Atlantic storm hits UK

An Atlantic storm hit the UK on Thursday and Friday bringing heavy rain and blustery winds with it.  The Met Office says that the unsettled weather is set to continue into Saturday.  The weather is also noticeably colder than it would normally be for this time of year.

The Highways Agency advised motorists to exercise caution if they were travelling and told drivers to plan ahead if they were going to travel in the heavy rain and high winds.

A team from the Environment Agency have been checking on flood defences and river levels.  The Environment Agency has also been working to avoid any river blockages.  People are advised to keep up-to-date by following the Agency's Twitter feed for the latest information.

Not even the Olympic Torch is guaranteed good weather.  Forecasters say that as the relay goes through Gateshead to Durham, there is the potential for wet weather on Saturday.

Commenting in a press release, Frank Saunders, Chief Forecaster at the Met Office, said: 


"The unsettled theme we have seen so far this month is set to continue with more wet and windy weather to come, especially through tonight and tomorrow, although we are not expecting it to be as severe as the weather last weekend."

Clinton Cards Administrators to close 350 stores

Last week it was announced that the Clinton Cards chain of store was to go into administration.  On Wednesday the administrators issued a statement saying that 350 of the 784 stores are to close.

Explaining the decision, the administrators say that the "business is burdened with an untenable real estate".

The store closures will begin next week and will continue into the next month.  The decision means that all of the Birthdays stores and 200 Clinton Cards stores face closure.

Exact locations, timings of the closures, and the amount of staff facing losing their jobs are yet to be confirmed by the Administrators but details will be given soon.

Commenting in a press release, Peter Saville, Joint Administrator and Partner at Zolfo Copper, said:

"Given the sheer size of the Clinton Cards retail estate and the overall performance, we were left with no alternative to today's difficult decision.  I am hopeful that the action we have taken will allow us to preserve value in the core underlying business, thereby allowing us and potential buyers to focus on a profitable and a viable real estate going forward."

Only one in five Britons eat five servings of fruit and vegetables a day

A new survey carried out by YouGov on behalf of the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) shows that only a fifth of Britons eat the recommended five servings of fruit and vegetables a day.

The survey was commissioned by the charity to coincide with Cancer Prevention Week which started on 14 May.  The week will culminate in "Fruity Friday", a day when WCRF raises awareness of the links between eating well, good nutrition and cancer prevention.

As part of Cancer prevention Week, WCRF are encouraging people to just one more portion of either fruit or vegetable to help improve their diets.  Fruits and vegetables are high in antioxidants and antioxidants are believed to play a role in preventing cancers.

Income does appear to have a bearing on how much fruit and vegetables a person eats, according to the survey.  The survey shows that 17% of lower income families eat five servings a day while 27% of higher income families eat five servings of fruit and veg a day.

Commenting in a press release, WCRF Head of Education Kate Mendoza said:

“These figures show that many people are still finding it difficult to follow the healthy eating message. Getting at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day is the building block of a healthy diet. Not only are fruit and veg a good source of nutrients, they also tend to be low in calories and full of fibre so help us maintain a healthy weight.

“A diet based on plant foods, such as wholegrains and pulses as well as fruit and vegetables, can reduce cancer risk as research shows they protect against a range of cancers. Recent research has confirmed that foods containing fibre reduce the risk of bowel cancer.”

Eggs for breakfast could keep people fuller for longer

http://www.bhf.org.uk/default.aspx?page=14647The benefits of eating a good breakfast are well known and now new research presented on Saturday show that eating egg proteins for breakfast instead of wheat could help people fight hunger pangs, according to the British Heart Foundation.

The findings of the study were announced at the European Congress on Obesity.  It was found that participants who ate an egg for breakfast were less hungry during the morning and did not eat as much at lunchtime.

Commenting in a press release, Tracy Parker, Heart Health Dietitian at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), said:

“This finding could help people who are trying to lose weight or stop snacking. It shows the quality of protein in your diet, rather than the quantity, can affect how full you feel."

“However, as the study was funded by the American Egg Board, it did not look into other high quality proteins. Further comparison of the effect of lean meat, poultry and fish on appetite should be explored."

“An egg breakfast could keep you from mid-morning snacking but remember to use healthier cooking methods. Try boiling or poaching eggs rather than frying and avoid adding butter to scrambled eggs.”

Three journalists killed in Mexico

The United Nations has expressed concern over the deaths of three journalists in Veracruz, Mexico.  The journalists were killed on Press Freedom Day.

 Irina Bokova, Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said:

“News of the murders of Gabriel Huge and Guillermo Luna Varela – tortured and killed less than one week after the assassination of Regina Martínez Pérez – is deeply disturbing, and reflects an alarming state of affairs in the state of Veracruz,” the Director-General said in a statement from Tunis, where she is attending an international conference to mark World Press Freedom Day, celebrated annually on 3 May.

“That these gruesome crimes have been committed on the eve of World Press Freedom Day – a day on which we honour the vital role played by journalists in upholding democratic values, protecting citizens’ rights to be informed and calling those in power to account – makes the situation all the more intolerable.

“I condemn these three murders in the strongest possible terms and urge the Mexican authorities to act quickly and decisively to find those responsible. Impunity is not an option."

The journalists' bodies had been dismembered and found in three plastic bags; they were discarded near a canal bank in Boca del Rio. They have been named as Gabriel Huge Cordova and Guillermo Luna Varela, both of them worked as photographers. The body of retired photographer Esteban Rodriguez was also found, and the body of his companion, named as Irasema Becerra, was also discovered.

This brings the total of journalists killed in 2012 to 18, according to figures from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Journalists around the world are often targeted while doing their work and there have been many similar cases reported from Mexico. However, figures from CPJ show that Syria is the deadliest country in 2012 with five journalists killed so far this year. Somalia is the second deadliest with five journalists killed this year.

Amur leopard captured on camera in China

Staff in the Hunchun Amur Tiger National Nature Reserve in Jilin Province, China  have captured pictures of the Amur leopard.  The pictures are said to be the first-known pictures to be taken by camera trap photography, the Wildlife Conservation Society says.


Along with this news it was also said that a recent survey has revealed that an estimated 8-11 Amur leopards have been counted in the northern province which is an encouraging sign the the leopards are returning to China.


Staff from the Hunchun Reserve set up 16 cameras, a dozen of which were donated by the Wildlife Conservation Society, and located them in the same area where a winter survey had recorded sightings of the animals.


The Wildlife Conservation Society has worked for more than ten years in support of the Russian-Chinese transboundary conservation. The Society also says that pictures of Amur tigers were also taken.


Amur leopards mainly live over the border from China in Russia, where 29 leopards were recorded in last winter's survey.  The Amur leopard is one of the most endangered large cat species on the planet with only 30-35 left.


You can find out more about the work of the Wildlife Conservation Society here.

The Apprentice Week Six Review

Six weeks marks the half way mark for The Apprentice.  Usually you can spot whose going to win by now but this series I am finding it hard to guess who the winner will be.

This week, Lord Sugar paid a visit to the candidates' home to let them know what their task would be: selling gourmet food in Edinburgh, which was described as "the culinary capital of Scotland".  The teams had to set up mobile food units and, as ever, the team that made the most money would walk away the winners.

The team leaders were selected by Alan Sugar and Jenna was chosen as leader for Sterling while Adam led Phoenix.  Sterling went with the "Scotch Pot" and Phoenix went with "Utterly Delicious" meatballs then set themselves the unenviable task of selling meatballs to football fans for £5.99 a time.

From the start you could see which where it was going to go so it was no surprise when Phoenix were declared the losers.  Katie went home this time which was no surprise either.  It was her third time in the boardroom and it was her idea to try and sell to the football fans.

The women have not fared to well this series but I was impressed by Jenna as the team leader who understood the importance of selling good quality food at a fair price.