctions against President Robert Mugabe and his allies.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown defended sanctions on Zimbabwe after talks with South African President Jacob Zuma who has called for them to be lifted.

Zuma played down a controversy caused by comments he made before he left for a state visit to Britain in which he said the British believed they were superior, and said there was no talk in the South African government about mines nationalisation.

Mugabe, in power since independence from Britain in 1980, regularly accuses the British and their Western allies of ruining the Zimbabwean economy through sanctions.

"The sanctions that the European Union has in place do not target Zimbabwe or Zimbabweans, they target individuals who are responsible for violence and a number of businesses linked to them," Brown said at a news conference with Zuma.

"We have reduced sanctions on some companies, we are ready to respond to other progress as it is made but I do emphasise the importance of the work of these (Zimbabwe) commissions in emphasising human rights, the freedom of the press and the reforms of governance," he added.

Mugabe and his rival Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai formed a unity government last year and have agreed on commissions to drive media, electoral and human rights reforms.

FINDING A SOLUTION

About three million Zimbabweans have fled to South Africa, which has been trying to broker a solution to the crisis.

"We are agreed that we should all put our heads together to find a solution in Zimbabwe so that Zimbabwe could move forward," Zuma said, adding there was a risk some Zimbabweans could blame sanctions for stalling progress.

Brown and Zuma said in a joint statement that more needed to be done to guarantee strong growth after the G20 helped to prop up the global financial system.

Zuma agreed to host an "education summit" around the time of this year's World Cup soccer tournament in South Africa to drive forward an $8 billion plan to educate 73 million children worldwide who are not in school, a British government source said.

In a speech to members of parliament later, Zuma said there was no discussion within the South African government about nationalisation of mines and that South African law did not provide for the nationalisation of mineral resources.

He was seeking to calm investors nervous over a call by the leader of the ruling ANC's militant Youth League for the nationalisation of mines. South Africa is the world's biggest platinum producer and the world's number three gold producer.

The British media have focused on Zuma's polygamy and sex life during his four-day visit to Britain as a guest of Queen Elizabeth. Zuma is with Tobeka Madiba, his third current wife.

Zuma apologised this month for fathering out of wedlock his 20th child with Sonono Khoza, the daughter of a close friend.

In a South African press interview before his departure, Zuma said he was not surprised by the British media's criticism of his polygamy because Britons had always believed that Africans were "barbaric" and inferior.

"I don't know why they are continuing thinking that their culture is more superior than others...," he was quoted as saying.

Zuma said on Thursday he was speaking "in the context of how people judge other people's cultures" and he was "not necessarily trying to condemn the British or whatever."

NEWS BY:http://in.reuters.com

UK's Gordon Brown to resign as prime minister

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown made a dramatic bid to keep his beleaguered Labour Party in power after it was punished in a national election, announcing Monday he will resign by September at the latest in hopes the third-place Liberal Democrats will join his party in a coalition government.

Brown's startling news conference came as the Conservatives, who won the most seats in Thursday's election but not a majority in Parliament, were already holding talks with the Liberal Democrats.

Lawmakers said those negotiations stalled earlier Monday over differences on key issues including reform of the voting system, education, and changes to the tax system.

The Liberal Democrats want Britain's voting system to be changed so that seats in Parliament more accurately reflect a party's percentage of the vote -- demand that most Conservatives adamantely reject.

Brown said the Labour Party, which came a distant second to the Conservatives, would begin a leadership contest to replace him while he focused on talks aimed at breaking Britain's election deadlock.

"As leader of my party I must accept that as a judgment on me," Brown said, referring to Labour's poor showing in the election.

In a statement outside his office at 10 Downing Street, Brown said Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg had asked to begin formal coalition talks with the Labour Party and the two could form a center-left alliance. Clegg had previously said Brown's departure would likely be a condition of any deal.

"There is a progressive majority in Britain, and I believe it could be in the interests of the whole country to form a progressive coalition government," Brown said.

Conservative leader David Cameron made no immediate comment on Brown's possibly game-changing move.

Clegg said the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives had "some very constructive talks ... and made a great deal of progress. But we haven't yet reached a comprehensive partnership agreement" after four days.

He said it was "the right thing and the responsible thing to open talks" with Labour.

Cameron's center-right Conservatives won 306 of the 650 seats in the House of Commons, 20 short of a majority. Brown's center-left Labour won 258 and the center-left Liberal Democrats took 57 seats. Other smaller parties took the rest.

Brown said he hoped a new Labour leader would be appointed at the party's annual convention in September. Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Education Secretary Ed Balls will likely be leading contenders to succeed Brown as party leader.

The pound fell nearly 1.5 cents against the dollar after Brown's statement, trading at $1.4866 late Monday, reflecting some fear of Labour's continued presence in the government.

Britain has a record 153 billion-pound ($236 billion) deficit that the Conservatives have pledged to tackle faster than Labour. But Brown said his focus during his remaining time in office would be ensuring economic recovery.

Cameron's party was to meet later Monday and the Liberal Democrats indicated they too could gather again.

Clegg clearly was facing a tough choice: Trying to overcome ideological incompatibility to broker a deal with Cameron and the Conservatives or propping up Brown's defeated Labour Party.

The Conservative Party strongly opposes voting reform, as it would likely mean fewer seats for Britain's two main parties -- the Conservatives and Labour -- and would banish the Conservatives to the political wilderness for years to come.

Yet in the last election, Clegg's party earned 23 percent of the vote but got only 9 percent of the seats in Parliament.

Brown's announcement signals an end to a political career marked by great promise, considerable achievement and ultimate disappointment.

He spent a decade as Prime Minister Tony Blair's right-hand money man, but craved the top job himself. When he finally got it in June 2007, Brown faced economic crisis, a divided party, public disgust with politicians -- and finally defeat in last week's election.

It was Brown's fatal political misfortune to follow the charismatic Blair. Brown was brooding and awkward by comparison, and a recent run-in with a voter -- whom he called a "bigoted woman" -- showed how much he lacked a common touch. But behind closed doors, Brown, 59, was often described as warm and agreeable.

Friends also say the son of a Church of Scotland minister is dogged, determined and fiercely loyal to Labour -- a trait that prompted him to offer his resignation Monday so that his party had a chance at staying in office.

NEWS BY:http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9FK4ONO0.htm

European Investment Bank funding for SMEs hit record in 2011; Loans for Irish projects were at €475m - - at €2.5bn in 2007/2011

European Investment Bank funding for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) reached a record level in 2011 as the EU's bank, which was founded in 1958, said it remained firmly focused on its mandate to support the real economy. Loans to Ireland amounted to €475m in 2011 and at €2.5bn in 2007/2011.

The Irish loans included funding to AIB and Bank of Ireland to provide loans for SMEs. ESB and University College Dublin projects were also funded.

During 2011, the EIB  provided €13bn of finance for SMEs. Overall more than 120,000 SMEs received EIB  support across Europe last year. The bank said SMEs account for more than two thirds of private sector employment in Europe and grow more quickly than larger firms, making them an important source of new jobs. However, their size also makes them more vulnerable in times of crisis as they have more difficulty accessing finance in adverse economic circumstances.

The funding provided in 2011 reflects the exceptional level of SME loan contracts the EIB concluded with partner banks in 2009/10 and the efforts made by the EIB and the European Investment Fund to reach micro enterprises, another important mechanism for getting people out of unemployment.

EIB president Werner Hoyer said at a press conference in Brussels on Thursday: “The EIB will continue to support both growth and job creation in €ope and beyond. Many countries are facing huge challenges and as the EU bank we are here to support them with financing of sound projects, combining EIB loans with EU grants and providing technical advice for preparation of projects. In short, the EIB is maintaining its support for the real economy with lending, blending of resources and advising.”

During 2011, the EIB signed €61bn of new loans in almost 70 countries. €54bn was provided for projects within the European Union and €7bn outside. The EIB managed to extend its highest-ever financial contribution to the real economy by disbursing €60bn.

Support for projects that reduce carbon emissions rose to 30% of total lending, providing €18bn for climate action. This included €5.5bn for renewable energy investment, €1.3bn for energy efficiency and €8bn for sustainable transport.

Lending outside the EU exceeded €7bn, with half dedicated to pre-accession countries. The EIB plays an important role in the Deauville Partnership launched in May by the G-8 to support democratic and economic transition following the Arab spring. Loans worth almost €1bn were signed in 2011 for private sector development and the acceleration of infrastructure projects in the region. Signatures in the EU’s Eastern neighbours reached a record €800 million.

Under the bank’s strategy to maintain its financial strength through a gradual return to pre-2008 lending levels, lending for new operations in 2012 is planned to decrease to €50bn.

The EIB said in line with the informal European Council conclusions of 30 January, the bank’s main priority for 2012 will remain supporting sustainable EU growth and jobs. The focus of EIB financing outside the EU will be on pre-accession countries and the EU’s Eastern and Southern countries.

NEWS BY:http://www.finfacts.ie/irishfinancenews/article_1023949.shtml

UK University Admissions System Shake-Up

In a report published today, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) proposes scrapping the current system in which students apply for courses based on predicted grades, writes Graeme Paton at the Telegraph.

Under the reforms, teenagers will sit exams as early as Easter and A-level results will be published at the start of July, instead of mid-August. Applications would also be limited to just two choices instead of the current five. This proposal could be introduced as early as 2016.

Mary Curnock Cook, UCAS chief executive, said the unreliability of predicted grades meant the admissions body now felt “there is a need for change”, writes Hannah Richardson at the BBC.

    “We see that across three A levels, fewer than 10% of applicants actually have all three predicted correctly. Would those be people who might have made a different choice if they’d known what their outcomes were?”

In a damning conclusion, UCAS also claims that the traditional clearing system, in which students without a place compete for spare courses in late August, is “inefficient, stressful and confusing for applicants”.

The National Union of Students has been a longstanding supporter of switching to applying after results, arguing that it is fairer for poorer applicants who might exceed predicted grades, writes Richardson.

NUS vice-president, Usman Ali, warned that the UCAS proposals must not be “dismissed out of hand, particularly by those universities with the most work to do to ensure access is widened for students from disadvantaged backgrounds”.

Universities Minister David Willetts said a more efficient system would be “good news for students”.

But the Department for Education, responsible for schools, cautioned it would mean “big changes to the timetable for exams and results”. It is believed that the proposals could mean A-level exams starting two weeks earlier than at present.

The proposals are expected to be opposed by many schools and colleges because it is feared that it could lead to more mistakes during exam marking as the process has to be speeded up considerably. Top universities are also concerned as it is believed that it could cause chaos as admissions tutors are forced to consider tens of thousands of applications in just a few weeks instead of months.

Consultation into the plans opens today and is due to end in January.

NEWS BY:http://www.educationnews.org/international-uk/uk-university-admissions-system-shake-up/

University hosts delegation from Palestinian Territories

On Tuesday 7 February, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research) Professor Jane Millar hosted a group from the Palestinian Territories lead by HE Lamis al-Alami, Minister of Education & Higher Education.

The visit was part of a fact-finding tour to a small group of UK universities organised by the British Council and among the delegates were a number of university presidents and senior figures from business.

The delegates received presentations from University staff on undergraduate work placements and employability and the work of the Research Development Support Office.

Professor Millar commenting on the visit: “We were delighted to host this group of senior figures from the Palestinian Territories and honoured that they approached Bath. We hope the information that we imparted will prove useful to the Minister and her colleagues in the development of higher education provision in Palestine and we welcome continued dialogue in the future.”

NEWS BY:http://www.bath.ac.uk/news/2012/02/10/palestine-delegation/

Woman killed, 17 injured in UJ stampede

A desperate attempt to claim a place at university for her child ended in tragedy for one parent when she was crushed to death in a stampede at the gates of the University of Johannesburg's Bunting Road campus.

The woman has not yet been identified.

"One female died, 17 have been treated for minor injuries, and will be taken to hospital," said emergency services spokesperson Nana Radebe.

"We received a call at about 7.30am this morning. It is alleged that the stampede occurred just after they opened the gate," she said.

A disaster bus was also on the scene helping the injured, three of whom were in a serious, but stable condition.

University spokesperson Herman Esterhuizen said further details would be released at a press conference at the university at 10am.

Registrar Marie Muller told eNews channel that the incident happened as students queued for last-minute applications to the tertiary institution.

The university received 5 000 new applications on Monday.

It was turning away people still outside the campus and trying to get in on Tuesday morning.

Muller confirmed that the university had since closed the gates and would not be accepting any more late applications, saying that there were at most 600 additional spots for the 6 000 applicants who have been queuing throughout the night at the Bunting Road campus.

Late applications are an annual phenomenon as thousands of matric graduates flock to universities in the hopes of gaining acceptance to study further.

One prospective student said, "We rushed the gate because we need to register -- we need education. People ran over each other and were jumping over fences."

UJ is one of the few universities that take last-minute applications after the January release of matric results, when matriculants may find that they achieved an unexpected university entrance pass.

Matrics were alerted to the late application opportunity through the university's email and SMS campaign.

The Star newspaper reported on Tuesday morning that there were only 11 000 first-year undergraduate places at UJ and the university has already provisionally accepted 17 000, subject to their matric results and space. As many as 5 000 applications were accepted on Monday alone.

A traumatised Wilson Matiba was present when the stampede occurred.

"Things got out of hand. We rushed the gates and people fell. We couldn't stop," said Matiba, who is trying to enrol for a BSc degree in zoology.

Matiba said prospective students were desperate and felt left without any alternative other than storming the entrance.

"We need education. We need to register. We needed to get inside," he said.

Concerned parents remained outside the entrance after the incident, continuing their efforts to get their children enrolled at university.

"They treat these kids like pigs. How can we trust them to give them an education?" said Patricia Moshoeng, whose son, Caleb, had been queuing outside the entrance since 4pm on Monday.

"His phone is now off and I can't find him," Moshoeng added.

NEWS BY:http://mg.co.za/article/2012-01-10-women-killed-17-injured-in-uj-stampede/

Kidderminster College Celebrates

Kidderminster College is proud to announce their annual Awards Ceremony 2011 celebrating the learners and staff of 2010-11 year took place on 21st November 2011.    This event was a great opportunity for a hundred people - learners and staff, and the college community to come together to celebrate and reward, effort, talent and achievement at the college.  Andy Dobson (Principal of Kidderminster College), and David Cory (Chair of Governors) presented 18 learner awards, and 8 staff awards.

Some of the awards presented include the Vocational Learning Award for a Year 11 student who has demonstrated a high level of personal motivation to their continued training and development, as a result of a vocational learning experience.  This was awarded to Scott Richardson who is now studying at the Midlands Construction College in Hartlebury.  He produced an excellent rabbit hutch for a project piece, and built a brick bbq for the end of course party.

There were several awards for Outstanding Achievement and several awards for Outstanding Effort which were presented to the different subject areas and won by Lauren Wright, who has a blossoming music career and was chosen to play at the Britney Spears LG Arena concert.  There was also an Apprentice of the Year Award and an Apprentice Outstanding Effort Award, presented to a learner on our popular apprentice schemes, who are earning with an employer, while they learn new skills and qualifications at Kidderminster College.

There was an Endeavour Award for a learner 16-24 with learning difficulties or disabilities who has undertaken a course of learning or training, and demonstrated a determination to succeed or outstanding personal achievement.  The Endeavour Award – Skills for Life Learner, for a learner who has undertaken a course of learning or training with the aim of acquiring or improving their basic educational skills.

Other awards included the Advocacy Award, for a learner who has encouraged others with their learning and promoted a better understanding of certain issues.  The NVQ Learner of the Year Award for an individual who has demonstrated excellence, determination and commitment in achieving their NVQ while at work.  The Work Placement Outstanding Achievement Award for an individual on a full time course who has demonstrated and achieved excellent results.  And finally a Higher Education Outstanding Achievement Award for an individual who has demonstrated ongoing commitment and achieved excellent results.  This was won by Tracey Sadler who is a talented dancer and has gone on to further her training at Ballet West.

Staff were presented with an Outstanding Teacher of the Year award, Most Promising Teacher of the Year for an individual who has shown exceptional progress and ongoing commitment to deliver high quality learning.  There were awards for Support Staff Member of the Year and Exceptional Contribution by a Member of Staff.

The evening was a great success and a special way to recognise the effort, commitment and hard work of all staff and learners over the past year, and to celebrate the ongoing work of all those that have contributed to Kidderminster College community.

NEWS BY:http://www.kidderminster.ac.uk/College-News/Kidderminster-College-Celebrates/59/

Taking centre stage at the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition 2012

The winners of the 48th annual BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition 2012 have been announced marking another great year for the Northern Ireland finalists who scooped top awards at the exhibition.

Now it’s the turn of the Belfast Telegraph BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition 2012 Video Diary finalists to be in with a chance to win another amazing prize.

Four Northern Ireland schools who qualified for the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition 2012 entered and were selected for the Belfast Telegraph BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition Video Diary initiative last December. The schools were given a video recorder to record their preparations and experience of the exhibition to create a Student Diary.

The participating schools, Wellington College, Loreto Grammar School Omagh, St Louis GS Kilkeel, and Abbey Christian Brothers Newry have now submitted their video diary entries which recorded their overall experience of having qualified as a finalist for the world leading event.

A judging panel will now choose the overall best video diary entry in early February and the winning school will be awarded with an iPad.

NEWS BY:http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/education/taking-centre-stage-at-the-bt-young-scientist-amp-technology-exhibition-2012-16111380.html

China rights record fails to stop UK university partnerships

As British universities scrambled to take advantage of Tony Blair's visit to Beijing to raise their own profiles, Amnesty International has warned of continuing human rights abuses in China.

In a briefing for the European Union-China summit this week, Amnesty pointed to continuing harsh treatment of people involved in the 1989 pro-democracy Tiananmen Square protests and to the recent clampdown on the press and internet.

But Mr Blair, whose government holds the rotating EU presidency, said today, after his talks with Chinese leaders, that he is optimistic China will improve its rights record. "In a country that is developing very fast ... there is unstoppable momentum there toward greater political freedom, progress on human rights," he said.

Amnesty reported that 16 years after the military crackdown in Tiananmen Square, dozens of individuals remain in prison, or have been exiled from their homeland, unable to return even to see elderly or sick parents.

The briefing to the EU added: "Contrary to earlier hopes that the Hu Jintao/Wen Jiabao administration would relax controls over the press, investigative reporting, the internet, radio and other forms of broadcasting, the trend has been towards a restriction of freedoms including even retrenchments in areas where citizens had earlier enjoyed freedoms, such as on private blogs on the internet.

"In the last six months the authorities have added new legal, technological, and political means of monitoring, controlling and restricting the flow of information and expression in various media. The spate of recent detentions and sentencing of individuals - based on vaguely worded charges including "illegally leaking state secrets", "disturbing social order", "subversion" and "defamation", among others - for the peaceful exercise of their right to free expression sends a clear message to the citizenry of China of the risks they run in exercising their rights.

The British prime minister today used a broadcast for Chinese television to highlight the £20m campus built by Nottingham University at Ningbo in collaboration with the Chinese authorities.

In the invited audience were Nottingham's vice-chancellor, Sir Colin Campbell, and the Ningbo university's chancellor, Professor Fujia Yang.

Nottingham's venture is in partnership with Zhejiang Wanli University and has been operating in temporary accommodation for the past year. Later this month the new campus, with facilities for 4,000 students, opens its doors.

This is the biggest of a growing number of partnerships with Chinese universities and colleges established by British universities, although they lag behind the US, Australia, Canada and Japan, according to the London-based Observatory on Borderless Education.

Partnerships greatly exceed the numbers officially reported, so the involvement of British universities is probably underestimated, but the number of students on UK programmes in China nearly doubled to 2,554 between 2002 and 2003 at a time when numbers coming to the UK to study were also booming.

NEWS BY:http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2005/sep/06/highereducation.uk2

World's top 100 universities 2011: their reputations ranked by Times Higher Education

The US boasts the most reputable universities in the world according to a new global reputation ranking out today.

The list published today by the Times Higher Education, is the first of its kind looking solely at the reputations of institutions for teaching and research. Harvard comes top closely followed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) beating both Oxford and Cambridge universities.

The US dominates with seven universities in the top ten and a massive 45 in the total rankings. Taking 12 of the places in the top 100, the UK is second to the US with Cambridge university beating Oxford. Imperial College, University College London (UCL), London School of Economics and Edinburgh University also make the top 50.


The rankings based on a survey of 13,388 academics over 131 countries is the largest evaluation of academic reputation and is used partly used in indicators for compiling the well-known Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

The rankings also show Japan beating Canada, Australia and Germany with the flagship, University of Tokyo, at eighth place making it the only other nation apart from the US and UK to feature in the top ten.

With university fees rocketing and more applicants fighting for places, university reputation is set to be an even bigger focus for prospective students.

Phil Baty, editor of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, said: "In an ever more competitive global market for students, academics and university administrators a university's reputation for academic excellence is crucial."

The full Times Higher education World Reputation Rankings 2011 with data supplied by Thomson Reuters, can be found in our table below. To see how the university reputations compare with their world rankings can be found in our spreadsheet.

NEWS BY:http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2011/mar/10/world-top-100-universities-reputation-rankings-reputation-times-higher-education

UK university fees system 'barking', says academic

A standard package of tuition fees and bursaries should be introduced for UK universities, an adviser to the Welsh Assembly Government has said.

Professor Teresa Rees said the different rates for a university education across the UK were "barking".

She said there should be a strategic decision on fees charged and bursaries available for all students.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said higher education was a devolved matter.

Prof Rees has led two commissions on higher education for the Welsh assembly and is in favour of devolution.
'Unbelievably complicated'

However, the former pro-vice-chancellor of Cardiff University and professor in the School of Social Sciences at the university, said the current system of different fees across the UK is too complex.

"At the moment it's unbelievably complicated - if you're a student from Northern Ireland and you want to study in England, you know, what you'd be eligible for would be very different from an English student wanting to study in Scotland.

A standard package of tuition fees and bursaries should be introduced for UK universities, an adviser to the Welsh Assembly Government has said.

Professor Teresa Rees said the different rates for a university education across the UK were "barking".

She said there should be a strategic decision on fees charged and bursaries available for all students.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said higher education was a devolved matter.

Prof Rees has led two commissions on higher education for the Welsh assembly and is in favour of devolution.
'Unbelievably complicated'

However, the former pro-vice-chancellor of Cardiff University and professor in the School of Social Sciences at the university, said the current system of different fees across the UK is too complex.

"At the moment it's unbelievably complicated - if you're a student from Northern Ireland and you want to study in England, you know, what you'd be eligible for would be very different from an English student wanting to study in Scotland.

NEWS BY:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-13065039

The IT Pro report: Cloud Computing in 2012

The first IT Pro quarterly report looks at how cloud computing can and will affect your business in the year and years ahead. Download it now.

CIOs and other senior business and technology decision makers are time poor, yet suffer from increasing

levels of information overload.

Rather than add to that sea of data, every quarter we will produce the IT Pro Report. Our aim is to bring together the key information and insight you need to help make strategic business decisions. You can view it on your PC, read it at your leisure on a Kindle, or simply print it out.

In this first report, we focus on cloud computing. What is it? What do you need to know? How can it impact your business?

With so much noise in the industry about the cloud, this report seeks to highlight what you really need to know and how to ensure your business gets maximum reward with minimum risk. 




NEWS BY:

Imperial College announces tuition fees of £9,000

Imperial College London has become the first university in England to formally announce that it wants to charge the maximum level of tuition fees.

Imperial, a world-famous science institution, plans to charge £9,000 for all subjects from 2012.

Cambridge University has proposed fees of £9,000, but it has still to complete its decision-making process.

Imperial College will now have to provide details of support for poorer students to the Office for Fair Access.
'Maintain excellence'

The central London college, one of the country's top-rated universities, says it wants to charge maximum fees to "maintain the excellence of the education we provide to students".

After the government raised the limit for tuition fees for universities in England from 2012, individual institutions have been holding internal discussions about how much they should charge.

Details are beginning to emerge, with Cambridge moving a step closer on Monday to adopting fees of £9,000, when its council backed a recommendation for maximum fees.

mperial College, one of the country's top-rated institutions, has become the first to unequivocally set out its intention to charge the top level of fees.

It will now have to decide what package of financial support will be available to students from low-income families.

"Our message to the outside world though must be that for those who can manage Imperial's courses, the college will work to ensure they can manage its costs," says a statement from the rector, Keith O'Nions.

Imperial, specialising in science, medicine and engineering, has performed strongly in international league tables.

Before MPs voted on the fee increase, there had been claims that the top level of fee would only be charged in "exceptional circumstances".

But there are already signs that leading universities intend to charge at the upper level of fees.

Oxford University says that it will need to charge at least £8,000 per year to replace the budgets that are being cut.
Government warnings

There have been suggestions that if universities such as Imperial, Cambridge and Oxford opt for the highest level of fee, it will make it harder for other leading universities to charge less.

Cambridge's review of fees warned that charging less than the top rate would raise questions about their commitment to quality.

But there have been warnings from the government that universities should not all expect to be able to charge the maximum amount - not least because of the cost of student loans.

NEWS BY:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-12475227

Teachers' Marbella Trip Cancelled

A teacher training course in Marbella has been cancelled after parents complained it would close their children's school for two days.

The group of 80 teachers from Edensor Technology College in Longton, Staffordshire, had booked the four-star Andalucia Plaza Marbella Hotel from today until Sunday.

Headteacher Richard Mercer claimed it was more cost effective than holding their meeting in Birmingham or London.

But following pressure from parents, and the media, Mr Mercer has now cancelled the trip which is estimated to have cost between £20,000 and £30,000.

It's unlikely the school will get a refund, because the trip to Spain was booked 10 months ago.

Parents were incensed when they found out about the planned visit to the hotel, which boasts three swimming pools, a sauna, a casino and a cocktail bar.

"Why isn't this money being spent on our kids?" said Andy Sales, from Fenton.

"Parents are having to take time off work or are paying for extra childcare while the staff are enjoying the sun at the school's expense."Stoke-on-Trent's Mayor, Mark Meredith, told Sky News Online that his first job is to protect the image and reputation of the city.

"When I heard about it I thought it beggars belief, it's barmy, it's staggering at a time when you've got this global financial crisis in meltdown it just sends out completely the wrong message from Stoke-on-Trent. I'm pleased common sense has prevailed."

But when pressed on the loss of the money, Mr Meredith was unrepentant.

"From the point of view of the teachers it would be unfair for staff to be put through the media mangle over the next few days. You couldn't have pictures of them relaxing on the beach surfacing. If I was the travel company I wouldn't give them the money back."

The staff, who turned up for work this morning with bulging suitcases, will now hold their conference at the school over the next two days.

NEWS BY:http://news.sky.com/home/uk-news/article/15111879