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Report says UK teachers 'boosted GCSE marks'

Sat, 03 Nov 2012 14:45:48 GMT

Saturday, November 3, 2012

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According to a new report by the United Kingdom exams regulator Ofqual, some teachers have been marking students' General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) coursework "significantly" too high.

	"Children have been let down. That won't do".
—Glenys Stacey

Pupils sit GCSEs aged between 14–16. Part of the pupils' overall grade is made up of controlled assessment, which usually takes place in a controlled environment in school. The rest of the grade comes from the final exam.

Chief Regulator Glenys Stacey said schools were under too much pressure to achieve certain grades, which contributed to the over-marking. She also said exams place too much emphasis on teachers' marks. "We have been shocked by what we have found. Children have been let down. That won't do. It's clear that children are increasingly spending too much time jumping through hoops rather than learning the real skills they need in life. That won't do." She said English teachers had been put under particular pressure. "Teachers feel under enormous pressure in English, more than in any other subject, and we have seen that too often, this is pushing them to the limit. That won't do either."

The leaders of several teaching unions objected to the report. "For Ofqual to suggest that teachers and schools are to blame is outrageous, and flies in the face of the evidence. Ofqual is responsible for ensuring fairness and accuracy in the system", said Deputy General Sectretary of the of the ASCL union Malcolm Trobe. "The fact remains that different standards were applied to the exams in June and January and this is blatantly wrong. The accountability measures do place tremendous pressure on teachers and schools, especially at GCSE grade C, but to say that teachers would compromise their integrity to the detriment of students is an insult."

There was controversy concerning GCSE English exams in the UK earlier this year. In June's GCSE English exam, the grade boundaries were different from the exam in January, which meant thousands of pupils received lower June grades than they would have in January. The Welsh Education Minister Leighton Andrews ordered a re-grading of Welsh pupils' exam papers; pupils who sat exams in England were left with their original grades.

Ofqual released an initial report, finding that the grade boundaries set for the June exam were correct but the exam in January was in some cases "graded generously".

Pupils in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland currently sit GCSEs. This year, the UK government announced plans to replace GCSEs with a new examination, similar to the old O-levels. In Scotland pupils currently sit Standard Grade examinations, which will shortly be replaced by National 4 and 5 exams.

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Sources [edit]

"GCSEs" — nidirect, November 3, 2012 (Date of access)
"Under pressure teachers 'boosted GCSE marks'" — Channel 4 News, November 2, 2012
Katherine Sellgren. "GCSE English: Teachers angry over generous marking claim" — BBC News Online, November 2, 2012
Seonag MacKinnon. "Plan to tackle criticism of new Scots curriculum and exams" — BBC News Online, September 19, 2012
"Farewell GCSEs, welcome baccalaureates" — Channel 4 News, September 17, 2012
Jackie Long. "GCSE English and the great Welsh regrades" — Channel 4 News, September 11, 2012

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Attorney General vetos release of Prince Charles correspondence

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 19:55:54 GMT

Thursday, October 18, 2012

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Dominic Grieve, the Attorney General for England and Wales, has vetoed a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to release correspondence sent by Prince Charles to government ministers while Tony Blair was Prime Minister from September 2004 to April 2005.

Prince Charles
Image: Dan Marsh.

The decision by the Attorney General overturns a previous decision by the Administrative Appeals Chamber which said there was a public interest in publishing the letters.

In a statement, Grieve made a case for it being in the public interest to not release the documents. He noted that the publication of the Prince's correspondence would damage his preparation for kingship by damaging the public perception that he is "party-political neutral" by showing the Prince disagreeing with the policies of the government. Grieve then stated "[a]ny such perception would be seriously damaging to his role as future Monarch, because if he forfeits his position of political neutrality as heir to the Throne, he cannot easily recover it when he is King".

Grieve's statement did note that the letters from Prince Charles "reflect his personal and deeply held views and convictions" and "are in many cases particularly frank" but notes there is "nothing improper in the nature or content of these letters".

	[the] decision is a serious affront to British democracy
—Graham Smith

The Freedom of Information Act request was made by Rob Evans, a journalist writing for The Guardian. The Guardian stated they intend to take the government to court to challenge Grieve's decision.

Graham Smith from the anti-monarchist group Republic said, "[the] decision is a serious affront to British democracy". Smith argued: "Grieve has said this is about protecting prince Charles’s impartiality, but that impartiality doesn’t exist. Charles has made that clear. This decision is about pretending Charles is impartial while he continues to lobby in favour of his own political agenda. If Grieve believes Charles to be impartial then let him prove it by allowing the release of these documents."

Prince Charles has been criticised in the past for repeated use of his power and influence. The architect Richard Rogers claimed that the Prince, who has strongly traditionalist views on architecture, repeatedly intervened to have projects cancelled which he was working on. Rogers criticised the decision not to release Charles' correspondence: "It is not democratic to cover up his interventions."

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Sources [edit]

"Attorney general vetoes Prince Charles letters publication" — BBC News Online, October 16, 2012
Gordon Rayner. "Prince of Wales letters: letters 'a threat' to Charles as King" — The Telegraph, October 16, 2012
Rob Evans and Robert Booth. "Attorney general blocks disclosure of Prince Charles letters to ministers" — The Guardian, October 16, 2012
Mark Beech. "Prince Charles Adversary Richard Rogers Wins Stirling Prize" — Bloomberg, October 17, 2009
Robert Booth. "Richard Rogers: 'Prince Charles wrecked my Chelsea project'" — The Guardian, June 16, 2009

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Wikinews interviews Michael Hartung, the Australian Deputy Chef de Mission

Sun, 09 Sep 2012 02:46:39 GMT

Michael Hartung (right) and Kate MacLoughlin (left) at an Australian Paralympic Committee press conference earlier in the game
Image: Laura Hale.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

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London, England — Yesterday, Wikinews interviewed Michael Hartung, the Australian Deputy Chef de Mission at the Australian team quarters in the Paralympic Village.

Hawkeye7 What does the Deputy Chef de Mission do?

Michael Hartung: Makes the chef look good! (laughter) No, my role here is in support of our Chef de Mission and the team. There's two of us, myself, and Kate McLoughlin is the other Deputy Chef de Mission. She focuses on the operations side of things, the logistics and travel and all that sort of stuff, the foundations of preparing the team and really getting here and back home safely with all their gear. The part of the team that I look after is the performance side of things, so in my particular area I have guys in the sports science and sports medicine grew, which is managed by Alison Campbell. We have classification in my area which is managed by Geoff Han. We've got high performance and coach support, which is Chris Nunn, and the media guys fit under my side of things, and they are managed by Tim Mannion. All of those guys are all staff at the APC, and they've been working with us for a considerable amount of time. They are all experts in their areas so as far as the performance elements of the team are concerned we've got a great bunch of people that come in here and its a continuation of the the job that we prepare for and that we do every day. So that's been good, we're not a bunch of outsiders who've come together just for this team. We're professionals who work in these fields, doing these jobs day in and day out, so we should be experts when we get to the games in how it should be delivered.

LauraHale Is everything going according to plan for you guys? You've got more gold medals than you got in Beijing.

Michael Hartung: Yep. Still not there yet in total but we're happy. Our goal coming into this, one main goal was to finish top five, and we're just hanging on. It's tough. That's the reality of Olympic sport. We're having a really good games at the moment. The sub goal of ours was to just beat the medal tally at Beijing which we've achieved on gold, which is terrific, and we should achieve on total as well if things keep going the way they are for the next couple of days. That's a terrific result and it just shows the strength of the Paralympic movement, and the strength of our competitors that there are so many nations fighting it out to be in that top five, and we're certainly not there by any means. The nation that's just behind us, the USA, is a traditional powerhouse of Paralympic sport, and a nation that has done extremely well over the history of Paralympic sport. So where we are right now is in a really good position and if we stay where we are now, and pick up a few more medals, we'll be really happy with the performance of the team and where it's gone on the medal tally.

LauraHale In the lead up to this there was a lot of coverage of how much money the government gave you for stuff like the recovery centre inside here. How fundamental has that government support been towards this?

Michael Hartung: The Federal government provides us with basically all the funding that we give to the sport programs to deliver sport programs to athletes. And without the Federal government's support, we cannot do the job that we do. It is essential, and without their investment we certainly wouldn't be seeing the results that we have here. That been said we've also had great support in addition to funding from ministers and senators that have come across here and supported the team. Senator Kate Lundy is here. She's departing tonight, but has been here for most of the games. It's been terrific for us and the team to have had that sort of support for us here.

LauraHale Classification has been a big issue in these games. To an extent the Americans lost some... Oscar's classification's been a big deal... There hasn't been much Australian news related to classifications.

Michael Hartung: No, which is a really good sign. I think that shows all the work we've put in over the years to classification. We've got a program that's been led by Jim MacMahon that we consider to be a world leading program. Which means that our policies and procedures and our work at a national level to ensure that people know where they fit in the classification spectrum, and no doubt early on is very important to us. So we minimise the risk of an athlete turning up and having a change in classification. This is really the Big Show. This is where it really matters, and for athletes to come here and not be 100% sure about their classification is something that we absolutely want to avoid. We should know where they sit, and there is a lot of money that is now invested through Federal funding and through the states' institutes and academies and so on. A lot of money gets invested and we need some surety about where that investment is going, and which athletes are prospects for medals when they turn up.

LauraHale We've talked to the Oceania people who've said they've got tremendous support from the APC with the Wales thing. Are you guys going to continue to do that support? Because they couldn't say enough nice things about the APC and the coaches talking to their athletes.

Michael Hartung: Yeah, that's terrific. I think that we certainly have an ongoing role that we have played and continue to play in Oceania in helping those countries really develop. New Zealand's doing great and they're certainly self-sufficient, and here as a great sporting nation, but for some of our other, smaller neighbors, it's great that we've been able to provide support. We've provided opportunities for them to come and be part of the Cardiff staging environment we set up for our team. We started preparations for that back in 2007. So they joined us there, and hopefully that's helped then achieve their great results here, with Fiji winning a gold medal. That's a tremendous achievement for Oceania as a whole, not just Fiji, and that's been terrific to know that the staging camp has assisted with that, along with the other support that we provide. We helped establish the Oceania Paralympic Committee not so long ago. We have Paul Bird, one of our Vice Presidents, as the President of the Oceania Paralympic Committee, and so we have a really close working relationship with those nations. It's terrific to see them succeed, and to be successful.

LauraHale Have you had a chance to see many of your athletes compete? And has there been any performance that has really stood out, Australian or not Australian?

Michael Hartung: Yeah! I've been fortunate to see a lot of our guys compete, right across the board. There's many, many highlights for me. I don't think there's been one stand out performance. Natalie Smith getting a bronze medal to get us underway on the first day was such an incredible achievement, knowing where the shooting program was four or five years ago, not really being able to crack the medals, and to finally do it here in the first event, and to be the first medal was wonderful. Jacqui Freney's performances here to win seven gold medals has been amazing, and she's had a great meet here. Matt Cowdrey breaking the record and becoming the athlete to win the most gold medals for Australia has been a real achievement. But then seeing some of the things we've seen on the track and track cycling, Michael Gallagher and the other guys, they've had a great performance here at the games, incredibly well, and I think the most satisfying element of all of those performances is knowing the work that's gone into supporting those athletes from the the people around them, but the work that those individual athletes have put into achieving success, because coming here, you can see that this is an elite sporting environment, and only the best in the world will achieve success, and you don't become the best by doing it half arsed; you have to give it 150%, and that's what it takes. No one wins unless they do that.

LauraHale Anything else that we should know?

Michael Hartung: Apart from what we've just spoken about, I think that the London Organising Committee has done a terrific job with these games. They've made a sensational environment. Every games has its challenges, but the challenges here have been quite minor, and haven't caused any major disruptions. It enabled us to create an environment here which is really performance based. That's what the Australian Paralympic Committee is working on all the time is to create the best environment for our athletes. So that's been great. The crowds here have been tremendous and the support of the British public, and that started long ago with the acknowledgment of both Olympic and Paralympic. Whenever they say things, they say "Olympic and Paralympic". It's not been just about one games, primarily the Olympic Games or whatever, and that's been really good in terms of the psyche of the British people, because they know about Paralympic sport. They're a very knowledgeable audience, and that's been really great for the crowds here. They've cheered really loudly for the British athletes, but they've also been giving all the other athletes a big cheer as well, which is wonderful. And taking away from these games, the crowd, and the involvement and the support of all the athletes that have competed has been wonderful.

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Greg Smith named as Australia's 2012 Paralympic Games flag-bearer

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 12:31:19 GMT

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Tuesday, August 21, 2012

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Sources [edit]

This article features first-hand journalism by Wikinews members. See the collaboration page for more details.

Glen Foreman. "Greg Smith has been announced as Australian flag bearer for Paralympics" — Courier Mail, August 21, 2012
"Paralympics veteran Smith to carry Australian flag" — Australian Broadcasting Corporation, August 21, 2012

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African Olympians and Paralympians prepare for their London odyssey

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 05:56:05 GMT

Wikinews Sports

Sources [edit]

Paul Mutharike. "Malawi Olympic Committee treasurer in contract scam" — Nyasa Times, June 27, 2012
"Malawi Olympic team touches down in Gloucestershire" — Gloucestershire Echo, June 27, 2012
Jocelyn. "Blade Runner may miss London Games" — The Roar, June 29, 2012
Esther Addley. "London 2012: Olympic training camps spread Games fever across the UK" — The Guardian, June 25, 2012
Mohamed Touileb. "Serrer les gants et monter d’un cran" — La Tribune (Algeria), June 23, 2012 (French)
"L’équipe algérienne a pris part au tournoi de Trakai (Lituanie)" — La Tribune (Algeria), June 27, 2012 (French)
Ronel van Zyl. "Team SA @ the London Olympics: Kate Roberts" — The South African, June 28, 2012
Associated Press. "Last chance for Pistorius to qualify for Olympic" — ESPN, June 28, 2012
Nick Cremona. "Longhorns past and present take over Olympic Trials" — The Daily Texan, June 24, 2012
Steve Phillips. "With the summer Olympics six weeks away, athletes are training around the globe to prepare for London." — WBIR, June 20, 2012
Orkula Shaagee. "Nigeria: Ndanusa Sure of Olympics Medals in Relays, Others" — Daily Trust, June 26, 2012
Gowon Akpodonor. "No room for jamboree athletes in London, AFN insists" — The Guardian (South Africa), June 29, 2012
William Njugna. "Kenya: Bristol Storm" — The Star (Nairobi), June 26, 2012
Bernard Momanyi. "Kenya: Olympian Kemboi in Knife Fight With Woman" — Capital FM (Nairobi), June 28, 2012
Collin Matiza and Godknows Matarutse. "London Games Countdown" — The Herald (Zimbabwe), June 28, 2012
Angola Press. "Athletes Participate in Penultimate Competition Before London2012" — AllAfrica.com, June 26, 2012
Rwanda Express (Kigali). "Rwanda: Paralympic Athlete Nsengimana Qualifies for London Games" — AllAfrica, June 26, 2012
New Vision (Uganda). "Uganda: Achola, Chemos Confident" — AllAfrica, June 26, 2012

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UK education secretary Michael Gove to drop GCSEs in favour of new O-level-style exams

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 19:04:26 GMT

Friday, June 22, 2012

Michael Gove, the UK's education secretary.
Image: Paul Clarke.

According to documents leaked to the press, Conservative education secretary Michael Gove intends to drop GCSE exams as part of a sweeping reform of the school exam system in England and replace them with exams based on the traditional "O-level" system that GCSEs replaced in the 1980s.

As leaked, Gove plans to phase out the current General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) exams, with students taking exams in the replacement courses in the summer of 2016. Combined science courses would be split out into separate qualifications in physics, biology, and chemistry. Gove has said reforms to the examination system are needed to fight against what he perceives to be a "dumbing down" of academic standards.

The top 'A' grade in mathematics would require advanced topics such as Calculus, and English literature exams would no longer allow access to the set text.

	I can hardly think of a worse education reform than 'bringing back the CSE' - dead-end exams for children treated as second rate.
—Andrew Adonis, Labour Peer

The leaked document also notes the government intends to scrap the National Curriculum at the secondary school level "and not replace it". Instead, school headteachers would be able to decide what to teach in order to prepare pupils for the examination.

Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister, said the plans were "self-evidently not policy that has been discussed or agreed within the coalition".

Justice minister Ken Clarke suggested on BBC programme Question Time the leak originated within the Department of Education rather than from Gove personally: "If the secretary of state for education leaked it I would feel very strongly about it, but I don't think he did".

Conservative MP Graham Stuart has questioned the timing of the plans given reforms to GCSEs last year. "This has come out of the blue", he said to BBC Radio 4. "Just last year, the government was ramping up its new GCSE target and now a year on we are having to change back to the future, and back to O-Levels."

Kevin Brennan, Labour's shadow schools minister, said Gove's proposals were a move "back to the 1950s".

	the current system needs improving ... some GCSEs really don't stretch the very brightest
—Dr Wendy Piatt

Andrew Adonis, a Labour Peer, criticised the plans on Twitter: "I can hardly think of a worse education reform than 'bringing back the CSE' - dead-end exams for children treated as second rate." Nick Clegg mirrored this complaint, saying he would oppose any plan "that would lead to a two-tier system where children at quite a young age are somehow cast on a scrap heap".

Dr Wendy Piatt from the Russell Group, which represents a number of top-end British universities, agreed with Michael Gove that there is a problem: "the current system needs improving", she told ITV's Daybreak, because "some GCSEs really don't stretch the very brightest". Piatt warned "there is a real danger here... there is a worry that at a very early age you will be pigeonholed and then put on a course that is not really suitable for you and then you won't be able to change to the more academic course".

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Dr Kevin Stannard from the Girls Day School Trust challenged the plans, suggesting since "able pupils" are already going to continue studying some subjects, "why not require them to take exams at 16 only in the core subjects that they propose to drop? That would encourage breadth in learning to 16, while also giving students the space for deeper learning."

Leighton Andrews, the Education Minister in Wales, said Wales "certainly won't be bringing back O-levels" and leaking the plans to the newspapers was a "bonkers way of proceeding". Instead, he vowed the Welsh would make decisions as to curriculum and exam reform "in our own time on the basis of evidence supplied to us".

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Sources [edit]

"David Cameron 'not aware' of Gove GCSE plan, says Clegg" — BBC News Online, June 22, 2012
"Pupils 'could suffer under new proposals to scrap GCSE exams'" — ITV News, June 22, 2012
"Conservative MP 'sceptical' about Gove's O-Level plan" — ITV News, June 22, 2012
Angela Harrison. "Plans for O-level-style exams to replace GCSEs" — BBC News Online, June 21, 2012
Andrew Adonis. "I can hardly think of a worse education reform than 'bringing back the CSE' - dead-end exams for children treated as second rate." — Twitter, June 21, 2012
"Nick Clegg blasts Michael Gove over scrap GCSE plan" — BBC News Online, June 21, 2012
"O-levels: No return in Wales, says Leighton Andrews" — BBC News Online, June 21, 2012
"Letters: Gove's back to the 50s revolution" — The Guardian, June 21, 2012
Tim Shipman. "Return of the O-Level: Gove announces radical plan to scrap GCSEs 'to ensure UK has a world-class education system' but lack of consultation angers Lib Dems" — Daily Mail, June 21, 2012
Nicholas Watt. "Return of O-levels: Michael Gove to get rid of GCSEs in exams shakeup" — The Guardian, June 20, 2012

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UK student jailed for 'racist' Twitter posts about footballer Fabrice Muamba

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:13:54 GMT

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

The incident started after Fabrice Muamba (pictured) collapsed during a football match.
Image: Struway.

A student who mocked Bolton footballer Fabrice Muamba on Twitter has been sent to prison for his 'racist' comments. Police forces around the UK received complaints about Liam Stacey who made the remarks after Muamba collapsed on the pitch during a match.

Stacey, 21, admitted an offence of inciting racial hatred. He was today given a 56-day sentence at Swansea Magistrates' Court. He wept as he was handcuffed and led away. His defence noted he admitted his guilt as soon as police in Swansea arrested him, that he was drunk at the time, and claimed he was not a racist and had friends from ethnic minorities.

He had, however, claimed initially his Twitter account had been hacked and tried to delete it when he learned police had been summoned. Former England international player Stan Collymore was among those to contact police.

Shortly after Muamba collapsed Stacey posted "LOL, Fuck Muamba. He's dead." When other users responded, he called them "wogs", telling one "go pick some cotton". Some sexual comments were also made. The prosecution had hoped to see the case transferred to a more senior court for a sentence longer than the six-month maximum the magistrates' court could impose.

Stacey is suspended from Swansea University in Wales, where he is a biology student. His lawyer had asked for a non-custodial sentence so he could complete the course, saying Stacey was doing well. However, a campaign among other students is calling for him to be expelled from university entirely.

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Sources [edit]

Steven Morris. "Student jailed for racist Fabrice Muamba tweets" — The Guardian, March 27, 2012
Antony Stone. "Student jailed for Muamba comments" — The Belfast Telegraph, March 27, 2012

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Three UK towns to be made cities following nationwide competition

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 15:46:37 GMT

United Kingdom

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9 May 2013: Lord Falconer proposes bill to legalise assisted dying for terminal ill in UK
1 May 2013: Miles Franklin Literary Award nominates only women for potential winners
15 April 2013: Nuclear weapons protest at Faslane leads to 47 arrests
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8 April 2013: Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher dies aged 87

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Thursday, March 15, 2012

St Asaph, with a population of 3,400, was a surprise winner

Three towns in the United Kingdom are to become cities after winning a nationwide competition held to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee.

Chelmsford in Essex, Perth in Scotland, and St Asaph in North Wales were selected as the three victors of the competition, whose bidding process began in November 2010. The city of Armagh in Northern Ireland was granted a lord mayoralty. Across the country, 26 towns in total applied for the honours, which are very rarely granted.

The Queen chose winners based on advice from deputy prime minister Nick Clegg. "Across the United Kingdom, I have been moved by the pride and passion which people have shown in putting their nominations forward," he said.

He added: "The standard of application was very high, and those who missed out should not be downhearted. I hope the competition has given the residents of all of the places which applied a sense of civic pride, of collective ownership and of community spirit."

St Asaph, a town of only 3,400 residents, won on their third attempt. Although considered a city for centuries thanks to its cathedral, laws drafted in the 20th century saw the township legally demoted from this status. The surprise victory makes it the second-smallest city in the UK behind St Davids, also Welsh.

"It is a deserved reward for a diamond of a community within the Big Society, a place which has always punched above its weight in leading north-east Wales in commerce, culture and welfare," the town's council said in a statement.

Perth becomes Scotland's seventh city with the honour, which Perth & Kinross provost Dr John Hulbert claimed was "long overdue". "I am delighted that official city status has been restored to Perth. Everyone in the council shares my excitement at the prospect of a glorious new chapter in Perth's long history," he said.

He added: "Full restoration of its ancient dignity is long overdue. This decision reflects the fact that Perth is at the forefront of Scottish life: a modern, dynamic, international city, offering unrivalled business, artistic, educational, cultural and sporting opportunities to its citizens and visitors."

Chelmsford will become the only city located in the county of Essex

Chelmsford will become the first city in the English county of Essex. It has been Essex's county town since 1218, and currently has a population of around 160,000 residents. One of the fastest-growing towns in the south-east of the country, it holds a Grade I listed cathedral.

Chelmsford Museums manager Nick Wickenden said: "If you look historically at the development of Chelmsford, getting city status is the next logical step. We have been the communications centre of the county since the 13th Century. And now it will forever be associated with the Jubilee year when people look back on the events of the Queen's Jubilee."

Among the rejected towns were Milton Keynes, Luton and Reading, despite all having populations higher than those of the successful candidates. The council leader of Medway, a failed bidding town in the county of Kent, spoke of his town's growth over the past few years.

Rodney Chambers said: "Our bid has helped to raise our profile and show people how much this area has to offer. We know that Medway's journey continues, and it is definitely heading in the right direction."

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Sources [edit]

"Perth celebrates city status award" — The Strathearn Herald, March 14, 2012
Gavin Cordon. "Chelmsford, Perth and St Asaph awarded city status" — The Independent, March 14, 2012
"Perth wins Diamond Jubilee contest to be named seventh Scottish city" — BBC News Online, March 14, 2012
"Jubilee cities: Chelmsford, Perth, St Asaph and Armagh" — BBC News Online, March 14, 2012
"Chelmsford: Essex town with all attributes of city" — BBC News Online, March 14, 2012
Martin Wainwright. "St Asaph, Chelmsford and Perth get city status" — The Guardian, March 14, 2012
Adam Parris-Long. "Tiny Welsh town (pop 3500) granted city status- and it cost them just £300" — Yahoo! News, March 14, 2012

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US call centre business to create 600 jobs in Wales

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:21:26 GMT

Monday, February 20, 2012

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Conduit, a subsidiary of the US directory assistance organisation kgb, is to create six hundred new jobs in the Welsh capital Cardiff by the end of 2012. Conduit is currently searching for 320 employees and intends to employ a further 280 this year.

In a statement, First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones described the news as "yet another indication that Welsh government policies are having a beneficial effect supporting the economy and creating jobs during these difficult times", saying he was "delighted that Conduit is yet again expanding its operations in Wales." Edwina Hart, Minister for Business, Enterprise, Technology and Science, said she was "pleased that using the economic levers we have at our disposal, such as creating sector-specific enterprise zones, we continue to attract and retain world class business in Wales."

The new employees will work at Fusion Point, an office area in Cardiff city centre. Prior to this announcement, Conduit already had in excess of 1900 employees within three Welsh bases in Cardiff Gate, Swansea, and Cardiff city centre. This new contract has been created in association with a residential care service provided by British Gas.

Conduit Europe chief executive officer Denis Creighton said of the company's decision: "Wales delivers our best performance figures period. And that's why we're planning to focus future growth here."

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Sources [edit]

"Call centre firm Conduit creates 600 jobs in Cardiff" — BBC News Online, February 20, 2012
"US company Conduit to create 600 jobs in Cardiff" — WalesOnline, February 20, 2012

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Attention drawn to high suicide rates in Scotland, Russia, Australia

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:49:56 GMT

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Health

Sister links [edit]

Youth suicide on Wikipedia.

Sources [edit]

Russell Skelton. "Suicide among children as young as 11 at alarming levels" — The Sydney Morning Herald, February 11, 2012
Russell Skelton. "Despair grips the children of the Dreaming" — The Age, February 11, 2012
"Suicidal Tendencies Highly Predominant in Girls" — TopNews, February 11, 2012
AP. "Russians alarmed by rash of teenage suicides" — CBS News, February 11, 2012
AFP. "Russia sounds alarm over spiralling teenage suicides" — Khaleej Times, February 10, 2012
"Suicides 'high among young men'" — The Press Association, February 9, 2012
"Study examines higher suicide rate in Scotland" — BBC News Online, February 9, 2012
Severin Carrell. "Teenage girls walked out of care home and leapt to their deaths" — The Guardian, October 5, 2009

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University of Wales to close down after 120 years

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 17:31:39 GMT

Saturday, October 22, 2011

United Kingdom

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120 years after it was founded, the University of Wales (UoW) will shut down. Already comprised of several institutions, two will merge fully while two more will become independent universities.

With a charter from 1893 and the Prince of Wales as its chancellor, problems began at UoW last year after concerns the head of a Malaysian partner institution, a local pop artist, had non-legitimate qualifications. This was followed by Thailand's authorities denouncing another UoW partner as illegal, then an investigation in the UK into all the UoW's foreign ties.

The Quality Assurance Agency said UoW's overseas checks on foreign institutions were inadequate. The UK Border Agency is investigating a possible visa scam whereby foreign students were sold exam answers for a qualification leading to UoW entry and British visas. Two colleges — Rayat London College and Lampton College — are suspended over the claims.

Trinity St David and Swansea Metropolitan universities are to merge, forming University of Wales: Trinity St David. It is to use the latter's own royal charter, which is itself 190 years old. Newport and Glyndwr are set to become universities in their own right. The dissolution follows calls from the leaders of rival universities for the end of UoW.

"I warmly welcome the historic decision taken today by the University of Wales Council," said UoW Vice-Chancellor Professor Medwin Hughes, who will fill the same role for the new University of Wales: Trinity St David. "The transformed University will serve and deliver for Wales." His counterpart for Newport, Dr Peter Noyes, said "The inevitable end to the story of the University of Wales should not detract from a distinguished history lasting 12 decades. Wales should be sad that this day has come[.]" UoW chairmain Hugh Thomas has resigned.

The Prince of Wales is among past students, having spent a 1969 term there. The institution's various member organisations at one point included the now-separate Cardiff University.

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Sources [edit]

Julie Henry. "University of Wales abolished after visa scandal" — The Daily Telegraph, October 22, 2011
"University of Wales will cease to exist as chairman Hugh Thomas resigns" — Wales Online, October 22, 2011

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Officers accused of framing men for murder in UK's 'biggest' trial of police

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 10:57:44 GMT

Thursday, July 7, 2011

United Kingdom

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Swansea Crown Court
Image: Nigel Davis.

The trial of eight retired police officers and two witnesses involved in a high-profile Welsh miscarriage of justice began yesterday in Swansea, south Wales. The ten are accused of framing three men for murder. The Independent Police Complaints Commission thinks it is the largest trial of police the UK has ever seen.

20-year-old prostitute Lynette White was murdered in her Cardiff flat in 1988. Two years later, the 'Cardiff Three' — Stephen Miller, Yusef Abdullahi and Tony Paris — were convicted of her murder. They were cleared on appeal in 1992. Cousins Ronnie and John Actie were tried alongside the Three, but cleared.

In 2003 the real killer, Jeffrey Gafoor, admitted to the crime and was sentenced to life in prison. Gafoor, a client of White's, stabbed her more than 50 times.

All those presently accused deny the allegations against them. The eight policemen are accused of a joint conspiracy to pervert the course of justice in a plot to "mould, manipulate, influence and fabricate evidence."

Amongst these are three senior officers — chief superintendent Thomas Page, chief inspector Graham Mouncher and chief inspector Richard Powell. Mouncher also faces two charges of perjury — the offence of lying under oath in court. The junior officers accused in the conspiracy are Michael Daniels, Paul Jennings, Paul Stephen, Peter Greenwood, and John Seaford.

Alongside Mouncher, original trial witnesses Violet Perriam and Ian Massey also face two counts of perjury each. Both were civilians working for the police. Perriam is said to have lied by saying she saw people including Actie at the crime scene; Massey's charges relate to his claiming Paris had confessed.

The ten defendants are being tried before Mr Justice Sweeney, who will also oversee a second trial next year in which four more police officers face related charges. The cases were not tried together because of practicalities.

A jury was sworn in at Swansea Crown Court yesterday, drawn from a panel of 400 potential jurors. The judge warned them to take no heed of contemporary or historic reporting on any of the trials, and refrain from talking to anyone about the case. Nick Dean QC, for the prosecution, told them they were dealing with a complicated, unusual case. The trial could take up to six months to complete.

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Sources [edit]

"Eight retired policemen to stand trial over roles in Lynette White murder trial" — Wales Online, July 6, 2011
"Lynette White: Prostitute murder case ex-police trial" — BBC News Online, July 6, 2011
Steven Morris. "Lynette White case: ex-policemen accused of making up evidence" — The Guardian, July 6, 2011

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Hundreds of thousands of British public sector workers strike over planned pension changes

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 23:14:21 GMT

Friday, July 1, 2011

United Kingdom

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Strikers march down Kingsway, London.
Photo: Harry Metcalfe.

Hundreds of thousands of British public sector workers went on strike across the country yesterday to protest planned changes to pensions. As industrial action swept the country, half of all schools were hit when teachers walked out, thousands of emergency service responders did not arrive at work, and there were warnings of immigration delays at Heathrow airport.

Police arrested 26 people as protesters picketed on a march in London, and riot police kettled demonstrators as clashes broke out. Reports vary, but it is thought that up to half of British state schools have been affected as employees did not turn up to work.

Mark Serwotka, the leader of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), said the strikes would serve as a "wake-up call" to the coalition government. "It's a very, very clear signal to the government that they have been rumbled," Serwotka said. "This is not about pensions, this is about making public sector workers pay for the economic problems, and we are determined to keep going until they change direction."

Government officials condemned the strike and said the planned changes to pensions, which would see teachers work until age 68 and get less from their pensions, were "fair to taxpayers" as Britain attempts to deal with a large budget deficit. A spokesperson for Downing Street insisted the strike was having a "minimal" impact and said the turnout suggested many public sector workers supported the pension changes.

Christine Blower, the general secretary of one of the striking unions, the National Union of Teachers (NUT), said the strike demonstrated "the anger and distress that this government is causing teachers." She said the "unjustified attacks" on the pensions of teachers "are nothing short of disgraceful." Speaking on BBC television programme Question Time, she added: "Much of this has already been imposed on teachers without negotiation, and when we say there are talks going on it's perfectly true that the government is talking but it isn't actually listening."

But despite government claims that the strike was having little impact, 5,679 schools were closed and another 4,999 were affected as teachers did not turn up for work. Michael Gove, the education secretary attacked the walkouts as "disappointing and unnecessary". Thousands of staff handling emergency 999 calls also striked and pickets were held outside courts as members of the PCS walked out in protest.

	This is not about pensions, this is about making public sector workers pay for the economic problems, and we are determined to keep going until they change direction.
—Mark Serwotka, PCS leader

Francis Maude, the cabinet office minister, also maintained that the strikes were wrong and said the low number of people walking out showed many supported the government's plans. "What today has shown is that the vast majority of hard-working public sector employees do not support today's premature strike and have come into work today," he said.

Senior Labour party figures including Ed Miliband, Tessa Jowell and John Denham said the strikes were unjustified until negotiations with the government had concluded. Mary Bousted of the NUT criticised Labour's lack of support for the striking workers: "The response of Ed Miliband has been a disgrace - he should be ashamed of himself. If our strike is a mistake, what has he done to oppose this devastating attack on our pensions? If the opposition will not defend our pensions, we will."

A largely peaceful march by 30,000 protesters took place through London, and the atmosphere was reported to be largely peaceful, but Metropolitan Police officials said 26 people had been arrested. At a meeting in Westminister, many left wing figures attacked the government plans. Ken Livingstone, a former mayor of London who is running for the job again next year, said the coalition government had "mishandled" the issue of pensions. "The government must end its attacks and negotiate on the core issues under contention," he added.

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Sources [edit]

"Row over impact of public sector pension strikes" — BBC News Online, June 30, 2011
Hélène Mulholland. "Pensions strike a 'wake-up call' for ministers" — The Guardian, June 30, 2011
Christopher Hope, Murray Wardrop, Jonny Cooper. "Public sector staff strikes: live" — The Telegraph, June 30, 2011
Paul Owen. "Public sector strikes live blog" — The Guardian, June 30, 2011
"Ed Miliband's failure to support strikes 'a disgrace'" — BBC News Online, June 30, 2011

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Liberal Democrats defeated in UK elections after alternative vote and councils rejected; Salmond wins historic first majority vote

Sat, 07 May 2011 04:32:19 GMT

Friday, May 6, 2011

United Kingdom

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Nick Clegg, the leader of the Liberal Democrats.
Image: Maximus0970.

Nick Clegg, the leader of the Liberal Democrats and deputy prime minister in the United Kingdom coalition government, has today conceded a "bitter blow" after suffering two major defeats as the electorate rejected the alternative vote system and his party was battered by its worst local election defeat in 30 years. The SNP also won the historic first majority vote in the history of Scotland, which will pave the way for a referendum on independence.

The electorate overwhelmingly rejected the alternative vote; 68 percent voting "no" to 32 percent voting "yes". The rejection was the second defeat for the Liberal Democrat leader today after the party also lost seats across the country. Gary Long, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Nottingham City Council, who lost his seat to Labour today, has publicly called for Clegg to resign after the electoral defeats. The Liberal Democrat mayor of Chorley accused Clegg of "letting the party down", and a third party leader said he should "think about his position".

Clegg, who campaigned to implement the alternative vote, was today forced to concede his party had taken a disappointing loss in failing to win the alternative vote, and sustained "big knocks" in the council elections because it was "getting the brunt of the blame" for spending cuts implemented by the coalition. While it was a good day for the Conservatives—who gained two more council seats—Clegg had lost almost half his council seats, many to Labour. Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, said the backlash against Clegg sent "a clear message" to the Liberal Democrats "that there needs to be a change of direction on some of the key issues". Many families who rejected his party, Clegg said, feared a return to Thatcherism. "We need to get up, dust ourselves down and move on," he said.

But tonight leading "yes" campaigners admitted they had been defeated. Chris Huhne, a Liberal Democrat minister who campaigned in support of the alternative vote, said: "The rejection has been overwhelming and we accept that." He said the public had resoundingly rejected the alternative vote, and suggested any attempt "to find some sort of backdoor method to bring something in that is not first past the post will be seen to have snubbed the clear wishes of the electorate." Counting of the ballots, which were cast yesterday across the country, is continuing tonight, but the "no" vote has already passed the winning post. Voter turnout was a higher-than-expected 41 percent.

As turmoil spreads within the Liberal Democrats, there are also reports of tension between the two coalition parties—Clegg campaigned in support of the system, but his Conservative coalition partner David Cameron campaigned against it. Although senior politicians within the coalition insist there are no differences after the campaign over the alternative vote, differences are thought to be mounting within the government. Paddy Ashdown, a former Liberal Democrat leader, today said the "goodwill and trust" between the coalition parties had all but dissolved.

	Just as the Scottish people have restored trust in us, we must trust the people as well. Which is why, in this term of the parliament, we will bring forward a referendum and trust the people on Scotland's own constitutional future.
—Alex Salmond, SNP leader

In Scotland, the SNP won a majority vote for the first time in the history of the country after the Liberal Democrat vote collapsed and Labour suffered an unpredicted defeat, allowing the party leader, Alex Salmond, to hold a referendum on Scottish independence. "Just as the Scottish people have restored trust in us, we must trust the people as well," he said. "Which is why, in this term of the parliament, we will bring forward a referendum and trust the people on Scotland's own constitutional future." Following a series of defeats for senior Labour politicians in Scotland the party leader, Iain Grey, announced his resignation. Cameron congratulated Salmond for his "emphatic win", but said he would fight Scottish independence "with every single fibre that I have."

Vote counting has begun in Northern Ireland, but the full layout of the Assembly will not be known before tomorrow evening. Meanwhile, Labour missed out on an overall majority in the Welsh Assembly by one seat; it now appears they may form an alliance with the Liberal Democrats. Carwyn Jones, the leader of the Labour party in Wales said the electorate wanted them to govern, but refused to dismiss the prospect of an alliance. "The one thing the people of Wales have said very clearly to us is they want Labour to stand up for them and they want Labour to lead the next Welsh government," he said. "Over the next few days all the parties will be considering their positions. The opposition parties have had some severe disappointments and things need to settle before they think about their position."

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Sources [edit]

"Vote 2011: UK says 'no' to alternative vote" — BBC News Online, May 6, 2011
Allegra Stratton. "No alternative: AV is 'over' after yes campaign routed" — The Guardian, May 6, 2011
Polly Curtis, Patrick Wintour, Hélène Mulholland. "Liberal Democrats have taken 'big knocks', says Nick Clegg" — The Guardian, May 6, 2011
Severin Carrell. "Salmond hails 'historic' victory as SNP secures Holyrood's first ever majority" — The Guardian, May 6, 2011
"Scottish election: Salmond victorious after party's win" — BBC News Online, May 6, 2011
"Vote 2011: Nick Clegg quit calls after council losses" — BBC News Online, May 6, 2011
"Rochdale Lib Dem leader calls for Nick Clegg to resign" — BBC News Online, May 6, 2011
Steven Morris. "Labour looks to rule Welsh assembly with Lib Dems after taking 50% of seats" — The Guardian, May 6, 2011
"Verification of votes gets under way at NI count centrets" — BBC News Online, May 6, 2011
"Mayor of Chorley 2010/11 - Ken Ball" — Chorley Council, undated

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UK holds referendum on voting system

Thu, 05 May 2011 21:02:47 GMT

Friday, May 6, 2011

United Kingdom

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File photo of a UK polling station sign.
Image: secretlondon123.

The United Kingdom electorate took to the polls yesterday to vote in both local elections and a UK-wide referendum regarding the system used to elect its members of parliament to the House of Commons. The polls opened at 07:00 BST (0600 UTC) yesterday morning and closed at 22:00 BST (2100 UTC) last night.

Alongside the normal local elections for seats on 279 councils, and elections for seats in the devolved Scottish Parliament and the Welsh and Northern Irish Assemblies, the country saw the first nation-wide referendum since 1975, regarding potentially replacing the current first past the post voting system with the Alternative Vote (AV) system currently used for general elections in Australia, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea, as well as for some mayoral and party leadership elections worldwide, including in the UK.

Mayoral elections also took place in Leicester, Mansfield, Beford, Middlesbrough, and Torbay. Some areas also experienced elections to parish councils, while the constituency of Leicester South underwent a by-election after its Labour MP Sir Peter Soulsby stood down to run for mayor.

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At present, the UK uses the ‘first past the post’ system to elect MPs to the House of Commons. Should the ‘alternative vote’ system be used instead?
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One polling station in Stockport was delivered the wrong ballot papers, causing around 90 people to cast invalid votes. Those affected were, where possible, contacted and asked to cast their vote again, according to the local council. Another, in Llandeilo, was closed for two hours after escaped dogs bit four people nearby.

The AV referendum came about as a result of the coalition agreement between the Liberal Democrats, who support voting reform and promised a referendum in their campaign, and the Conservatives, who initially opposed reform but agreed to a referendum as a compromise, following the election in May last year.

The Scottish National Party (SNP) hopes to retain control of the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood, where it currently runs the minority government, in the hopes of potentially holding a referendum regarding Scottish independence, which they did not deliver in their first term in power; meanwhile Labour hope to end their coalition with Plaid Cymru by taking control of the Welsh Assembly; however, sources from within the party report that it is likely that Labour will fail to reach a majority. Little is expected to change in Ireland, where the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin are expected to retain their dominance over the Northern Irish Assembly.

Polling booths in the New Forest.

Polls taken prior to the election implied that AV would be rejected by some margin, but due to low turnout — despite good weather — the results are likely to be unpredictable. The results of the AV referendum are not due to be declared until 20:00 BST (1900 UTC) today, and counting is not due to begin until 16:00 BST (1500 UTC).

As usual, Sunderland was the first council to report, and was held by Labour; as is the case with many councils in the north of England, it is considered a Labour safe seat. Early predictions indicate that a number of Liberal Democrat councilors in northern cities will lose their seats to Labour or Conservative candidates. Former Labour Home Secretary David Blunkett reportedly said that the national opinion had changed from "Clegg mania" into "Clegg pneumonia". In an interview with the BBC, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg put predicted Liberal Democrat losses down to voters being "angry" at the coalition government, but also said that the electorate is "not stupid", and would vote in council elections based on local—rather than national—factors.

The first Scottish Parliament constituency to report was Rutherglen, which is held by the incumbent Labour MP, James Kelly. Despite being considered Labour's fourth safest Scottish seat, it experienced a swing of more than seven percent towards the SNP, and large Labour losses are predicted across Scotland. Nearby East Kilbride was the second to report, and was gained by SNP candidate Linda Fabiani from the Labour incumbent Andy Kerr.

Have an opinion on the referendum or election? Post it!

Sources [edit]

Some information contained in this article was obtained from television, radio, or live webcast sources. Reporter's notes and the broadcast source details are available at the discussion page.

"Vote 2011: Counting under way in elections across UK" — BBC News Online, May 5, 2011
Doug Saunders. "Britain's voting referendum cleaves governing coalition" — The Globe and Mail, May 5, 2011
"Vote 2011: Public going to the polls across UK" — BBC News Online, May 5, 2011
Peter O'Neil. "Brits mulling over benefits of a new voting system" — Montreal Gazette, May 3, 2011

External links [edit]

United Kingdom Alternative Vote referendum, 2011 — Wikipedia

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	I have seen websites that offer a thousand ways of killing oneself
—Zurab Kekelidze

	We now have a situation in the territory where there are almost as many female as male suicides
—Howard Bath